The mortgage agreement from Nationwide for the refinancing of my 3 room flat is expected by the end of next week. Are you able to suggest a cheap conveyancing law firm in St Albans?

You are on the wrong site if you are seeking cut-price fees for conveyancing in St Albans. Our aim is to provide affordable conveyancing but we do not aim to work with the cheapest lawyers. Resist the temptation to appoint organisations seducing you with low cost conveyancing in St Albans. At best, in choosing a lawyer for low cost conveyancing, you will end up with what you pay for and at worst you will end up invoiced for extras and still not end up with the service you were hoping for.

I am assisting my aunt sell her property in St Albans. Will the conveyancing solicitor order an energy performance certificate or should I organise this?

Following the demise of Home Packs, EPC’s was maintained a required part of moving house. An energy performance certificate needs to be to hand prior to the property being marketed. This is not a task that conveyancers normally arrange. If you are using a St Albans conveyancing lawyer they may help arrange energy performance certificates given their relationships with reputable St Albans assessors

This question may be naive but I am unexperienced as FTB of a garden flat in St Albans. Do I pick up the keys to the property on completion from my lawyer? If so, I will appoint a High Street conveyancing solicitor in St Albans?

There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Conveyancing lawyers for you will transfer the purchase money to the vendor’s solicitors, and once they have received this, you should be called to collect the keys from the property Agents and move into your new home. This tends to happen early afternoon.

We have a mortgage agreed in principle with . St Albans conveyancing solicitors have been chosen. What is the average time that one could expect to receive a mortgage offer from ?

Some lenders take longer than others. Have completed the survey? Have you informed as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the conveyancing panel? Sometimes it can take as long as six weeks for a mortgage offer to be issued.

My partner and I are downsizing from our home in St Albans and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a possibility that the property was constructed on contaminated land. A high street St Albans conveyancer would know this is not the case. For the life of me I don't know why the buyers instructed a web based conveyancing outfit rather than a conveyancing solicitor in St Albans. We have lived in St Albans for six years we know that this is a non issue. Do we get in touch with our local Authority to seek clarification that there is no issue.

It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing solicitor currently acting for you. Are they able to advise? You should enquire of your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out life insurance to cover that same sickness)

three months have gone by following my purchase conveyancing in St Albans concluded. I have checked the Land Registry site which shows that I paid £200,000 when infact I paid £215,000. Why the discrepancy?

The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the residence from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.

Our conveyancer in St Albans has discovered a defect with the lease for the apartment we are purchasing in St Albans. The seller’s lawyers have suggested defective title insurance as a solution. We are happy with insurance and will pay for it. Our solicitor has advised that as he is on the bank conveyancing panel he must ensure that the lender is happy with this solution. Who is the client here, us or the mortgage company?

The short answer to your last question is that, notwithstanding the potential for a conflict of interest, you and the mortgage company are the client. A precondition to being on the bank approved panel is to comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements. The UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook conditions require your lawyer to disclose issues such as defects will the lease so that the bank can be afforded the opportunity to check with their valuer as to the extent that the value of the property is affected . Should you refuse to allow your lawyer to make the appropriate notification then your lawyer will have no choice but to discontinue acting for you.