Two weeks ago we had a mortgage agreed in principle with Skipton. Felinheli conveyancing solicitors are chosen. How long does it take for Skipton to issue the offer to the conveyancer?

There is no definitive answer here. Have Skipton conducted the survey? Have you informed Skipton as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Skipton conveyancing panel? Sometimes it can take as long as six weeks for a mortgage offer to be issued.

I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Felinheli. I have a mortgage offer with Lloyds. Conveyancing is not something I have any knowledge of. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should use one. Any advice?

It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Lloyds, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Lloyds conveyancing panel.

Having digested plenty of mortgage guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Felinheli solicitor - who is on the Nottingham conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?

Nottingham will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Nottingham 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. Your conveyancer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Felinheli postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Nottingham, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Felinheli.

Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to our property are lost. The solicitors who conducted the conveyancing in Felinheli 5 years ago are no longer around. What are my next steps?

In today’s world there are copies made of almost everything, and your conveyancer will be aware exactly where to look for all the suitable paperwork so you may purchase or sell your property without a hitch. If duplicates are not available, your solicitor can arrange cover in the form of insurance or indemnities against possible claims on the property.

I decided to have a survey completed on a property in Felinheli ahead of instructing conveyancers. I have been told that there is a flying freehold element to the property. The surveyor has said that some lenders may not issue a mortgage on a flying freehold home.

It varies from the lender to lender. Lloyds has different requirements for example to Nationwide. Should you wish to telephone us we can check with the appropriate mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Felinheli. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Felinheli especially if they are acquainted with such properties in Felinheli.

Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Felinheli from the perspective of expediting the sale process?

• A significant proportion of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Felinheli can be reduced where you appoint lawyers as soon as you market your property and request that they start to collate the leasehold documentation needed by the purchasers’ conveyancers.
Some Felinheli leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this applies to your lease, it would be prudent to place the estate agents on notice to make sure that the purchasers put in hand financial (bank) and professional references. The bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are able to meet the annual 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 actual amount of the service charge so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their lawyers. If you have had any disputes with your freeholder or managing agents it is essential that these are resolved prior to the flat being marketed. The buyers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a property where there is an ongoing dispute. You may need to swallow your pride and pay any arrears of service charge or settle the dispute prior to completion of the sale. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled prior to the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You will still have to reveal particulars of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is better to present the dispute as historic rather than unresolved. In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s consent? In particular have you laid down wooden flooring? Felinheli leases often stipulate that internal structural changes or laying down wooden flooring calls for a licence issued by the Landlord acquiescing to such works. If you dont have the approvals to hand do not contact the landlord without contacting your solicitor in the first instance.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Felinheli - Examples of Queries Prior to buying

Can you tell me if there are any major works in the planning that will add a premium to the service fees? The prefered form of lease structure is if the freehold interest is in the ownership of the leaseholders. In this situation the leaseholders benefit from being in charge if their destiny and although a managing agent is usually employed if it is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent employed by the leaseholders. Who is in charge of the building?

My mum and dad are having difficulties in finding their Felinheli land registry title on the site. They recall that back in the 70’s when they purchased the bungalow there were complications regarding the post code not being recognised in some systems.

Almost all properties in Felinheli should show up. Have you tried a search to simply the postcode. Usually it will reveal all the residences within the postcode. Assuming the property is recorded it will be there with a title number. If they bought back in the 60’s it's conceivable it may be not yet registered. The address could still be revealed but with the title number identified as 'na'. In this scenario you will need to track down the original title papers which could be with your parent’s mortgage company.