I am helping my mother sell her flat in Kidwelly. Does the solicitor arrange the energy performance certificate or should I organise this?

After the demise of Home Packs, energy assessments remained a required part of moving house. An EPC should be to hand before the property is advertised. This is not a task that solicitors normally organise. If you are using a Kidwelly conveyancing solicitor they might be willing to arrange energy assessments due to their contacts with long established local accredited person

When it comes to lenders such as Co-operative, do Kidwelly conveyancing practitioners face an annual charge to be on the conveyancing panel?

We are not aware of any lender fees to register on their panel, although some do charge an administration fee to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.

The mortgage over my property is with Lloyds for my property in Kidwelly. Conveyancing has been completed months ago. Should I wish to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform Lloyds?

You must advise Lloyds prior to letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of Lloyds’s mortgage conditions. It may be that Lloyds will allow you to rent out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Lloyds directly. You need not do this via a Lloyds conveyancing panel lawyer.

I used Wolstenholmes a few years past for my conveyancing in Kidwelly. Now, I need the documents but the law firm has closed. What do I do?

Do contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Kidwelly of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously hired, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a leasehold apartment up to £235,500 and identified one round the corner in Kidwelly I like with amenity areas and station in the vicinity, the downside is that it's only got 52 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Kidwelly for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a short lease?

If you need a home loan the shortness of the lease will likely be problematic. Discount the offer by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current proprietor has owned the property for a minimum of twenty four months you may request that they commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor concerning this.

I was recommended by numerous estate agents in Kidwelly to choose a solicitor on your site. Is there a financial advantage for Estate Agents to market your services over and above another?

We don’t give any commission for sending work in our direction. We found it would be just too difficult to pay a commission as home movers will think, ‘Why is the agent getting a kickback? Why aren’t I getting any benefit too?’ So we decided to step away from that.

In relation to leasehold conveyancing in Kidwelly what are the most frequent lease defects?

Leasehold conveyancing in Kidwelly is not unique. All leases are drafted differently and drafting errors can sometimes mean that certain sections are not included. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

A provision to repair to or maintain elements of the premises Insurance obligations

You could encounter difficulties when selling your property if you have a defective lease as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. Accord Mortgages Ltd, The Mortgage Works, and Aldermore all have very detailed requirements when it comes to what is expected in a lease. Where a lender has been advised by their lawyers that the lease does not cover certain provisions they may refuse to grant the mortgage, forcing the buyer to pull out.

I own a split level flat in Kidwelly, conveyancing having been completed in 1995. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Comparable properties in Kidwelly with over 90 years remaining are worth £260,000. The ground rent is £45 invoiced every year. The lease expires on 21st October 2099

With 74 years remaining on your lease the likely cost is going to span between £8,600 and £9,800 plus legals.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to advice on the actual costs in the absence of detailed due diligence. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional concerns that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action placing reliance on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.