The sellers of the house we are purchasing have appointed a conveyancing practitioner in Abertridwr who has suggested a exclusivity contract with a down payment of 5k. Are such agreements sensible?

There are a couple of main downsides with entering into any lock out contract (sometimes referred to as a no-shop agreement) is that it can distract from moving forward with the conveyancing process, so unless it requires minimal or no negotiation then it may transpire to be unhelpful. It is not promoted amongst Abertridwr conveyancing practitioners as a result. A further negative is the extent of the remedies available - an aggrieved purchaser should not expect to be granted injunctive relief to bar the vendor selling to an alternative purchaser, so the only remedy available under the agreement will be the recovery of wasted costs and, in limited circumstances, the extra payment of penalties.

I require expedited conveyancing in Abertridwr as I am under pressure to exchange contracts inside 3 weeks. Fortunately I do not require a mortgage. Can I avoid the conveyancing searches to save money and time?

If.Given you are are a mortgage free buyer you have the choice not to have searches conducted although no solicitor would advise that you don't. With plenty of history conveyancing in Abertridwr the following are examples of issues that can crop up and therefore affect market value: Refused Planning Applications, Overdue Fees, Overdue Grants, Unadopted Roads,...

My wife and I purchased a 4 bedroom Edwardian property in Abertridwr. Conveyancing solicitor represented me and Barclays . I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are a couple of entries: the first freehold, the second leasehold under the matching property. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?

You need to review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Abertridwr and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they mortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also check the situation with the conveyancing practitioner who conducted the conveyancing.

Last August I purchased a leasehold house in Abertridwr. Do I have any liability for service charges for periods before my ownership?

Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. It is an essential part of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to ensure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

I acquired a basement flat in Abertridwr, conveyancing formalities finalised half a dozen years ago. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Similar properties in Abertridwr with over 90 years remaining are worth £180,000. The ground rent is £65 invoiced every year. The lease ceases on 21st October 2084

With only 59 years unexpired the likely cost is going to be between £20,900 and £24,200 plus professional fees.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more comprehensive investigations. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward based on this information without first getting professional advice.

I am buying a leasehold property in Abertridwr. Conveyancing quotes are coming in at around £1800. Is that in the right ballpark?

The average fee in 2014 for conveyancing in Abertridwr was £1,500 not including SDLT and HM Land Registry charges.