Why do I have to pay up front when it comes to conveyancing in Cardiff?
Where you are retaining lawyers for conveyancing in Cardiff your lawyer will request that you place them with monies to cover the search fees. This will be the total of the cost of the conveyancing searches. If any deposit is as part of the total price then this should be needed immediately prior to exchange of contracts. Any further balance that is needed will be payable shortly before completion.
is it true that all Cardiff solicitors on the Nottingham conveyancing panel are overseen by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?
As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the Nottingham conveyancing panel they would need to be governed by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. Some banks do allow licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such firms would be governed by the CLC.
I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with Skipton. I assume I don't need a Cardiff solicitor on the Skipton panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?
If you have finished paying off your Skipton mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Skipton mortgage from the register. Skipton, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:
- but are not moving to another property
- where Skipton has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- Skipton has instructed the Land Registry to do so
I had an offer accepted on a property in Cardiff on 11/4/2025, valuation was booked 2 days after, all came back fine. Property lawyer instructed, so the only thing outstanding was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Principality and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Principality conveyancing panel. Can the lender hold off the offer?
Mortgage companies tend not to not issue an offer until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Principality to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Principality conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
Will my solicitor be making enquiries about flooding as part of the conveyancing in Cardiff.
Flooding is a growing risk for solicitors carrying out conveyancing in Cardiff. Plenty of people will purchase a house in Cardiff, fully expectant that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, leaving to one side the physical damage, if a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, suitable building insurance, or sell the property. Steps can be carried out as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the purchaser.
Lawyers are not qualified to impart advice on flood risk, however there are a number of checks that can be undertaken by the buyer or by their conveyancers which should give them a better appreciation of the risks in Cardiff. The conventional set of property information forms sent to a purchaser’s lawyer (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) includes a standard question of the seller to determine whether the premises has suffered from flooding. In the event that the premises has been flooded in past which is not notified by the vendor, then a buyer could commence a compensation claim stemming from an misleading reply. The purchaser’s solicitors should also conduct an enviro report. This should disclose if there is a recorded flood risk. If so, more detailed investigations should be initiated.
It has been 2 months since my purchase conveyancing in Cardiff completed. I have checked the Land Registry website which shows that I paid £200,000 when infact I paid £180,000. Why the discrepancy?
The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the property from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.
Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a house I have offered on last month in what was supposed to be a straight forward, chain free conveyancing. Cardiff is the location of the property. Can you offer any opinion?
Flying freeholds in Cardiff are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Cardiff you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds thoroughly. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Cardiff may determine that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold premises.
I am using a search engine for the term on line conveyancing in Cardiff it reveals many property lawyerslocally. With so much choice what is the best way to find the right solicitor for my move?
The preferential method of seeking a suitable conveyancer is through a personal recommendation, so seek the opinion of colleagues and those you trust who have purchased a property in Cardiff or the reputable estate agent or mortgage broker. Fees for conveyancing in Cardiff vary, so it's advisable to request at least three fee calculations from different property lawyers. Dont forget to clarify that the fees are fixed.