Can you help? My Penarth lawyer is informing me me that he has toorder Penarth conveyancing searches resulting from the fact thatthe firm are on the HSBCsolicitor panel. Is this really necessary?

Unfortunately both you and your lawyer have little choice here. Given that you are taking out a loan with a lender your conveyancing practitioner has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your conveyancer would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of your bank’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to follow the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook requirements . Even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out Penarth conveyancing searches.

A relative advised me that if I am buying in Penarth I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?

This is a search is occasionally included in the estimate for your Penarth conveyancing searches. It is not a small document of about 40 pages, listing and setting out important information about Penarth around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Penarth Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime details, Local Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information concerning Penarth.

The estate agent has sent us the confirmation of our purchase of a new build apartment in Penarth. Conveyancing is necessary evil 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 legal work.

Here are examples of a few leasehold new build questions that you may expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Penarth

Please supply evidence that the form of Lease proposed has been approved by the Land Registry. Will the freehold then be transferred for a nominal consideration (not exceeding £100) to the Management Company? There must be mutual enforceability of lessee’s covenants. The Vendor must covenant to keep unsold units in good repair until long leases are granted therefore.

Taking into account that I will soon part with over three hundred thousand on a garden flat in Penarth I would like to have a conversation with the solicitor about mytransaction ahead of instructing the firm. Can this be arranged?

We could not agree more - it is our preference to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you first talking to the lawyer who will be conducting your conveyancing in Penarth.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - every client is unique person, not a matter reference. The law firms that we put you in touch with believe that the fees you are provided with for your conveyancing in Penarth should be the figure that you end up paying.

I have just started marketing my 2 bed flat in Penarth. Conveyancing has not commenced, however I have recently received a quarterly maintenance charge invoice – should I leave it to the buyer to sort out?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should discharge the service charge as usual as all rents and maintenance payments will be allotted on completion, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the subsequent invoice date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.

I invested in buying a split level flat in Penarth, conveyancing was carried out 9 years ago. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Comparable properties in Penarth with over 90 years remaining are worth £211,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 yearly. The lease terminates on 21st October 2093

With 68 years remaining on your lease the likely cost is going to be between £9,500 and £11,000 plus professional fees.

The figure above 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 investigations. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other concerns that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.