Is there a reason why leasehold purchase conveyancing in Cardiff is more expensive?
In short, leasehold conveyancing in Cardiff and elsewhere usually requires extra work compared to freehold transactions. This includes reviewing the lease, corresponding with the landlord concerning serving required notices, obtaining current service charge and management information, securing the freeholder’s consents and reviewing management accounts. The obligations on both the landlord and the tenant in the lease need to be studied by the buyer’s conveyancing team and read from beginning to end – no matter how many different owners have owned the lease since it was first entered into.
Are all Cardiff Conveyancing Quality Solicitors on the UBS conveyancing panel?
Some major banks and building societies now use the accreditation scheme as the starting point for Panel approval such as HSBC and Santander. CQS membership however is no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. Nevertheless,the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for firms wishing to remain on their panels.
Planning on purchasing a house in Cardiff. 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 Virgin Money 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 Cardiff solicitor is on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel.
After shopping around on the internet I have found a Cardiff lawyer having made sure that they are on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?
Yorkshire BS will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Yorkshire BS will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own Cardiff surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.
We are planning on selling our home in Cardiff and according to the buyers it appears that there is a possibility that the property was constructed land that was not decontaminated. Any high street Cardiff lawyer would know that there is no such problem. It does beg the question why the buyers are using a national conveyancing practice as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Cardiff. Having lived in Cardiff for three years we know of no issue. Is it a good idea to get in touch with our local Authority to seek clarification that there is no issue.
It would appear that you have a conveyancing solicitor currently acting for you. Are they able to advise? You should enquire of your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out life insurance to cover that same ailment)
In what way does the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 affect my business premises in Cardiff and how can your lawyers assist?
The particular law that you refer to affords security of tenure to commercial leaseholders, granting the dueness to make a request to court for a continuation of occupancy at the end of the lease term. There are limited grounds that a landlord can refrain from granting a lease renewal and the rules are complicated. We are happy to direct you to commercial conveyancing practices who use the act for protection and help with commercial conveyancing in Cardiff
My husband and I are FTB’s - had an offer accepted, but the agent advised that the seller will only go ahead if we appoint their recommended lawyers as they are insisting on an ‘expedited deal’. My instinct tells me that we should use a family conveyancer who is familiar with conveyancing in Cardiff
It is highly unlikely the vendors are behind this. If they want ‘a quick sale', turning down a serious purchaser is counter productive. Bypass the agents and go straight to the sellers and make the point that (a)you are serious buyers (b)you are excited to move forward, with finances arranged © you are chain free (d) you wish to move quickly (e)but you are going to use your own,trusted Cardiff conveyancing firm - not the ones that will provide the negotiator at the agency a kickback or achieve conveyancing figures demanded by senior management.
Can you offer any advice when it comes to finding a Cardiff conveyancing practice to deal with our lease extension?
When appointing a conveyancer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Cardiff conveyancing firm) it is essential that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We recommend that you talk with two or three firms including non Cardiff conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then so much the better. The following questions could be useful:
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What are the charges for lease extension work? What volume of lease extensions have they conducted in Cardiff in the last 12 months?
Leasehold Conveyancing in Cardiff - A selection of Questions you should consider before buying
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How many of the leaseholders are in arrears for their service charge payments? This information is helpful as a) areas could cause problems for the block as the common areas may begin to deteriorate if repairs are not paid for b) if the leaseholders have a dispute with the managing agents you will want to have all the details Many Cardiff leasehold properties will be liable to pay a service bill for maintenance of the building invoiced on behalf of the landlord. Should you acquire the apartment you will have to pay this charge, usually periodically throughout the year. This could vary from a couple of hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for buildings with lifts and large communal grounds. In all likelihood there will be a rentcharge for you to pay annual, this is usually not a exorbitant figure, say about £25-£75 but you should to check it because sometimes it can be many hundreds of pounds.