I do hope you can help me. My Swanley solicitor is informing me me that he has toorder Swanley conveyancing searches stemming from the fact thatthe firm are on the HSBCapproved lawyer panel. Is this really necessary?

You have limited options available to you. As you are obtaining a mortgage with a mortgage company your lawyer has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your property lawyer would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of your bank’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to comply with the CML Handbook conditions . Even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out Swanley conveyancing searches.

I am helping my niece sell her flat in Swanley. Does the conveyancer commission the energy assessment or do I organise this?

After the demise of Home Packs, EPC’s remained a compulsory element of selling a property. An energy performance certificate should be commissioned prior to the property being marketed. It is not a task that lawyers normally arrange. If you are using a Swanley conveyancing solicitor they might help arrange energy performance certificates given their relationships with reputable local providers

My partner and I are at the point of viewing houses in Swanley and I am about to put in an offer. Should I already have a lawyer appointed at this stage? I intend to finance via a home loan with RBS.

You should start requesting conveyancing quotes from solicitors ASAP. After you have chosen your lawyer and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their contact information on to the EA. Given that you are obtaining a mortgage with RBS, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the RBS conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.

After weeks of negotiation I have agreed a price on a house in Swanley. My financial adviser suggested a solicitor. I paid an upfront payment of £150. A few days later, the property lawyer contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Aldermore conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Aldermore panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

My relative recommended that if I am buying in Swanley I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?

This is a search is occasionally included in the estimate for your Swanley conveyancing searches. It is a large document of about 40 pages, listing and setting out significant information about Swanley around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime details, Local Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information concerning Swanley.

I am selling my property. My past lawyers have shut. It would be helpful to have a recommendation of a conveyancing firm. I happen to live in Swanley if that makes things easier.

Do use our search tool to help you find a solicitor for your conveyancing in Swanley. We have connected thousands of home buyers and sellers with regulated solicitors to ensure that the legalities of their house move runs with a minimum of fuss.

My father purchased his flat in Swanley Six years ago. He has got wed, widowed and has recently remarried. He now wishes to dispose of the Swanley property. I suspect that he will just be requested to provide a copy of the marriage certificates to the conveyancing practitioner however he is concerned it will frustrate the conveyancing. Is it worth updating the Land Registry details for the house?

The is no need to bring up to date the register on the basis that you have the evidence needed to demonstrate how the change of name resulted.

Any purchaser’s conveyancing practitioner should review the registered information and ask for evidence by way of proof of the change of name for instance marriage certificates.