I have been referred to a conveyancing solicitor in Oakley. I need to find out if they are on the Coventry Building Society approved list of lawyers. Can you or the lender confirm if they are on the panel?

The first thing you should do is e-mail the conveyancer and ask them whether they can act for the bank. Otherwise please call Coventry Building Society who may be able to help.

My friend suggested that if I am purchasing in Oakley I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?

This is a search is sometimes quoted for as part of the standard Oakley conveyancing searches. It is not a small document of about 40 pages, listing and detailing significant information about Oakley around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Oakley Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime details, Oakley Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information regarding Oakley.

I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold issue on a property I put an offer in a fortnight ago in what was supposed to be a simple, chain free conveyancing. Oakley is where the house is located. Can you shed any light on this issue?

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

As co-executor for the estate of my grandfather I am selling a property in Neath but live in Oakley. My lawyer (based 250 miles from mehas requested that I sign a stat dec prior to completion. Could you suggest a conveyancing solicitor in Oakley to witness this legal document for me?

Technically speaking you should not be required to have the documents witnessed by a conveyancing solicitor. Normally any notary public or solicitor will do regardless of whether they are Oakley based

Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Oakley from the perspective of saving time on the sale process?

• Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Oakley can be avoided where you get in touch lawyers as soon as you market your property and request that they start to collate the leasehold information needed by the buyers’ solicitors.
If you have the benefit of shareholding in the freehold, you should ensure that you hold the original share document. Arranging a replacement share certificate is often a time consuming process and slows down many a Oakley conveyancing transaction. Where a reissued share certificate is necessary, do contact the company officers or managing agents (if applicable) for this at the earliest opportunity. Many landlords or managing agents in Oakley charge for supplying management packs for a leasehold property. You or your lawyers should enquire as to the fee that they propose to charge. The management information sought as soon as you have a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The typical amount of time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most frequent reason for delay in leasehold conveyancing in Oakley. In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s approval? In particular have you laid down wooden flooring? Oakley leases often stipulate that internal structural changes or installing wooden flooring require a licence from the Landlord consenting to such changes. Should you fail to have the consents in place do not contact the landlord without contacting your conveyancer first.

Oakley Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Queries Prior to buying

The best form of lease structure is a share of the freehold. In this situation the tenants benefit from being in charge if their destiny and even though a managing agent is frequently employed if it is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent acts for the leaseholders themselves. In the main the cost for major works tend not to be included within maintenance charges, albeit that some managing agents in Oakley require tenants to contribute towards a reserve fund created for the specific intention of building a fund for major works. How is the lease structured?