My wife and I are buying a flat in Caversham Heights. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a solicitor? On completion day we have to put funds into their account. What is the protection we have from them run away with our deposit?

Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.

When it comes to lenders such as Skipton, do Caversham Heights conveyancers incur a fee to be on the list of approved solicitors?

We are unaware of any mortgage company fees to be on their panel, although some do levy an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel submission.

I've digested plenty of house buying guides, I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Caversham Heights solicitor - who is on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?

Yorkshire BS will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Yorkshire BS will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own Caversham Heights surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.

Will my solicitor be asking questions about flooding during the conveyancing in Caversham Heights.

Flooding is a growing risk for lawyers specialising in conveyancing in Caversham Heights. Plenty of people will acquire a property in Caversham Heights, completely expectant that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, aside from the physical destruction, if a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, suitable insurance cover, or sell the property. There are steps that can be taken during the course of a house purchase to forewarn the buyer.

Lawyers are not best placed to offer advice on flood risk, however there are a various searches that can be initiated by the buyer or by their solicitors which can figure out the risks in Caversham Heights. The conventional set of information supplied to a purchaser’s lawyer (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) incorporates a standard inquiry of the vendor to discover whether the premises has historically flooded. In the event that the premises has been flooded in past which is not disclosed by the vendor, then a buyer could issue a compensation claim as a result of such an inaccurate answer. The buyer’s conveyancers should also order an environmental report. This should disclose whether there is a recorded flood risk. If so, more detailed inquiries should be made.

In my capacity as executor for the will of my aunt I am selling a property in Cardiff but live in Caversham Heights. My lawyer (who is 235 miles from meneeds me to execute a stat dec prior to completion. Can you recommend a conveyancing practitioner in Caversham Heights who can attest this legal document for me?

strictly speaking you are not likely to need to have the documents witnessed by a conveyancing solicitor. Normally or notary public or qualified solicitor will do regardless of whether they are located in Caversham Heights

Last May I purchased a leasehold property in Caversham Heights. Do I have any liability for service charges for periods before my ownership?

Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. It is an essential part of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

Leasehold Conveyancing in Caversham Heights - A selection of Questions you should consider Prior to buying

The best form of lease arrangement is a share of the freehold. In this arrangement the tenants benefit from being in charge if their destiny and even though a managing agent is usually employed where the building is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent is directed by the tenants. It is important to be aware if changing the roof or some other major work is due shortly that will be shared amongst the leaseholders and could well materially increase the the maintenance fees or require a specific invoice. What is the name of the managing agents?

Is it the case that all Caversham Heights solicitors on every bank conveyancing panel?

You can use our search tool or you can drop into your high street lender branch in Caversham Heights. the probability is that they will know some good conveyancing solicitors in Caversham Heights