Finally the sale completed on my house in Woodford last February but my buyer keeps e-mailing every few hours complaining that his conveyancer needs to hear from mine. What should my lawyer have done following completion?

Following your disposal your conveyancer should send the transfer documentation and all supplemental paperwork to the purchaser's lawyers. Depending on the transaction, your lawyer should also evidence that the home loan has been discharged to the purchasers lawyers. There are no post completion steps specific conveyancing in Woodford.

What happens if my lawyer’s firm is removed from the Conveyancing panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in Woodford?

First, this is very unlikely to happen. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have to instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by a regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit at a cost.

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up during conveyancing in Woodford?

Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Woodford. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’

I have been sourcing a conveyancing practitioner in Woodford for my home move. Can I review a solicitor's record with the legal regulator?

You can see documented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions resulting from investigations started on or after 1 January 2008. Visit Check a solicitor's record. For information about the period before 1 January 2008, or to check a firm's record, telephone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. For callers outside the UK, dial +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA may monitor telephone calls for training requirements.

I’m about to sell my garden flat in Woodford. Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed, however I have just had a quarterly maintenance charge demand – what should I do?

The sensible thing to do is pay the invoice as usual as all rents and service payments will be allotted on completion, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer unless the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

Woodford Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Queries Prior to Purchasing

Is there a share of the freehold? How much is the ground rent and service charge?