The vendors of the house we are purchasing have instructed a conveyancing firm in East Sheen who has insisted on a exclusivity contract with a non-refundable deposit of 5k. Is it wise to enter into such agreements?
This form of agreement is unusual in East Sheen, conveyancers are often found to veer clients away from them as they detract from focusing on the primary focus, namely conveyancing and if you end up having your deposit forfeited then the lawyer at best left with an upset client and at worst a litigious one. In addition, there is no guarantee that just because the proprietor has signed a lock out contract they will sell to you. They may be in contravention of the contract if they are offered sufficient financial inducement to do so because a wronged buyer with the benefit of a exclusivitycontract will still have to establish consequential losses from the breach and these may not amount to the extra amount that your vendor may obtain by breaking the agreement, however morally condemnable it undoubtedly is.
I just bought a flat at auction in East Sheen. Conveyancing is required. What is next?
Having legally committed yourself to purchase you will need to find a conveyancing solicitor soon as you will have a pending deadline in which to complete the deal. An auction property should have a corresponding auction pack. This will include the copy title deeds, local authority and drainage searches. If you have purchased leasehold property the auction papers should provide a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and associated conveyancing documentation specific to a leasehold property. You need to give this to your appointed conveyancing solicitor ASAP. You also need to ensure that you have funds in place to complete on the date specified in the contract.
I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with HSBC. I assume I don't need a East Sheen property lawyer on the HSBC panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?
If you have finished paying off your HSBC mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the HSBC mortgage from the register. HSBC, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:
- but are not moving to another property
- where HSBC has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- HSBC has instructed the Land Registry to do so
My offer was accepted on a house in East Sheen on 17/7/2025, valuation was booked 4 days after, received a clean bill of health. Property lawyer instructed, so all that was missing was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Kent Reliance and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel. Are Kent Reliance entitled to hold back the Mortgage pending the lawyer being on the approved list?
A lender would not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Kent Reliance to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
Should commercial conveyancing searches disclose planned roadworks that could affect a commercial land in East Sheen?
Many commercial conveyancing solicitors in East Sheen will execute a SiteSolutions Highways report as it dramatically cuts the time that conveyancers expend in researching accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in East Sheen. The report provides definitive data on the adoption status of roads, footpaths and verges, as well as the implication of traffic schemes and the rights of way surrounding a commercial development sites in East Sheen.
For every commercial conveyancing transaction in East Sheen it is crucial to investigate the adoption status of roads surrounding a site. Failure to identify developments where adoption procedures have not been dealt with adequately can result in delays to East Sheen commercial conveyancing deals as well as pose a risk to future intentions for the site. These searches are not carried out for domestic conveyancing in East Sheen.
I am buying a new build house in East Sheen benefiting from help to buy. The builders would not move on the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of additionals instead. The property agent told me not to tell my lawyer about this side-deal as it could adversely affect my loan with The Mortgage Works. Is this normal?.
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.
I am looking for a flat up to £305k and found one close by in East Sheen I like with open areas and transport links nearby, the downside is that it's only got 49 remaining years left on the lease. There is not much else in East Sheen for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a short lease?
If you require a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term will be problematic. Discount the price by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current owner has owned the premises for at least 2 years you could ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer about this.
I am 3 weeks into a residential purchase having been directed to a firm by the high street agent to perform conveyancing in East Sheen. We are not happy. Could you you assist me in finding new conveyancers?
A solicitor would have to be really poor in order to consider replacing them. Has the mortgage been sent? If so you must advise them of the replacement conveyancer and have the offer are re-sent. Your new conveyancer should be on the banks panel to avoid escalating expenses and complications. That should be your first question of the new conveyancers. Our find a solicitor tool will assist you in finding a bank approved conveyancer for your conveyancing in East Sheen