Me and my partner are purchasing a 2 bedroom flat in Barry with a mortgage. We have a Barry lawyer, but the bank says he's not on their "panel". It appears that we have no choice but to use one of the bank panel conveyancing practices or retain our Barry conveyancer as well as pay for one of their panel ones to act for them. We regard this is unjust; can we not insist that the bank use our Barry conveyancing practitioner ?

No, not really. Your mortgage offer is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the bank’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 Barry conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

I have given 2 months notice to my current landlord and have to be out of my let out flat in Barry by 11/9/2025. Conveyancing for my house purchase is underway. How realistic is it to complete in 5 weeks as don't want to have to move into short term accommodation?

The normal practice is not to provide notice on a rental unless exchange of contracts has taken place. If you have not already done so, notify to your solicitor and request that they cajole the other side, try to get a realistic time scale from them that everyone will look towards

I am buying a new build flat in Barry. Conveyancing is a frightening process at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. What sort of enquires would be asked in new build conveyancing.

Here is a sample of a few leasehold new build questions that you can expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Barry

Investor purchasers must be able to freely grant unsecured tenancies at market rents without requiring any consents. Where there is an Undertaking being granted there is the risk of forfeiture of the Headlease subject to relief if one or more of the Underlessees are willing to accept the original Head Lessee’s obligations as otherwise relief will be denied to the Underlessees. The only alternatives are the Head Lessor agreeing not to forfeit the Headlease or the Head Lessee guaranteeing to the Underlessees that it will not be in breach of the Headlease. The Vendor must covenant to keep unoccupied units in good repair until long leases are granted therefore. The Lease must contain a provision on behalf of the Vendor to pay the service charges in respect of unoccupied units in order to ensure that all services can be provided. If there are lifts in the building, please confirm that the owners of flats on the ground and basement floors will not be required to contribute towards the cost of maintenance and renewal.

I am looking for a ground for flat up to £305k and found one near me in Barry I like with open areas and station in the vicinity, the downside is that it's only got 61 remaining years left on the lease. There is not much else in Barry for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a short lease?

If you need a mortgage that many years will likely be a potential deal breaker. Discount the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current owner has owned the premises for a minimum of twenty four months you could ask them to start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer concerning this.

I am in need of some leasehold conveyancing in Barry. Before diving in I require certainty as to the number of years remaining on the lease.

Assuming the lease is registered - and 99.9% are in Barry - 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.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Barry - Sample of Questions you should consider Prior to buying

It is important to be aware whether changing the roof or some other major work is due shortly that will be shared between the leaseholders and will materially impact the level of the service fees or necessitate a one off invoice. This information is useful as a) areas could cause problems in the block as the communal areas may start to deteriorate where maintenance remain unpaid b) if the tenants have an issue with the running of the building you will need to have all the details How long is the Lease?