I am acquiring a flat in South London. My Conveyancer is not on the mortgage company approved panel. Am I still permitted to use my South London conveyancing solicitor even though they are not on the bank panel of approved conveyancing solicitors?

You must instruct a solicitor to complete the legal work required when you need a loan to buy your property. The lawyer will conduct all the appropriate legal checks on the property, ensuring that you will be registered as proprietor and ensure that all the required mortgage documentation is in place. You may appoint a South London lawyer of your choice. Nevertheless, if the solicitor selected is not a member of the bank approved list further costs will be incurred as separate legal representation will be required by them. Lender panel applications can be submitted, so provided your conveyancer has not historically applied for membership they can do so.

My wife and I are at the point of viewing flats in South London and I am about to put in an offer. Is it advisable to have a lawyer on ‘stand by’? I intend to finance via a mortgage with Aldermore.

It would be prudent to commence your search sooner rather than later. After you have chosen your lawyer and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their contact information on to the estate agent. As you are taking out a mortgage with Aldermore, make sure you remember to check that your lawyer is on the Aldermore conveyancing panel.

I can not fathom if my mortgage offer obliges me to make sure the lease term for the flat is extended prior to the completion date. I have telephoned my South London building society branch on a couple of occasions and was told they are content with the situation and they would lend. My South London conveyancing solicitor - who is on the lender conveyancing panel- telephoned and was told they refuse to lend based on their specific requirements. I simply don't know who is right.

Your property lawyer must comply with the CML Handbook Part 2 specifications for your bank. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the bank will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the mortgage company to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years remaining.

I recently had an offer accepted on a house in South London. My financial adviser recommended their conveyancers. I paid an on account payment of £175. A couple of days later, the conveyancing practitioner called me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Yorkshire BS panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

Hoping to buy a property located in South London and I am already nervous. I couldn't find anything specific about South London. Conveyancing will be needed in due course but do you know about the South London area? or perhaps some other tips you can share?

Rather than looking online forget looking online you should go and have a look at South London. In the meantime here are some basic statistics that we found

What are your top tips when it comes to finding a South London conveyancing practice to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

If you are instructing a property lawyer 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 work. We advise that you talk with several firms including non South London conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then so much the better. The following questions might be helpful:

What are the legal fees for lease extension conveyancing? Can they put you in touch with clients in South London who can give a testimonial?

I am the registered owner of a two-bedroom flat in South London. In the absence of agreement between myself and the landlord, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal make a decision on the sum payable for a lease extension?

Most certainly. We are happy to put you in touch with a South London conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Lease Extension decision for a South London property 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 was in relation to 1 flat. The unexpired lease term was 65.21 years.

Is there an average conveyancing fee for conveyancing in South London?

The average cost last year for conveyancing in South London was just over one thousand four hundred and fifty pounds not including Stamp Duty and HM Land Registry fees.