Me and my partner are purchasing a 1 bedroom apartment in Wimbledon with a mortgage. We would like to retain our Wimbledon conveyancer, but the mortgage company advise he's not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the lender panel solicitors or keep our Wimbledon property lawyer and pay for one of their panel firms to represent them. We consider that this is unjust; are we not able to require that the mortgage company use our Wimbledon solicitor ?

Unfortunately,no. Your mortgage offer is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the lender’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your Wimbledon conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

4 months have gone by following my purchase conveyancing in Wimbledon concluded. I have checked the Land Registry site which shows that I paid £150,000 when infact I paid £170,000. Why the discrepancy?

The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the residence from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.

I am looking for a ground for flat up to £305k and identified one close by in Wimbledon I like with a park and railway links in the vicinity, however it only has 61 remaining years left on the lease. There is not much else in Wimbledon suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a lease with such few years left?

If you need a mortgage the shortness of the lease will be an issue. Reduce the price by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current proprietor has owned the property for at least 2 years you can ask them to start the process of the extension and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor regarding this matter.

My wife and I have hit a brick wall in seeking a lease extension in Wimbledon. Can this matter be resolved via the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal?

Most certainly. We are happy to put you in touch with a Wimbledon conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement case for a Wimbledon property is 629 Garratt Lane in September 2014. The consideration payable for the acquisition of the freehold of the subject property was the sum £21,302.74. This represented a valuation of the freehold in the sum of £23,864 from which the sum of £2561.27 has been deducted in respect of certain costs in repairing and insuring the premises This case related to 3 flats. The remaining number of years on the lease was 72.94 years.

What makes a Wimbledon lease unacceptable for security purposes?

Leasehold conveyancing in Wimbledon is not unique. Most leases are unique and legal mistakes in the legal wording can sometimes mean that certain clauses are missing. The following missing provisions could result in a defective lease:

Insurance obligations

A defective lease will likely cause issues when trying to sell a property primarily because it impacts on the ability to obtain a mortgage on the property. Yorkshire Building Society, The Royal Bank of Scotland, and Godiva Mortgages Ltd all have very detailed conveyancing instructions when it comes to what is expected in a lease. If a mortgage lender believes that the lease does not cover certain provisions they may refuse to provide security, obliging the purchaser to pull out.

What could I expect to pay for conveyancing in Wimbledon?

Almost all Wimbledon conveyancing solicitors will agree to a fixed fee. If further work becomes necessary during the transaction your conveyancing practitioner should advise you in writing of any additional costs for such work as soon as it becomes apparent. Some work on a no completion no fee offering, others will charge a fraction of the agreed charges, calculated based on the point at which the matter fails.

It may be helpful for you to obtain various firms to send you an estimate.