I am expecting a mortgage offer from Nat West. I hope to enlist the help of a Licensed Conveyancer in Surrey. Does the Nat West Solicitor panel include Licensed Conveyancers?

The Nat West conveyancing panel is, like many other lenders, associated to the Council or Mortgage Lenders or BSA, open to Licensed Conveyancers regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.

My fiancee and I are purchasing our first home. The solicitor has texted usto enquire if we want to purchase supplemental conveyancing searches. As novices we in the dark as to what's appropriate for conveyancing in Surrey

The type of Surrey conveyancing searches depends entirely on the property, the location, the probability of any of these risks, your familiarity of the area and risks, your overall attitude to risk. What is important is that you adequately appreciate what information each search could supply. You may then make a decision if you consider that you need that search. If unsure, ask your conveyancer to advise.

I am purchasing a 3 bedroom semi in Surrey. We would like to convert the garage to an office at the house.Will the conveyancing process involve checks to determine if these works are permitted?

Your property lawyer will check the deeds as conveyancing in Surrey can occasionally reveal restrictions in the title documents which restrict certain alterations or need the permission of a 3rd party. Certain extensions call for local authority planning permissions and approval in accordance building regulations. Some locations are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which often prevent or affect extensions. It would be prudent to check these issues with a surveyor prior to committing yourself to a purchase.

I have paid off my mortgage with Nationwide. I assume I don't need a Surrey conveyancer on the Nationwide panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?

If you have finished paying off your Nationwide mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Nationwide mortgage from the register. Nationwide, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:

1. but are not moving to another property
2. where Nationwide has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. Nationwide has instructed the Land Registry to do so

The Land Registry will send you a letter confirming that your Nationwide mortgage has been paid off.

Completion of my remortgage has taken place for my property in Surrey. Conveyancing was of an acceptable standard but I would like to complain about the lender. How does one go about formally complaining?

All lenders have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Team at head office. We understand that complaints to a lender are sorted out effectively and efficiently. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR with full details of your complaint.

How can the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 affect my commercial premises in Surrey and how can your lawyers assist?

The particular law that you refer to affords security of tenure to business lessees, giving them the dueness to apply to court for a continuation of occupancy when the lease comes to an end. There are limited grounds where a landlord can refuse a lease renewal and the rules are complex. Fees are different for commercial conveyancing. Surrey is one of the numerous areas of the UK in which our lawyers are located

All being well we will complete our sale of a £450,000 flat in Surrey in just under a week. The managing agents has quoted £324 for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and previous years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge exorbitant fees for a leasehold conveyance in Surrey?

Surrey conveyancing on leasehold flats normally involves fees being raised by managing agents :

Addressing conveyancing due diligence questions Where consent is required before sale in Surrey Copies of the building insurance and schedule Deeds of covenant upon sale Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your solicitor will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Surrey leasehold premises is £350. For Surrey conveyancing transactions it is customary for the seller to pay for these costs. The landlord or their agents are under no legal obligation to answer such questions most will be willing to do so - albeit often at exorbitant prices where the fees bear little relation to the work involved. Unfortunately there is no law that requires fixed charges for administrative tasks. Neither is there any legal time frame by which they are required to supply the information.

I own a leasehold flat in Surrey, conveyancing formalities finalised half a dozen years ago. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Similar flats in Surrey with a long lease are worth £181,000. The ground rent is £55 invoiced annually. The lease runs out on 21st October 2074

With 50 years remaining on your lease the likely cost is going to range between £31,400 and £36,200 as well as professional fees.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed investigations. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional issues that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.