I am acquiring a house mortgage free in South London. I have resided for the previous Seventeen years in South London. Conveyancing searches are exorbitant. As I have knowledge of the area and road very well must I have all the conveyancing searches?

Provided that you do not need a mortgage, then the vast majority of the South London conveyancing searches are optional. Your solicitor will ’encourage you, perhaps strongly, that you should have searches completed, but he has a professional duty to do this. Do bear in mind; if you are likely to dispose of the house in the future, it may be of interest to your prospective buyer what the searches determine. On occasion houses with day to day issues can still show up adverse search results. A good conveyancing solicitor in South London should be able to give you some helpful guidance here.

Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to my house can not be found. The conveyancers who handled the conveyancing in South London 4 years ago no longer exist. Will I be able to sell the house?

Nowadays there are duplicates made of almost everything, and your conveyancer will be aware precisely where to locate all the suitable paperwork so you can purchase or sell your property without a hitch. Where duplicates are not available, your lawyer can put in place insurance or indemnities against future claims on your property.

How does conveyancing in South London differ for new build properties?

Most buyers of new build premises in South London approach us having been asked by the builder to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is ready to move into. This is because new home sellers in South London tend to acquire 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 conveyancers 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 London or who has acted in the same development.

I have been sourcing a conveyancing solicitor in South London for my home move. Is it possible to see a firm’s complaints history with the legal regulator?

Members of the public can find presented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) determinations arising from investigations from 2008 onwards. Go to Check a solicitor's record. For details about the period before 1 January 2008, or to check a solicitors history, phone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. For callers outside the UK, dial +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA could monitor telephone calls for training purposes.

What advice can you give us when it comes to finding a South London conveyancing practice to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

If you are instructing a conveyancer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a South London conveyancing firm) it is imperative that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We advise that you talk with two or three firms including non South London conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. The following questions might be helpful:

How experienced is the practice with lease extension legislation? If they are not ALEP accredited then what is the reason?

I am the proprietor of a first floor flat in South London. Given that I can not reach agreement with the freeholder, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal determine the sum due for a lease extension?

in cases where there is a absentee freeholder or where there is dispute about the premium for a lease extension, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to arrive at the price payable.

An example of a Lease Extension case for a South London premises is Flat B 10 Grove Avenue in October 2013. Following a vesting order Clerkenwell and Shoreditch County Court 3rd July 2013 The tribunal determines that the premium payable for the lease extension was £36,215.00 This case related to 1 flat. The unexpired term was 65.21 years.