We had chosen solicitors with offices in Rhiwbina on the Co-operative solicitor panel. They are now charging me a further charge for handling the Co-operative mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee specified by Co-operative?
Unfortunately, as long as it is in their Terms and Conditions or Quote then yes your conveyancing practitioner is entitled to charge a fee for this. The charge is not set by Co-operative but by your Rhiwbina lawyer. Some firms on the Co-operative panel will quote ’dealing with mortgage’ fee and others do not.
I am due to exchange contracts on my house. I had a double glazing fitted in February 2008, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My purchaser’s mortgage company, Clydesdale are being difficult. The Rhiwbina solicitor who is on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel is happy to accept ‘lack of building regulation’ insurance but Clydesdale are requiring a building regulation certificate. Why do Clydesdale have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?
It is probably the case that Clydesdale have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Clydesdale may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.
I had an offer accepted on a house in Rhiwbina on 17/3/2026, valuation was booked 2 days after, received a clean bill of health. Property lawyer appointed, so all that was missing was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Santander and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Santander conveyancing panel. Can the lender hold off the offer?
A lender would not issue an offer until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Santander to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Santander conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
How does conveyancing in Rhiwbina differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in Rhiwbina contact us having been asked by the builder to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is ready to move into. This is because house builders in Rhiwbina usually purchase the site, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancing solicitors as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are accustomed to new build conveyancing in Rhiwbina or who has acted in the same development.
Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a property I have offered on two weeks back in what should have been a straight forward, chain free conveyancing. Rhiwbina is where the house is located. Can you shed any light on this issue?
Flying freeholds in Rhiwbina are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Rhiwbina you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds thoroughly. Your lender may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Rhiwbina may decide 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.
Is it best to use a Rhiwbina conveyancing practitioner in close proximity to the house I am hoping to buy? An old friend can handle the conveyancing however her office is 200kilometers drive away.
The primary upside of using a local Rhiwbina conveyancing practice is that you can drop in to sign documents, present your identification documents and pester them where appropriate. Having local Rhiwbina know how is a bonus. However it's more important to get someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If other friends have instructed your friend and the majority were impressed that must outweigh using an unfamiliar Rhiwbina conveyancing lawyer solely due to them being local.
I work for a reputable estate agent office in Rhiwbina where we have experienced a few flat sales put at risk due to short leases. I have received inconsistent advice from local Rhiwbina conveyancing solicitors. Could you clarify whether the owner of a flat can initiate the lease extension formalities for the buyer?
As long as the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the proposed purchaser can avoid having to wait 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done prior to, or at the same time as completion of the disposal of the property.
Alternatively, it may be possible to agree the lease extension with the freeholder either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the buyer.
I purchased a garden flat in Rhiwbina, conveyancing formalities finalised August 2005. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Comparable properties in Rhiwbina with over 90 years remaining are worth £191,000. The ground rent is £55 per annum. The lease expires on 21st October 2079
With just 53 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £27,600 and £31,800 as well as legals.
The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be additional issues that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action based on this information without first getting professional advice.
We have just had a bid accepted on our 1st house in Rhiwbina, and are now looking to get solicitors appointed. We have made use of the numerous rating based websites and the fee estimates are from all over the the UK. Is it critical to have a Rhiwbina lawyer local to your potential new home? I am fine to do everything over the web, but I guess at some point we may need to visit the property lawyer's office to sign documents?
The property lawyer does not need to be in Rhiwbina, but choosing local means that you have the option to visit their offices if you need to, by way of example, if a signature is needed urgently. Furthermore, a Rhiwbina solicitor is likely to be familiar with local agents and (if the vendor has chosen a local property lawyer) with them, which will help smooth the process.