My partner and I are nearing an exchange on a house in Caldicot and my parents have transferred the 10% deposit to my conveyancer. I am now advised that as the deposit has not arrived from me my conveyancer needs to make a notification to my mortgage company. I am advised that, in also acting for the bank he must advise them that the balance of the purchase price is coming from anyone other than me. I advised the mortgage company about my parents' contribution when I applied for the mortgage, so is it really necessary for this now to hold matters up?

The solicitor is obliged to clarify with the bank to ensure that they understand that the balance of the purchase price is not from your own resources. Your solicitor can only notify this to your lender if you permit them to, failing which, your lawyer must cease to continue acting.

This question may be naive but I am new to the process as FTB of a ground floor flat in Caldicot. Do I receive the keys to the house on completion from my lawyer? If so, I will find a High Street conveyancing solicitor in Caldicot?

On the day of completion you do not need to go to the conveyancers office in Caldicot. Your solicitors will arrange to send the completion advance to the seller's conveyancers, and shortly after the monies have arrived, you will be called to receive the keys from the selling Agents and start moving into the property. This tends to happen between 1 and 3pm.

Is there a list of Leeds Building Society panel conveyancers in Caldicot on the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook Website?

No. There is no such facility on the Council of Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association sites. Very few lending institutions make their panel listings visible over the internet. Where you are seeking to appoint a Caldicot conveyancing practitioner on the Leeds Building Society please use our tool.

My wife and I have organised a further advance on our mortgage from Santander as we intend to conduct a loft conversion to our home in Caldicot. Do we need to choose a local Caldicot solicitor on the Santander conveyancing panel to handle the legals?

Santander don't usually appoint a member of their approved list of lawyers to deal with the formalities. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Santander list.

I have been told that property searches are a common cause of hinderance in Caldicot house deals. Is that correct?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) released findings of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not feature amongst the top 10 causes of delays during the legal transfer of property. Searches are unlikely to be the root cause of holding up conveyancing in Caldicot.

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up during conveyancing in Caldicot?

Covenants that are restrictive in nature can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the process of conveyancing in Caldicot. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’

Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Caldicot from the point of view of saving time on the sale process?

• Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Caldicot can be reduced where you get in touch lawyers the minute you market your property and request that they start to collate the leasehold information which will be required by the buyers’ representatives.
In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s consent? In particular have you installed wooden flooring? Most leases in Caldicot state that internal structural changes or installing wooden flooring necessitate a licence from the Landlord acquiescing to such changes. Where you fail to have the paperwork to hand do not communicate with the landlord without contacting your solicitor first. If you have the benefit of shareholding in the freehold, you should ensure that you have the original share document. Organising a duplicate share certificate is often a lengthy process and slows down many a Caldicot conveyancing transaction. If a new share is needed, do contact the company director and secretary or managing agents (where applicable) for this as soon as possible. You believe that you know the number of years remaining on your lease but it would be wise to double-check via your lawyers. A buyer’s lawyer will be unlikely to recommend their client to where the lease term is less than 75 years. In the circumstances it is essential at an as soon as possible that you consider whether the lease requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your home on the market for sale. If there is a history of any disputes with your landlord or managing agents it is essential that these are settled prior to the flat being marketed. The purchasers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a flat where a dispute is unresolved. You may need to swallow your pride and discharge any arrears of service charge or resolve the dispute prior to the buyers completing the purchase. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled prior to the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You will still have to reveal details of the dispute to the buyers, but it is clearly preferable to present the dispute as over as opposed to unresolved.

I am the registered owner of a basement flat in Caldicot, conveyancing having been completed June 1998. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Comparable properties in Caldicot with a long lease are worth £211,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 invoiced annually. The lease expires on 21st October 2092

With just 67 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £10,500 and £12,000 as well as costs.

The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to provide a more accurate figure without more comprehensive due diligence. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other issues that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information before getting professional advice.