We were about to retain a conveyancing solicitor in Almondsbury listed on your site but stumbled across alternative costs illustrations via the web seem less expensive – why is this?

There are numerous solicitors marketing at first sight what seems to be cut price. Our recommendation is to think long and hard about how important this transaction is to you that you are willing to take 'cheap' risks over the quality of the legal work. Some embed fees well inside the terms and conditions. The law firms that we list for conveyancing in Almondsbury neverdo this.

The deeds to my house are lost. The solicitors who conducted the conveyancing in Almondsbury 4 years ago no longer exist. What are my next steps?

In today’s world there are copies made of almost everything, and your solicitor should know precisely where to locate all the relevant documentation so you may buy or sell your property without any difficulty. If duplicates are not available, your conveyancer may be able to put in place insurance or indemnities protecting you against future claims on your premises.

I am buying my first flat in Almondsbury benefiting from help to buy. The sellers refused to reduce the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of fixtures and fittings instead. The house builders rep suggested that I not to tell my lawyer about this extras as it will adversely affect my mortgage with Leeds Building Society. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

I decided to have a survey completed on a house in Almondsbury in advance of retaining solicitors. I have been told that there is a flying freehold overhang to the house. My surveyor has said that some mortgage companies will refuse to issue a loan on such a house.

It varies from the lender to lender. Lloyds has different instructions from Halifax. If you call us we can look into this further via the appropriate bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Almondsbury. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.

Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Almondsbury from the perspective of speeding up the sale process?

• Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Almondsbury can be reduced if you get in touch lawyers the minute your agents start advertising the property and ask them to collate the leasehold information needed by the purchasers’ conveyancers.
A minority of Almondsbury leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this applies to your lease, it would be prudent to notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers put in hand bank and professional references. Any bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are able to meet the yearly service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their lawyers. In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s permission? Have you, for example laid down wooden flooring? Most leases in Almondsbury state that internal structural changes or laying down wooden flooring calls for a licence from the Landlord acquiescing to such changes. Where you dont have the paperwork to hand do not communicate with the landlord without contacting your conveyancer before hand. If there is a history of conflict with your landlord or managing agents it is essential that these are resolved before the property is marketed. The purchasers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a property where there is an ongoing dispute. You may have to bite the bullet 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 are still duty bound to disclose particulars of the dispute to the buyers, but it is clearly preferable to reveal the dispute as historic as opposed to unsettled.

I purchased a 2 bed flat in Almondsbury, conveyancing formalities finalised 8 years ago. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Similar properties in Almondsbury with over 90 years remaining are worth £176,000. The ground rent is £50 per annum. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2101

With only 80 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £8,600 and £9,800 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

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