I am in the market for a reasonably priced property lawyer. Do I opt for a nationwide conveyancer rather than a family Surbiton conveyancing solicitor?

Surbiton is a special area, where neighbourhood insight is a big bonus. The relaxed pace of life is great – just not for your home move. The property lawyers that we work with combine a wealth of Surbiton intelligence with a professional, hands-onapproach that helps everything runs smoothly. It is a distinct advantage that they enjoy long term rapport with mortgage brokers, local authorities, valuers and counterpart Surbiton conveyancing practices

A relative pointed out to me me that in purchasing a property in Surbiton there may be a number of restrictions affecting the ability to carry out external alterations to a property. Is this right?

We are aware of a number of properties in Surbiton which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to carry out external alterations. Part of the conveyancing in Surbiton should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.

We previously appointed conveyancers locally in Surbiton on the Yorkshire BS solicitor approved list. They are now charging me an additional sum for the legal aspects of the Yorkshire BS mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee specified by Yorkshire BS?

Unfortunately, so long as it is in their Terms and Conditions or Quote then yes your lawyer can levy a fee for this. This fee is not dictated by Yorkshire BS but by your Surbiton solicitor. Some firms on the Yorkshire BS panel will levy an ‘acting for lender’ fee and others do not.

I've digested plenty of house buying guides, I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Surbiton solicitor - who is on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?

Bank of Ireland will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Bank of Ireland will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own Surbiton surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.

I have been sourcing a conveyancing lawyer in Surbiton for my house move. Is it possible to check a firm’s complaints history with the profession’s regulator?

One can find presented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions resulting from investigations from 2008 onwards. Visit Check a solicitor's record. For records about the period before 1 January 2008, or to check a solicitors record, phone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. For callers outside the UK, call +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA sometimes monitor telephone calls for training requirements.

Last March I purchased a leasehold flat in Surbiton. Am I liable to pay service charges for periods before my ownership?

Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

I have tried to negotiate informally with with my landlord to extend my lease without getting anywhere. Can a leaseholder make an application to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal? Can you recommend a Surbiton conveyancing firm to help?

in cases where there is a absentee landlord or where there is disagreement about the premium for a lease extension, under the relevant legislation it is possible to make an application to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal to make a decision on the sum to be paid.

An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Surbiton flat is Flat D 15 Claremont Gardens in September 2013. TheTribunal determined in accordance with section48 and Schedule13 of the Leasehold Reform,Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 that the premium for the extended lease should be fourteen thousand one hundred and eighty seven pounds (£14,187.00) This case related to 1 flat.

Finally our conveyancing in Surbiton completes next Friday, but the person I am purchasing off has asked to vacate the next day at noon. Should I agree to such a idea?

If you require a loan then your lawyer will require that you have vacant possession on Friday - the lender will compel it.