AssumingI were to purchase a simple residential homein Crickhowell for cash and have no survey and no local authority searches how much should I expect to have to pay for conveyancing in Crickhowell?

The sole reduction in fees you would make on is the costs for searches. A conveyancer still be obliged to do everything else - money laundering, communicating with the vendors conveyancer, stamp duty return, register the title etc. You might save a bit for them not needing to register a mortgage however it won't be a lot.

Is it correct that all Crickhowell CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors are on the HSBC conveyancing list of approved practices?

Some major lenders now make use of the accreditation scheme as the starting point for Panel membership such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS membership however is no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. Nevertheless,the CML have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for firms wishing to join their approved list of conveyancing solicitors.

is it true that all Crickhowell solicitors on the Aldermore conveyancing panel are regulated by the SRA?

As solicitors, in order to be on the Aldermore conveyancing panel they would need to be overseen by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. Many banks do allow licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such firms would be overseen by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.

We had instructed solicitors locally in Crickhowell on the Bank of Ireland solicitor panel. They are now charging me an additional sum for handling the Bank of Ireland mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by Bank of Ireland?

Provided it is contained in their Terms of Engagement or estimate then yes your conveyancer is entitled to charge a fee for this. The fee is not set by Bank of Ireland but by your Crickhowell conveyancing practitioner. Plenty of firms on the Bank of Ireland panel will levy an ‘acting for lender’ fee but some firms include it on their overall fee.

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up during conveyancing in Crickhowell?

Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the process of conveyancing in Crickhowell. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’

How simple is it to transfer to a new firm as I have to instruct a firm on the National Westminster Bank conveyancing panel. I hired a high street conveyancing solicitor in Crickhowell round the corner but the firm is not approved by National Westminster Bank

We will our best to assist in finding you a conveyancing solicitor in Crickhowell on the National Westminster Bank panel. Please note that the conveyancers that we list do not pay us a referral fee if you instruct them and are under regulation of the Solicitors Regulation Authority who oversee all conveyancing solicitors in Crickhowell. Using the find a conveyancing solicitor tool on this site, you can scrutinise charges for conveyancing solicitors in Crickhowell and throughout England and Wales.

I work for a busy estate agency in Crickhowell where we see a few leasehold sales jeopardised due to leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have been given conflicting advice from local Crickhowell conveyancing solicitors. Can you confirm whether the seller of a flat can commence the lease extension formalities for the buyer?

Provided that the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to commence the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the proposed purchaser need not have to wait 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done before, or at the same time as completion of the disposal of the property.

An alternative approach is to extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the purchaser.

Crickhowell Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Questions you should ask Prior to buying

It would be sensible to find out as much as you can about the company managing the building as they will impact your use and enjoyment of the property. Being a leasehold owner you are often at the mercy of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to every day matters like the tidiness of the common parts. Enquire of other tenants what they think of them. On a final note, investigate as to the dates that you are obliged pay the service charge to the managing agents and precisely what it includes. If a Crickhowell lease has no more than 80 years it will have adverse implications on the marketability of the flat. Check with your lender that they are willing to go ahead with the loan given the lease term. Leases with less than 80 years remaining means that you will almost definitely require a lease extension at some point and it is worth discovering what this will be. For most Crickhowelllease extensions you would need to own the property for two years in order to be legally able to extend the lease.