My colleague recommended that if I am purchasing in Westminster I should ask my conveyancer to carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?

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

Taking into account that I will soon part with hundreds of thousands of pounds on a property in Westminster I wish to have a conversation with the solicitor about myconveyancing before instructing the firm. Is this something that you can arrange?

Absolutely - we would be delighted to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you first talking to the conveyancer due to be doing your property ownership legalities in Westminster.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - every client is unique person, not a file reference. The law firms that we put you in touch with believe that the fees you are calculated and presented to you for residential conveyancing in Westminster should be the figure that you are charged.

I am 17 days into a freehold purchase having been recommend to a firm by the local agent to perform conveyancing in Westminster. We are not happy. Could you you assist me in finding new lawyers?

A solicitor would need to be really bad in order to consider changing them. Has your mortgage been generated? If so you need to make them aware of the new contact details and get the offer are issued to the new lawyers. Your new conveyancer should be on the lenders approved list to avoid escalating charges and complications. That should be your first question of the new solicitors. Our find a solicitor tool will assist you in finding a bank approved solicitor for your home move in Westminster

I am in need of some leasehold conveyancing in Westminster. Before diving in I require certainty as to the remaining lease term.

Assuming the lease is recorded at the land registry - and almost all are in Westminster - then the leasehold title will always include the short particulars of the lease, namely the date; the term; and the original parties. From a conveyancing perspective such details then enable any prospective buyer and lender to confirm that any lease they are looking at is the one relevant to that title. For any other purpose, such as confirming how long the term was granted for and calculating what is left, then the register should be sufficient on it's own.

After years of negotiations we simply can't agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Westminster. Does the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal have jurisdiction to calculate the appropriate figures?

Absolutely. We are happy to put you in touch with a Westminster conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Lease Extension case for a Westminster premises is Flats 12A & 19, Evelyn Mansions Carlisle Place in June 2009. The Tribunal held that the price to be paid for the new lease of Flat 12A is £168,824, For the other flat the price was set at £169,110 This case related to 2 flats. The unexpired term was 56 years.

Is there a distinction between surveying and conveyancing in Westminster?

Conveyancing - in Westminster or anywhere in England and Wales - is the legal term given to transferring legal title of property from one person to another. It therefore includes the investigation of the title. Whether buying or selling, you should be aware of anything affecting the property such as proposals by government departments, illegal buildings, or outstanding rates. The conveyancer should conduct the appropriate searches and inquiries on the property. Surveying relates to the structure of a property itself. A surveyor will look at a house, flat and any outbuildings you’re intending to buy and will help you discover the condition of the building and, if there are problems, give you a powerful reason for reducing the price down or asking the vendor to fix the defects before you complete your move.