As someone with no idea as to the Harlech conveyancing process what’s your top tip you can give me concerning the house moving process in Harlech

You may not hear this from too many lawyers but conveyancing in Harlech or throughout Gwynedd is an adversarial experience. Put another way, when it comes to conveyancing there is plenty of opportunity for friction between you and other parties involved in the home moving process. E.g., the seller, selling agent and even potentially a lender. Selecting a solicitor for your conveyancing in Harlech an important selection as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the ONE party in the legal process whose role it is to protect your best interests and to keep you safe.

We are witnessing a definite ongoing adversarial element to conveyancing- someone has to be blamed for the process being so protracted. You your first instinct should be to trust your solicitor ahead of the other players in the home moving process.

Are the BSA planning on creating a searchable register to list practices on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel for example in Harlech?

We would not expect to be advised of any plans on the part of the BSA to promote such a search facility.

I am assisting my sister sell her house in Harlech. Does the conveyancing solicitor arrange the energy performance certificate or do I organise this?

Following the abolition of Home Packs, EPC’s was kept a required component of moving house. An EPC needs to be to hand before the property is marketed. This is not a task that conveyancers ordinarily organise. Where you are instructing a Harlech conveyancing lawyer they might help arrange energy assessments due to their relationships with long established local providers

We are getting the release of further funds on our home loan from Coventry BS as we intend to carry out improvements to our house in Harlech. Do we need to select a bricks and mortar Harlech solicitor on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel to handle the paperwork?

Coventry BS would not normally instruct firms on their conveyancing panel to deal with such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Coventry BS panel.

Intending to buy a flat in Harlech. I have received an online quote from a licenced conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Lender if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.

They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that the Harlech property lawyer is on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel.

My wife and I purchased a leasehold flat in Harlech. Conveyancing and Coventry Building Society mortgage went though with no issue. I have received a letter from someone saying they have taken over the freehold. Attached was a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1998. The conveyancing solicitor in Harlech who acted for me is not around. Do I pay?

The first thing you should do is make enquiries of HMLR to make sure that this person is in fact the registered owner of the freehold reversion. You do not need to incur the fees of a Harlech conveyancing solicitor to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for less than a fiver. You should note that regardless, even if this is the legitimate landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

Harlech Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Queries before buying

Are there any major works in the planning that will likely add a premium to the service fees? It is important to be aware if window replacement or some other major work is due in the foreseeable future that will be shared by the leasehold owners and will materially impact the level of the maintenance costs or necessitate a specific payment. Please note that where the lease has no more than eighty years it will affect the marketability of the property. Check with your bank that they are happy with residual term of the lease. A short lease means that you will probably need a lease extension sooner rather than later and it is worth discovering how much this would cost. For most Harlechlease extensions you will be be obliged to have been the owner of the property for a couple of years in order to be legally able to carry out a lease extension.

I have just had an offer accepted on a leasehold flat in Harlech and the broker that we are dealing with recommended his solicitor. He quoted a thousand pounds plus VAT and 3rd party costs. Does this sound steep?

Don't just go on 1 quote. You should obtain like-for-like quotes for your conveyancing in Harlech. Then choose one that you trust and crucially, is on the approved panel of the bank that you are sourcing your mortgage from.