Me and my partner are buying a 3 bedroom apartment in Southall with a mortgage. We like our Southall conveyancer, however the lender says he's not on their "panel". It appears that we have little option but to instruct one of the lender panel firms or keep our Southall solicitor and pay for one of their panel firms to represent them. We feel that this is unjust; are we not able to require that the lender use our Southall lawyer ?

No, not really. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the bank’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your Southall conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

In reviewing consumer advice sites for a recommended solicitor in Southall, most comment that I must use a CQS assured lawyer. Can you explain what CQS is?

The Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) provides a recognised quality standard for residential conveyancing practices issued by the Law Society. Membership achievement establishes a level of credibility for member firms with stakeholders (regulators, lenders, insurers and consumers) based upon: * the integrity of the senior responsible officer and other key conveyancing staff * the firm's adherence to good practice management standards * compliance with prudent and efficient conveyancing processes via the scheme protocol Membership includes numerous organisations who execute conveyancing in Southall.

This question may be naive but I am unseasoned as a 1st time buyer of a two bedroom flat in Southall. Do I receive the keys to the premises on the completion date from my lawyer? If this is the case, I will instruct a High Street conveyancing solicitor in Southall?

There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Your solicitors will transfer the purchase money to the seller's lawyers, and once they have received this, you should be invited to pick up the keys from the Estate Agents and move into your new home. This tends to happen early afternoon.

Are all Southall Conveyancing Quality Solicitors on the RBS conveyancing list of approved solicitors?

Some major lenders now make use of CQS as the kick off point for Panel membership such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS accreditation however is no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. Nevertheless,the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for solicitor practices wishing to remain on their approved list of firms.

My sealed bid on a semi in Southall has been accepted, but there is a chain. The vendors have put an offer on on an apartment, but it’s not yet agreed to, and are looking at other properties booked. I have selected a high street conveyancing solicitor in Southall. What should be my next step? At what point should I apply for the mortgage with Aldermore?

It is usual to have concerns where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur costs prematurely (home loan application is approx one thousand pounds, then survey, Southall conveyancing search fees, etc). The first course of action is to check that your conveyancer is on the Aldermore conveyancing panel. Concerning the subsequent phase this very much dictated by the specifics of your case, desire for the property and on the state of the market. During a hot market many home buyers will apply for a home loan with Aldermore and pay for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they ask their solicitor to move forward with searches.

I require expedited conveyancing in Southall as I am under an ultimatum to exchange contracts inside 4 weeks. A home loan is not required. Can I escape the need for conveyancing searches to save fees and time?

If.Given you are are a cash buyer you are at free not to do searches although no conveyancer would recommend that you don't. Drawing on years of experience of conveyancing in Southall the following are examples of issues that can be revealed and adversely impact future saleability: Enforcement Actions, Outstanding Charges, Outstanding Grants, Road Schemes,...

We have reached the end of our tether in negotiating a lease extension in Southall. Can this matter be resolved via the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal?

Where there is a missing landlord or where there is disagreement about what the lease extension should cost, under the relevant statutes you can apply to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to assess the amount due.

An example of a Lease Extension decision for a Southall property is 33 Barbican Road in January 2013. The Tribunals calculation of the lease extension premium payable was £17,592. This case related to 1 flat. The number of years remaining on the existing lease(s) was 55.12 years.

When it comes to leasehold conveyancing in Southall what are the most common lease defects?

There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Southall. Most leases are individual and legal mistakes in the legal wording can result in certain clauses are not included. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

Maintenance charge proportions which don’t add up to the correct percentage Repairing obligations to or maintain parts of the building

You could encounter a problem when selling your property if you have a defective lease as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. Yorkshire Building Society, Leeds Building Society, and Alliance & Leicester all have express conveyancing instructions when it comes to what is expected in a lease. If a mortgage lender believes that the lease is defective they may refuse to provide security, forcing the purchaser to pull out.