I am assisting my niece sell her flat in Cwmbran. Will the conveyancing solicitor commission the EPC or it is for the seller to coordinate?

After the abolition of HIPs, energy performance certificates was kept a mandatory component of selling a property. An EPC needs to be to hand prior to the property being marketed. This is not something that solicitors normally organise. If you are instructing a Cwmbran conveyancing lawyer they may be able to arrange EPC’s given their relationships with reputable Cwmbran assessors

It is unclear whether my bank requires a lease extension. I have called my Cwmbran bank branch on a couple of occasions and was told it wasn't an issue and they will lend. My Cwmbran conveyancing solicitor - who is on the bank conveyancing panel- telephoned to say that they would not lend in accordance with their published requirements. Who do I believe?

As long as the solicitor is on the bank approved list, they must follow the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook conditions for the bank. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the bank will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the bank to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years left on the lease.

After months of negotiation I have agreed a price on a house in Cwmbran. My mortgage broker suggested a conveyancer. I paid an advanced payment of £175. Soon after, the solicitor contacted me to say that they were not on the HSBC conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the HSBC panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

How does conveyancing in Cwmbran differ for newly converted properties?

Most buyers of new build premises in Cwmbran come to us having been asked by the housebuilder to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is finished. This is because house builders in Cwmbran tend to acquire the site, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancing solicitors as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are accustomed to new build conveyancing in Cwmbran or who has acted in the same development.

Is it simple use your search facility to select a conveyancing solicitor in Cwmbran on the approved list for my lender?

1st choose a bank such as Yorkshire Building Society, Chelsea Building Society or Barclays Direct then type in your location e.g. Cwmbran. Conveyancing organisations in Cwmbran and further afield will then be shown.

Estate agents have just been given the go-ahead to market my basement flat in Cwmbran. Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon, but I have just had a yearly service charge demand – should I leave it to the buyer to sort out?

The sensible thing to do is discharge the invoice as usual as all rents and service charges will be apportioned on completion, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the purchaser for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.

Cwmbran Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Questions you should consider Prior to buying

Is anyone aware of any major works anticipated that will likely add a premium to the maintenance fees? Be sure to discover if the the lease includes any adverse restrictions in the lease. By way of example it is fairly common in Cwmbran leases that pets are not allowed in certain buildings in Cwmbran. If you love the flatin Cwmbran but your cat is not allowed to make the move with you then you will be faced difficult compromise. How many of the leaseholders are in arrears for their service charge payments?

We are in the process of buying a apartment in Cwmbran. Conveyancing is not complete but we would like keep the amount we are are buying for confidential from the likes of Zoopla. Is this possible and how?

HMLR by statute are bound to note price sold information on a register of the title for residential properties nationwide which includes homes in Cwmbran. The register of ownership is an open document, so the Land Registry would be breaching their statutory duty excluded certain properties such as the one in Cwmbran.

In essence you can make a request of HMLR to hide the amount paid data however the answer will be in the negative.