I have just been advised by my estate agent that my Barry Island solicitor is not on the lender Solicitor panel. What can I do to be certain whether this is indeed the case?

The first thing you need to do is to contact your Barry Island lawyer directly. You lawyer should advise you what has happened. If they are not on the panel they may be able to suggest a Barry Island conveyancing practice that is on the conveyancing panel for your bank.

What will a local search tell me regarding the house my wife and I purchasing in Barry Island?

Barry Island conveyancing often commences with the applying for local authority searches directly from your local Authority or via a personal search company such as Searchflow The local search is essential in every Barry Island conveyancing purchase; that is if you wish to avoid any nasty once you have moved into your property. The search will supply information on, amongst other things, details on planning applications relevant to the premises (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of thirteen topic sections.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold issue on a property I put an offer in last month in what should have been a straight forward, chain free conveyancing. Barry Island is where the house is located. Is there any advice you can give?

Flying freeholds in Barry Island are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Barry Island you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds thoroughly. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Barry Island 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 property.

I need to appoint a conveyancing solicitor for my conveyancing in Barry Island. I have chance upon a web site which appears to be the ideal solution If there is a chance to get all this stuff completed via email that would be ideal. Should I be concerned? What should out be looking out for?

As usual with these online conveyancers you need to read ALL the small print - did you notice the extra charge for dealing with the mortgage?

I work for a busy estate agency in Barry Island where we have experienced a number of flat sales derailed due to leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have received conflicting advice from local Barry Island conveyancing firms. Please can you clarify whether the owner of a flat can instigate the lease extension process for the purchaser on completion of the sale?

Provided that the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to kick-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 sit tight for 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done before, or at the same time as completion of the sale.

An alternative approach is to extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord 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 acquired a 1st floor flat in Barry Island, conveyancing formalities finalised in 1998. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Similar properties in Barry Island with a long lease are worth £197,000. The ground rent is £55 levied per year. The lease ends on 21st October 2080

With just 55 years remaining on your lease we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £31,400 and £36,200 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to advice on a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed due diligence. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other issues that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.