I am in the process of selling my maisonette in South Acton and the EA has just e-mailed to advise that the buyers are switching property lawyer. I am told that this is due to the fact that the bank will only deal with property lawyers on their approved list. Why would a leading mortgage company only deal with certain lawyers rather the firm that they want to choose for their conveyancing in South Acton ?

Mortgage companies have always had an approved set of law firms they are willing to work with, but in the past few years big names such as HSBC, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have represented them for more than 25 years.

Lenders blame a rise in fraud by way of justification for the cull – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to keep an eye on. Banks tend not to reveal how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Plenty of firms are unaware that they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. The buyers are not going to have any sway in the decision.

When can the exchange of contracts take place for residential conveyancing in South Acton and am I required to be at the conveyancers branch?

Where you are near to one of the conveyancing solicitors in South Acton you are welcome to attend to sign the paperwork. That being said, the lender approved solicitors we work with offer countrywide coverage for conveyancing and provide just as comprehensive and professional a job for you when dealing with you digitally. The executing of the purchase agreement is not the point of no return. A signed contract is just a prerequisite for the firm to officially exchange at the appropriate time, which will usually be very shortly after signing. The exchange process is nowadays normally dealt with by telephone and can be very rapid, although where a lengthy "chain" is in the mix, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in South Acton)to be in the office available at the end of the phone to exchange contracts.

Have purchased a a semi-detached house in South Acton , how long will it take for the Land Registry to register the transfer to my name? My South Acton conveyancing solicitor has been very slow, so I want to be sure that my ownership is registered.

There is nothing unique about conveyancing in South Acton registration formalities. As opposed to being determined by geographic area, timescales can adjust depending on the party submitting the application, whether there are errors and if the Land registry communicate with any interested parties. Currently in the region of three quarters of such applications are fully addressed within 12 days but some can be subject to extensive hold-ups. Historically registration is effected after the buyer has moved in to the premises thus an expedited registration is not usually primary concern yet if it is urgent that the the registration takes place urgently then you or your conveyancer could communicate with the Registry to express the reasoning for an expedited registration.

How does conveyancing in South Acton differ for newly converted properties?

Most buyers of new build property in South Acton contact us having been asked by the developer to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the house is finished. This is because house builders in South Acton typically purchase the land, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancing solicitors as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are used to new build conveyancing in South Acton or who has acted in the same development.

I have just appointed agents to market my ground floor flat in South Acton.Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon however I have recently had a yearly service charge demand – Do I pay up?

It best that you discharge the maintenance contribution as you normally would as all ground rent and service invoices will be allottedas part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you will be reimbursed by the purchaser for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially