We are planning to acquire a flat and require a conveyancing solicitor in Swindon who is on the solicitor panel. Can you recommend a local conveyancing firm?

Our service is limited to being a directory service for firms who wish to be listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for . We don't recommend any particular firms conducting conveyancing in Swindon.

My relative recommended that if I am buying in Swindon I should ask my conveyancer to execute a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?

A search of this type is occasionally included in the estimate for your Swindon conveyancing searches. It is a large document of about 40 pages, listing and detailing significant information about Swindon 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 Property Price, Crime details, Local Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information concerning Swindon.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a leasehold apartment up to £235,500 and found one round the corner in Swindon I like with open areas and station in the vicinity, the downside is that it's only got 61 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Swindon for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error acquiring a lease with such few years left?

If you need a home loan the shortness of the lease may be an issue. Reduce the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current proprietor has owned the property for a minimum of twenty four months you may request that they start the process of the extension and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer concerning this matter.

Am I best advised to appoint a Swindon conveyancing practitioner who is local to the property I am hoping to buy? I have an old university friend who can execute the conveyancing but her office is a couple of hundredkilometers away.

The benefit of a high street Swindon conveyancing practice is that you can pop in to sign documents, hand in your ID and apply pressure on them where appropriate. They will also have local intelligence which is a benefit. However nothing is more important than finding someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If other friends have used your friend and in the main were content that should outweigh using an unfamiliar Swindon conveyancing lawyer just because they are based in the area.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Swindon - Examples of Queries before buying

Are there any major works in the planning that could increase the maintenance fees? Please note that where the lease has less than eighty years it will have adverse implications on the marketability of the apartment. It is worth checking with your lender that they are willing to go ahead with the loan given the lease term. A short lease means that you will probably have to extend the lease sooner rather than later and you need to have some idea of how much this will be. Remember, in most cases you will need to own the residence for 24 months in order to be entitled to extend the lease.