As someone unfamiliar with conveyancing in Aberbargoed what’s the number one tip you can impart concerning the home moving process in Aberbargoed

Not many law firms shout this from the rooftops but conveyancing in Aberbargoed and elsewhere in Caerphilly is often a confrontational experience. In other words, when it comes to conveyancing there is plenty of opportunity for friction between you and others involved in the ownership transfer. E.g., the vendor, estate agent and even potentially the lender. Appointing a law firm for your conveyancing in Aberbargoed an important selection as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the ONE party in the process whose responsibility is to act in your legal interests and to protect you.

There is a distinct ongoing adversarial element to conveyancing- someone must be blamed for the process taking so long. We recommend that you your first instinct should be to trust your solicitor above all other players in the conveyancing process.

When it comes to lenders such as Lloyds, do Aberbargoed property lawyers have to pay an annual charge to be on the list of approved solicitors?

We are not aware of any mortgage company fees to be on their panel, although some do levy an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel submission.

I recently had an offer agreed on a house in Aberbargoed. My financial adviser recommended their conveyancers. I paid an upfront payment of £150. Shortly after, the conveyancing practitioner called me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Nottingham conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Nottingham panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

I've read lots of mortgage guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Aberbargoed solicitor - who is on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?

Kent Reliance will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Kent Reliance 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. Your conveyancer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Aberbargoed postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Kent Reliance, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Aberbargoed.

I have been told that property searches are the number one cause of hinderance in Aberbargoed conveyancing transactions. Is this right?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) has noted the conclusions of research by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure within the most frequent causes of hindrances during the legal transfer of property. Local searches are not likely to be the root cause of holding up conveyancing in Aberbargoed.

I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold issue on a house I put an offer in two weeks back in what should have been a quick, no chain conveyancing. Aberbargoed is where the house is located. What do you suggest?

Flying freeholds in Aberbargoed are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Aberbargoed you must be sure that your lawyer goes 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 Aberbargoed may ascertain 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 property.

Been looking for a conveyancing practitioner for freehold sale conveyancing in Aberbargoed. We are selling, simple no mortgage to discharge, no rush, no onward purchase. Had an estimate from a conveyancer for nine hundred pounds plus VAT which is a little expensive considering its so straightforward. Can I pay less for conveyancing in Aberbargoed?

Given that it’s a sale only, £425 + VAT should be about the cheapest for a Aberbargoed solicitor firm.