My wife and I are looking to acquire a flat in Pontcanna and have instructed a Pontcanna conveyancing firm. Within the past 48 hours our solicitor has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through with a view to exchanging next week. have this morning contacted us to inform me that there is now an issue as our Pontcanna lawyer is not on their conveyancing panel. Is this a problem?

Where you are buying a property requiring a mortgage it is standard for the purchasers' solicitors to also represent the purchaser's lender. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your property lawyer should contact your lender and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You don't have to instruct a firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Pontcanna lawyers, in which case it will likely add costs, and it may delay matters as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.

I own a freehold premises in Pontcanna but nevertheless charged rent, why is this and what is this?

It is rare for properties in Pontcanna and has limited impact for conveyancing in Pontcanna but some freehold properties in England (particularly common in North West England) pay an annual sum known as a Chief Rent or a Rentcharge to a third party who has no other legal interest in the land.

Rentcharge payments are usually between £2.00 and £5.00 per year. Rentcharges date back many centuries, but the Rent Charge Act 1977 barred the generation of fresh rentcharges post 1977.

Old rentcharges can now be extinguished by making a lump sum payment under the Act. Any rentcharges that are still in existence post 2037 will be dispensed with completely.

Given that I am about to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds on a house in Pontcanna I wish to have a conversation with the solicitor about mytransaction before instructing the firm. Can this be arranged?

Absolutely - we would be happy to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you liaising with the conveyancer due to be conducting your conveyancing in Pontcanna.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - every client is an important individual, not a file number. The solicitors that we put you in touch with believe that the figure you are calculated and presented to you for residential conveyancing in Pontcanna should be the amount on the final invoice that you end up paying.

Pontcanna Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Questions you should consider before Purchasing

Is the freehold reversion owned collectively by the tenants? You should be aware that where the lease has less than eighty years it will affect the value of the flat. It is worth checking with your mortgage company that they are willing to go ahead with the loan given the lease term. Leases with less than 80 years remaining means that you will most likely have to extend the lease at some point and it is worth discovering what this will be. For most Pontcannalease extensions you would need to own the property for two years in order to be eligible to extend the lease. Does this lease have more than 80 years remaining?

Been on the hunt for a for leasehold sale conveyancing in Pontcanna. We are selling, uncomplicated no mortgage to redeem, no rush, no onward chain. Had an estimate from a for a thousand pounds plus VAT which is a little steep given that its so straightforward. Is it possible to find less expensive fees for conveyancing in Pontcanna?

Given that it’s a sale only, 475 + VAT should be about the cheapest for sale conveyancing in Pontcanna.