My partner and I are planning to acquire a property in Richmond Upon Thames and have instructed a Richmond Upon Thames conveyancing practice. Within the last couple of days our lawyer has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through in anticipation of exchanging contracts shortly. Santander have this morning contacted us to advise us that there is now an issue as our Richmond Upon Thames solicitor is not on their conveyancing panel. Please explain?

If you are buying a property needing a mortgage it is normal for the purchasers' solicitors to also represent the purchaser's lender. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your solicitor should contact your lender and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own solicitors to act. You don't have to instruct a firm on the bank's conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Richmond Upon Thames lawyers, in which case it will likely add costs, and it may delay matters as you have another set of people involved.

I require conveyancing for an apartment in a relatively new development (seven years old) in Richmond Upon Thames. Almost all the flats have already been disposed of. Do I need carry out the neighbourhood searches as part of conveyancing in Richmond Upon Thames?

You would be opening yourself up to an unnecessary risk in failing carrying out Richmond Upon Thames conveyancing searches. Without searches you have no clarity over flooding, environmental etc which may mean you walk away due to potential problems down the line. If you are buying without a mortgage there is no legal necessity to have them, but we would seriously advise in no uncertain terms that you have them. If timings and price are top of your concerns you should consider with your conveyancer about the possibility of search insurance

Am I right to be suspicious that 3rd parties that I am dealing with are suggesting an online conveyancing firm rather than a High Street Richmond Upon Thames conveyancing practice?

As with many service providers, often recommendations from connections can be very helpful. Yet there are numerous parties with a keen interest in a conveyancing transaction; estate agents, mortgage brokers and mortgage companies may put forward conveyancers to instruct. On occasion these conveyancers might be known to one of the organisations as one of the best in their field, but occasionally there might be a financial incentive behind the endorsement. You are free to select your preferred lawyer. Don't forget that the majority of banks specify a panel list of law firms you are obliged to use for the lender aspect of your conveyancing.

I am on look out for some leasehold conveyancing in Richmond Upon Thames. Before I set the wheels in motion I want to be sure as to the number of years remaining on the lease.

If the lease is recorded at the land registry - and almost all are in Richmond Upon Thames - then the leasehold title will always include the basic details of the lease, namely the date; the term; and the original parties. From a conveyancing perspective such details then enable any prospective buyer and lender to confirm that any lease they are looking at is the one relevant to that title. For any other purpose, such as confirming how long the term was granted for and calculating what is left, then the register should be sufficient on it's own.

I inherited a studio flat in Richmond Upon Thames, conveyancing having been completed 7 years ago. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Equivalent properties in Richmond Upon Thames with an extended lease are worth £227,000. The ground rent is £50 charged once a year. The lease expires on 21st October 2097

With 72 years left to run the likely cost is going to span between £9,500 and £11,000 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to supply the actual costs without more comprehensive due diligence. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.

How do I find a Richmond Upon Thames conveyancing solicitor on the lender conveyancing panel? I have a car and am prepared to travel up to 10kilometers to attend the conveyancer.

You can use the find a conveyancing panel tool on this page. Please choose the lender and your location, in this case Richmond Upon Thames and you will see a number of lawyer located nearest Richmond Upon Thames. Alternatively you can type in the name of your proposed law firm and see if they are listed as being on the mortgage company solicitor panel.