Are you able to recommend a Santander approved Neath Port Talbot conveyancing solicitor who can have us moved in within 10 days? Would it be better to use a high street Neath Port Talbot practice or an internet firm?

We would be happy to suggest some excellent Neath Port Talbot conveyancing firms. Another option is to visit the high street in Neath Port Talbot. Go in to some well established law practices and ask to speak with a conveyancing solicitor for a costs illustration. Mention your requirements together with your reasons and ask for an assurance on speed. Appoint the one that appears most efficient.

I just acquired a flat at auction in Neath Port Talbot. Conveyancing is needed. What happens now?

Given that you are now legally bound yourself to purchase you should appoint a conveyancing practitioner soon as you now have a fast approaching a drop dead date to complete the property. An auction property will have a bespoke auction set of papers. This should include evidence of title and search results. If you have purchased leasehold property the conveyancing pack may provide a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and associated conveyancing paperwork pertinent to a leasehold property. You must hand this to your appointed conveyancing solicitor ASAP. You also need to ensure that you have funds in order to complete on the on the contractual date .

We expect to receive a AIP from Santander this week so we know how much we could potentially offer as otherwise we are dependent on web based calculators (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Santander recommend any Neath Port Talbot solicitors on the Santander conveyancing panel, or is it better to go independently?

You will need to appoint Neath Port Talbot solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Santander conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Santander through the process.

Intending to buy a apartment in Neath Port Talbot. I have received an online quote from a licenced conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Building Society if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.

They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that the Neath Port Talbot conveyancer is on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel.

Will my lawyer be making enquiries regarding flooding as part of the conveyancing in Neath Port Talbot.

The risk of flooding is if increasing concern for solicitors dealing with homes in Neath Port Talbot. There are those who acquire a house in Neath Port Talbot, completely aware that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, leaving to one side the physical damage, where a house is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, adequate insurance cover, or dispose of the premises. There are steps that can be taken as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the buyer.

Solicitors are not best placed to offer advice on flood risk, however there are a number of checks that may be carried out by the buyer or by their conveyancers which should figure out the risks in Neath Port Talbot. The standard property information forms supplied to a buyer’s conveyancer (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) includes a standard question of the vendor to discover whether the property has historically flooded. If the premises has been flooded in past and is not notified by the owner, then a buyer could bring a compensation claim resulting from an misleading response. The buyer’s conveyancers should also carry out an enviro search. This should reveal if there is a recorded flood risk. If so, more detailed inquiries should be conducted.

I've recently bought a leasehold flat in Neath Port Talbot. Do I have any liability for service charges relating to a period prior to my ownership?

Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

I am the registered owner of a garden flat in Neath Port Talbot, conveyancing having been completed October 2008. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Comparable properties in Neath Port Talbot with an extended lease are worth £227,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 invoiced every year. The lease ceases on 21st October 2096

You have 71 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £9,500 and £11,000 plus professional fees.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to provide the actual costs without more detailed investigations. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other concerns that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.

We own a leasehold flat in Neath Port Talbot. Conveyancing was finalised in 2010. I have been told that I mustn’t allow the lease length get too short. What is the reasoning?

Neath Port Talbot leasehold properties are for a prescribed term - usually just under one hundred years when they started. However a significant appartments in Neath Port Talbot were constructed or converted in the 70’s80’s and so these leases now have less than 80 years left to run. That may seem like a long time but Banks, Building Societies and other mortgage lenders tend to require leases to have a minimum of 75 years remaining to adequate security. This means that when you come to sell the property you will need to extend the term of your lease if you are nearing 75 years. To increase the marketability of your property you should be thinking about whether or not to extend your lease well in advance of selling the property. There are also significant benefits to doing so before the lease reaches even eighty years as when the lease is below 80 years the premium to be paid to extend starts to get a lot more expensive.