We have agreed to purchase a house in Chapeltown. A rare aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Solicitors conducting should look into this right? Will my lender Principality be concerned?

Given that you are obtaining a mortgage with Principality your lawyer must follow the conveyancing requirements contained in Section two of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Principality. The CML Handbook contains minimum conditions for solar panel roof-space leases, and solicitors are required to report to Principality where a lease fails to comply with these requirements. The conditions relate to the installation of panels on properties nationwide and is not isolated to Chapeltown.

I have paid off my mortgage with Barclays. I assume I don't need a Chapeltown conveyancing practitioner on the Barclays panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?

If you have finished paying off your Barclays mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Barclays mortgage from the register. Barclays, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:

1. but are not moving to another property
2. where Barclays has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. Barclays has instructed the Land Registry to do so

I was told three weeks ago that my mortgage has been agreed to by Leeds Building Society. Is it usual for Leeds Building Society to only issue the offer once my solicitor in Chapeltown is approved on their conveyancing panel? Leeds Building Society have asked my solicitor to see a copy of their PI Insurance.

Mortgage companies tend not to not issue an offer until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Leeds Building Society to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.

Do commercial conveyancing searches reveal impending roadworks that could affect a commercial premises in Chapeltown?

Its becoming the norm that commercial conveyancing solicitors in Chapeltown will order a SiteSolutions Highways report as it reduces the time that conveyancers spend in researching accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in Chapeltown. The search result provides definitive information on the adoption status of roads, footpaths and verges, as well as the implication of traffic schemes and the rights of way surrounding a commercial development sites in Chapeltown.

For each commercial conveyancing transaction in Chapeltown it is crucial to investigate the adoption status of roads surrounding a site. Failure to identify developments where adoption procedures have not been dealt with adequately can cause delays to Chapeltown commercial conveyancing transactions as well as present a risk to future plans for the site. These searches are not ordered for domestic conveyancing in Chapeltown.

Taking into account that I am about to spend £400,000 on a two bedroom apartment in Chapeltown I wish to have a conversation with the conveyancer concerning thetransaction prior to instructing the firm. Is this something that you can arrange?

Absolutely - we would be happy to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you liaising with the solicitor due to be conducting your property ownership legalities in Chapeltown.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - every client is an important individual, not a file reference. The practices that we put you in touch with believe that the figure you are calculated and presented to you for residential conveyancing in Chapeltown should be the figure that you end up paying.

As co-executor for the will of my uncle I am disposing of a house in Cardiff but I am based in Chapeltown. My solicitor (approximately 200 kilometers awayneeds me to sign a stat dec before completion. Could you suggest a conveyancing practitioner in Chapeltown to attest this legal document for me?

Technically speaking you are not likely to need to have the documents attested by a conveyancing solicitor. Ordinarily or notary public or qualified solicitor will do regardless of whether they are Chapeltown based

I work for a long established estate agency in Chapeltown where we see a few flat sales derailed as a result of leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have been given contradictory information from local Chapeltown conveyancing firms. Could you clarify whether the vendor of a flat can commence the lease extension formalities for the purchaser on completion of the sale?

Provided that the seller has been the owner 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. The benefit of this is that the proposed purchaser need not have to sit tight for 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed before, or at the same time as completion of the sale.

Alternatively, it may be possible to agree the lease extension with the freeholder 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 purchaser.

Chapeltown Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Questions you should ask before Purchasing

The answer will be important as a) areas could result in problems for the building as the communal areas may start to deteriorate if repairs remain unpaid b) if the tenants have an issue with the managing agents you will wish to have all the details The prefered form of lease structure is where the freehold interest is in the ownership of the leaseholders. In this arrangement the lessees benefit from being in charge if their destiny and even though a managing agent is often employed if it is larger than a house conversion, the managing agent retained by the leaseholders. Many Chapeltown leasehold properties will incur a service charge for maintenance of the block set on behalf of the landlord. Where you acquire the flat you will have to pay this contribution, normally quarterly throughout the year. This could vary from several hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for buildings with lifts and large common areas. In all likelihood there will be a ground rent for you to pay yearly, this is usually not a exorbitant amount, say around £50-£100 but you need to check as on occasion it can be surprisingly expensive.