It is is a decade since I purchased my home in Walthamstow. Conveyancing lawyers have recently been appointed on the sale but I can't track down my title deeds. Is this a problem?

Don’t worry too much. First the deeds may be kept by your lender or they may be archived with the conveyancers who oversaw the purchase. Secondly the chances are that the title will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to prove you own the property by your conveyancing lawyers procuring up to date copy of the land registers. Most conveyancing in Walthamstow involves registered property but in the rare situation where your property is not registered it adds to the complexity but is resolvable.

I am buying a terraced house in Walthamstow. Conveyancing solicitors are said to be ‘a necessary evil’ but can I do it myself?

Leaving aside the complexities and merits of DIY conveyancing in Walthamstow you will have to appoint a solicitor on your bank's conveyancing panel to look after their interests. Most people therefore find it easier to let the solicitor act for them and the lender. Furthermore there is minimal cost savings to be made in you doing conveyancing for yourself and another lawyer conducting the conveyancing for the lender. Please feel free to use the search tool to find a lawyer on your lender panel in Walthamstow.

How can we know in advance if a Walthamstow conveyancing solicitor on the Kent Reliance panel is any good?

When it comes to conveyancing in Walthamstow obtaining recommendations is a good start. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one which is cheap as chips. We would always advise that you speak with the lawyer conducting your transaction.

It is unclear whether my bank requires a lease extension. I have called my Walthamstow building society branch on a couple of occasions and was informed it wasn't a problem and they will lend. My Walthamstow conveyancing solicitor - who is on the mortgage company conveyancing panel- called to say that they would not lend in accordance with their published requirements. Who do I believe?

As long as the property lawyer is on the bank panel, they must comply with the CML Handbook requirements for the bank. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the lender will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the mortgage company to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years remaining.

I had an offer accepted on a house in Walthamstow on 24/11/2025, valuation was booked five days later, all came back fine. Conveyancer instructed, so the only thing outstanding was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Barclays and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Barclays conveyancing panel. Can the lender hold off the offer?

Mortgage companies tend not to not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Barclays to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Barclays conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.

My wife and I own a renovated Edwardian property in Walthamstow. Conveyancing solicitor acted for me and Accord Mortgages Ltd. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw two entries: the first freehold, another for leasehold under the exact same address. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?

You should review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Walthamstow and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they mortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also enquire as to the position with your conveyancing practitioner who completed the work.

I'm purchasing a new build house in Walthamstow with the aid of help to buy. The developers refused to reduce the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of additionals instead. The property agent suggested that I not reveal to my conveyancer about the deal as it may jeopardize my loan with Britannia. Should I keep quiet?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer 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.