I am buying a flat and require a conveyancing solicitor in Ponthir who is on the Britannia conveyancing. Can you recommend a local solicitor?

Our service is limited to being a directory service for firms who wish to listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for Britannia in certain locations such as Ponthir. We dont recommend any particular firm.

We have agreed to purchase a house in Ponthir. A rare aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Principality have issued a mortgage offer so presumably this is not a concern to them. Why is my solicitor raising questions about the panel?

As you are obtaining a mortgage with Principality your lawyer must check the formal requirements set out in Section 2 of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Principality. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook contains minimum specifications for solar panel roof-space leases, and solicitors are required to report to Principality where a lease does not satisfy these requirements. The requirements relate to the installation of panels on properties nationwide and is not restricted to Ponthir.

I'm in the throws of looking at flats in Ponthir and I am about to put in an offer. Should I already have a solicitor appointed at this point? I will be getting a mortgage with Co-operative.

It would be wise to instigate your search sooner rather than later. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their contact information on to the selling agent. As you are taking out a mortgage with Co-operative, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the Co-operative conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.

I am due to exchange contracts on my flat. I had a double glazing fitted in September 2010, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My purchaser’s mortgage company, Skipton are being problematic. The Ponthir solicitor who is on the Skipton conveyancing panel is saying indemnity insurance will be fine but Skipton are requiring a building regulation certificate. Why do Skipton have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that Skipton have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Skipton 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.

Will our solicitor be making enquiries concerning flooding during the conveyancing in Ponthir.

Flooding is a growing risk for solicitors specialising in conveyancing in Ponthir. Plenty of people will buy a house in Ponthir, completely expectant that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, leaving to one side the physical destruction, if a house is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, adequate insurance cover, or sell the property. Steps can be carried out as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the buyer.

Lawyers are not qualified to give advice on flood risk, but there are a number of searches that may be carried out by the buyer or on a buyer’s behalf which can figure out the risks in Ponthir. The standard property information forms given to a buyer’s conveyancer (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) contains a usual question of the owner to determine whether the property has historically flooded. If the property has been flooded in past which is not revealed by the vendor, then a buyer could issue a claim for damages resulting from an incorrect reply. The purchaser’s lawyers will also carry out an enviro search. This will indicate if there is any known flood risk. If so, more detailed investigations should be made.

I used Wolstenholmes a few years ago for my conveyancing in Ponthir. Now, I need the files however cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?

You should contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracking down your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Ponthir of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously hired, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

In relation to leasehold conveyancing in Ponthir what are the most common lease problems?

There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Ponthir. All leases are individual and drafting errors can sometimes mean that certain provisions are wrong. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

Insurance obligations

You could encounter difficulties when selling your property if you have a defective lease primarily because it impacts on the ability to obtain a mortgage on the property. Barclays , The Royal Bank of Scotland, and Barclays Direct all have very detailed conveyancing instructions when it comes to what is expected in a lease. If a mortgage lender believes that the lease is defective they may refuse to provide security, forcing the purchaser to pull out.

Ponthir Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Queries before Purchasing

Who are the managing agents? Be sure to discover if the the lease includes any adverse restrictions in the lease. For example plenty of leases prohibit pets being permitted in certain buildings in Ponthir. If you love the flatin Ponthir however your dog can’t move with you then you will be faced difficult compromise. It would be prudent to discover as much as possible concerning the managing agents as they will affect your use and enjoyment of the property. As the owner of a leasehold property you are often at the mercy of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to daily matters such as the tidiness of the common parts. Ask prospective neighbours what they think of them. On a final note, be sure you discover the dates that you are obliged pay the service charge to the relevant party and precisely how they are spending that money.