I instructed a high street firm for my conveyancing in Ely last week. Upon checking the Terms I seeI am on the hook for costs even where the conveyance does not complete. Should I ditch them and use a web based firm promising no-sale-no-fee conveyancing in Ely?

Generally there is a concession along the lines that if "No Completion No Fee" is offered then the fee levels will generally be uplifted to cover the transactions that do not proceed. Please beware that these schemes generally do not cover outlay such as Ely conveyancing search charges.

Our nephew is buying a new build apartment in Ely with a home loan from Principality. His solicitor has said that there is a delay in completing the ‘Disclosure of Incentive Form’. What is this document - I have never come across this before?

The document is intended to provide information to the main parties engaged in the purchase. Therefore, it will be provided to your son’s lawyer who should be on the Principality conveyancing panel as a standard part of the process, and to the surveyor when asked. The developer will be required to start the process by downloading the form and completing it. The form will therefore need to be available for the valuer at the time of his or her site visit. The form should be sent to the Principality conveyancing panel solicitor as early as possible, in order to avoid any last minute delays, and no later than at exchange of contracts.

I am assisting my aunt sell her house in Ely. Will the solicitor arrange the EPC or should I organise this?

After the demise of Home Packs, EPC’s was kept a compulsory component of selling a property. An EPC must be commissioned in advance of the property being advertised. It is not a task that lawyers normally arrange. If you are instructing a Ely conveyancing lawyer they may help arrange energy performance certificates due to their contacts with reputable local providers

We previously appointed solicitors based in Ely on the Bank of Ireland solicitor approved list. They have just invoiced me a separate amount for handling the Bank of Ireland mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee specified by Bank of Ireland?

As unfair as it may appear, as long as it’s in their Terms and Conditions or estimate then yes your lawyer may levy a fee for this. This fee is not dictated by Bank of Ireland but by your Ely solicitor. Some firms on the Bank of Ireland panel will charge ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but many practices incorporate it on their overall fee.

After weeks of negotiation I have agreed a price on an apartment in Ely. My financial adviser pressured me to appoint their property lawyer. I paid an upfront payment of £200. A few days later, the conveyancer called me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Clydesdale panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

My colleague recommended that where I am buying in Ely I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?

This is a search is sometimes quoted for as part of the standard Ely conveyancing searches. It is not a small report of more than thirty pages, listing and detailing important information about Ely around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime details, Ely Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data concerning Ely.

I've found a house that appears to be perfect, at a great figure which is making it all the more appealing. I have just found out that the title is leasehold rather than freehold. I would have thought that there are particular concerns buying a leasehold house in Ely. Conveyancing lawyers have are about to be appointed. Will my lawyers set out the risks of buying a leasehold house in Ely ?

Most houses in Ely are freehold rather than leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local conveyancer who is familiar with the area who can assist with the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are buying in Ely in which case you should be looking for a Ely conveyancing practitioner and be sure that they are used to dealing with leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the number of years remaining. Being a tenant you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want with the house. The lease will likely included provisions such as requiring the freeholder’spermission to conduct changes to the property. You may also be required to pay a service charge towards the maintenance of the estate where the property is located on an estate. Your lawyer will report to you on the legal implications.

I invested in buying a leasehold flat in Ely, conveyancing having been completed January 2002. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Corresponding flats in Ely with over 90 years remaining are worth £221,000. The ground rent is £50 invoiced annually. The lease ends on 21st October 2095

You have 70 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £9,500 and £11,000 as well as professional fees.

The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to supply the actual costs without more comprehensive due diligence. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.