Our family solicitor has given a fee calculation of £1350 for freehold conveyancing in Southgate. I am selling a newly refurbished house for £225,000. Are the quoted fees excessive? Is it above the norm for conveyancing in Southgate?

The charges are a bit high. Where you are content to spend time comparing prices you might shave off some of the cost by perhaps £100 plus VAT. On the other hand, you maycome to regret choosing an an unknown conveyancer. Remember to check that the conveyancer can also act for your bank. You can employ our comparison tool to locate a Southgate conveyancing company on the banks member panel which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Southgate.

I had intended to instruct a property lawyer in Southgate for our house move. Our broker has since advised us that our mortgage lenders Barclays Direct won't deal with them. Why is this not regarded as unfair competition?

A decade ago most banks had a different appetite for risk. Almost all Southgate conveyancing firms would have been on many lender panels. The financial services regulator in 2010 carried out a thematic investigation into mortgage fraud which concluded: mortgage lenders should know the conveyancing solicitors dealt with. Consequently, lenders are increasingly seeing more data from law firms regarding their operations and the individuals who work for them and establishing certain criteria such a completing on a minimum volume of transactions. Many Southgate conveyancing firms that have been excluded from lender panels have Unblemished track record, no complaints and no claims and didn't just 'dabble' in conveyancing. Southgate is one of the many areas where the lawyers we list are on the panel for Barclays Direct.

I need some fast conveyancing in Southgate as I am under an ultimatum to sign on the dotted line inside 2 weeks. Luckily I do not require a mortgage. Can I escape the need for conveyancing searches to save fees and time?

If.Given you are are a mortgage free buyer you have the choice not to do searches although no conveyancer would suggest that you don't. With plenty of history conveyancing in Southgate the following are examples of what can arise and adversely affect future saleability: Enforcement Notices, Outstanding Fees, Outstanding Grants, Railway Schemes,...

I used Arc property Solicitors several years ago for my conveyancing in Southgate. Now, I need the documents however cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?

You should call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracing your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Southgate of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously used, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

I'm buying a new build house in Southgate with the aid of help to buy. The developers refused to budge the amount so I negotiated £7000 of fixtures and fittings instead. The estate agent told me not reveal to my solicitor about this side-deal as it may adversely affect my mortgage with Halifax. Is this normal?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.