Thanks - I'll keep an eye out for some more recent thread.

Hey Caro, Was enjoying giving some further perspective on these conversations. I enjoy reading the threads and anyone else who stumbles on them might find my replys interesting and useful if they are in that situation. Hope that is ok but let me know?

Cross selling from hell - every agent seems to have a solution they are trying to force down your throat

Old post - but if there is a solicitor over payment and the solicitor doesn't cover it from their own office account then this is a breach of the SRA rules. You need to report the solicitor immediately to their regulator and watch them parachute in and save the day!

If you haven't got it sorted or they you are unahappy you should report the solicitor to the Legal Ombudsman - they'll research the problem and come back with a solution

Wow - old thread but I anyone who is reading this should always request a full break down of costs if this happens. You need to see a financial statement to find out where the additional costs have arisen. From the sounds of it there has been a request for service charges that would be due by you during your occupation in the property. These normally arise with a leasehold property and you are asked to keep a retention on completion to sweep these up. Sounds like your solicitor didn't do that and then, too embarrassed to admit it, fired you a non-commital request for the payment. Why don't solicitors pick up the phone and talk it through with you??

I have heard of needing to provide ceritficates for works completed within a property and there is a change to askf ro more information from people when they are selling but the solicitor needs to work with you, not alienate

The CML is the council for mortgage lenders and they state what a mortgage lender expects of their solicitor - these are regularly updated and provide the answer you need

SO much for customer service. You should check the CML guidance notes - well not you because by now you must have completed but anyone who is reading this thread.

Hey - new here but Have just spent an age reading up on this so thought I'd post on the thread for other users. The Lease Extension Valuation can take two routes; formal and informal. You need to choose which route to go before you get a valuation. As a rule formal routes are for Leaseholders who want to extend by the statutory 90 years with no ground rent. The process is prescribed and you have protection through the Reform Act 1993. The informal route is best left for Leaseholders who have a good relationship with their Freeholder and want to increase their lease by a variable amount of years and don't mind the ground rent remaining in place.