It is is a decade since I purchased my home in Blaenau Gwent. Conveyancing solicitors have now been appointed on the sale but I can't find my deeds. Will this cause complications?

You need not be too concerned. First the deeds may be kept by your lender or they could still be with the conveyancers who acted in your purchase. Secondly the chances are that the property will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to prove you own the property by your conveyancing lawyers obtaining up to date copy of the land registers. The vast majority of conveyancing in Blaenau Gwent involves registered property but in the rare situation where your home is unregistered it adds to the complexity but is resolvable.

Do the Building Society Association intend to launch a searchable register to list firms on the Norwich and Peterborough Building Society conveyancing panel for instance in Blaenau Gwent?

We are not aware of any intention on the part of the BSA to develop such a register.

I opted to have a survey completed on a house in Blaenau Gwent prior to instructing solicitors. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold aspect to the property. Our surveyor advised that some banks tend refuse to give a mortgage on a flying freehold premises.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Bank of Scotland has different instructions for example to Halifax. Should you wish to call us we can look into this further with 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 Blaenau Gwent. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Blaenau Gwent to see if the conveyancing will be more expensive.

We're novice buyers - had an offer accepted, but the selling agent has warned us that the seller will only proceed if we instruct the agent's preferred solicitors as they need an ‘expedited deal’. Our preferred option is to instruct a family conveyancer who is accustomed to conveyancing in Blaenau Gwent

It is unlikely the vendors are behind this. If they want ‘a quick sale', taking such a hostile approach to a motivated buyer is is going to put the whole deal at risk. Contact the sellers directly and make the point that (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are ready to progress, with mortgage lined up © you have nothing to sell (d) you wish to move quickly (e)but you will continue to appoint your own,trusted Blaenau Gwent conveyancing solicitors - as opposed tothose that will provide the negotiator at the agency a kickback or meet his conveyancing thresholds pre-set by HQ.

I am hoping to complete next month on a studio apartment in Blaenau Gwent. Conveyancing solicitors assured me that they will have a report out to me within the next couple of days. What should I be looking out for?

The report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Blaenau Gwent should include some of the following:

You should know if the lease permits you to change or upgrade aspects of the property- you must know whether any restrictions applies to all alterations or limited to structural alteration, and whether consent is mandated necessary What you can do if another leaseholder in the building breaches a clause of their lease? Does the lease prohibit wood flooring? The physical ownership of the demise. This could be the property itself but may include a roof area or storage are if applicable. if lease provides for a slush fund?

Leasehold Conveyancing in Blaenau Gwent - Sample of Queries before Purchasing

Most Blaenau Gwent leasehold apartments will be liable to pay a service charge for maintenance of the block invoiced by the management company. Should you acquire the apartment you will have to meet this contribution, usually periodically accross the year. This may vary from two or three hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for bigger purpose-built blocks. In all likelihood there will be a ground rent to be met annual, normally this is not a exorbitant amount, say approximately £25-£75 but you need to check as on occasion it can be many hundreds of pounds. On the whole the outlay for major works are not included within service charges, albeit that a few managing agents in Blaenau Gwent obliged leasehold owners to pay into a reserve fund created for the specific purpose of building a fund for larger repairs or maintenance.