When researching consumer advice sites for a conveyancing lawyer in Caversham, most post that I must look for a CQS kitemarked lawyer. What is CQS?

The Law Society's Conveyancing Quality Scheme is the recognised kitemark for legal experts in home ownership transfers, trusted by some of the UK's major banks. In 2011-12 the Conveyancing Quality Scheme was officially recognised by the Association of British Insurers (ABI). The scheme does not cover licenced conveyancers. Caversham is one of the numerous areas in England and Wales where there are Accredited lawyers.

I am selling my house. I had a double glazing fitted in June 2006, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My purchaser’s lender, RBS are being pedantic. The Caversham solicitor who is on the RBS conveyancing panel is saying indemnity insurance will be fine but RBS are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do RBS have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

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

My offer was accepted on an apartment in Caversham on 24/10/2024, valuation was booked five days later, received a clean bill of health. Solicitor appointed, so the only thing outstanding was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Kent Reliance and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel. Are Kent Reliance entitled to hold back the Mortgage pending the lawyer being on the approved list?

A lender would not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Kent Reliance to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.

Nationwide have agreed my mortgage in principle, my offer on a apartment in Caversham has been agreed to, what happens next?

Your property agent will wish to know who your solicitors are (ensure that the property lawyers are on the lender’s approved list). Call up Nationwide or your financial adviser and finalise any outstanding documentation. Nationwide will instruct a valuer who will get in contact with the estate agent or owners to arrange an appointment. Once conducted (assuming no problems) it takes approximately a week to get a mortgage offer. Nationwide will issue the offer to you and your lawyers. The legal work will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Caversham.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a ground for flat up to £305k and found one round the corner in Caversham I like with open areas and railway links in the vicinity, the downside is that it's only got 52 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Caversham in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a lease with such few years left?

If you need a home loan the shortness of the lease may be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the price by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing proprietor has owned the property for a minimum of 2 years you may request that they start the process of the extension and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor regarding this matter.

If all goes to plan we aim to complete the disposal of our £250,000 garden flat in Caversham next Tuesday. The management company has quoted £420 for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and 3 years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge an administration fee for a flat conveyance in Caversham?

Caversham conveyancing on leasehold apartments often necessitates the buyer’s lawyer sending enquiries for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is under no legal obligation to respond to these enquiries the majority will be willing to do so. They are at liberty to levy a reasonable administration fee for answering questions or supplying documentation. There is no set fee. The average fee for the paperwork that you are referring to is over three hundred pounds, in some transactions it is in excess of £800. The administration charge invoiced by the landlord must be sent together with a synopsis of rights and obligations in relation to administration charges, without which the charge is technically not due. In reality one has no option but to pay whatever is demanded should you wish to sell the property.

Caversham Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Queries Prior to buying

Make sure you discover if the the lease includes any onerous restrictions in the lease. For instance plenty of leases prohibit pets being allowed in certain buildings in Caversham. If you love the flatin Caversham however your dog can’t live with you then you will be faced difficult compromise. Plenty Caversham leasehold apartments will incur a service bill for maintenance of the block set by the freeholder. If you acquire the apartment you will have to meet this contribution, normally in instalments throughout the year. This could be anything from a couple of hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for large purpose-built blocks. In all likelihood there will be a rentcharge to be met annual, this is usually not a significant amount, say approximately £50-£100 but you need to enquire it because on occasion it could be many hundreds of pounds. Best to be warned whether changing the roof or some other major work is due shortly that will be shared between the leaseholders and may well materially impact the level of the maintenance charges or necessitate a specific invoice.

Our offer on property in Caversham has been accepted, the owner does however have a dependent purchase. The owners have offered on on an apartment, but it’s not been accepted yet, and are looking at other apartments in the pipeline. I have instructed a local conveyancing lawyer in Caversham. What do I do now? At what point should I apply for the mortgage with Barclays?

It is understandable to have concerns where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket too early (home loan application is in the region of £1k, then survey, Caversham conveyancing search charges, etc). First, you must ensure that your conveyancer is on the Barclays approved list. As to the next steps this very much depends on the circumstances of your transaction, desire for this property and on the state of the market. During a buoyant market the majority of home buyers would apply for the mortgage with Barclays and arrange for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they request their property lawyer to press on with searches.