My wife and I are looking to buy a flat in Henleaze and have appointed a Henleaze conveyancing practice. Within the last couple of days our conveyancer has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through in anticipation of exchanging contracts shortly. Coventry Building Society have this afternoon contacted us to inform me that they have now hit a problem as our Henleaze lawyer is not on their approved list of lawyers. Is this a problem?

When purchasing a property with mortgage finance it is usual for the purchasers' lawyers to also represent the purchaser's lender. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your property lawyer should contact your mortgage company and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on the bank's conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Henleaze lawyers, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it will likely delay the transaction as you have another set of people involved.

There are plenty of conveyancing solicitors in Henleaze but how do I know who's good?

Do not opt for the cheapest Henleaze conveyancing fees. You really do get what you’re paying for when it comes to conveyancing solicitors. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you know exactly what you’ll have to pay in advance.

I just acquired a house at auction in Henleaze. Conveyancing is needed. What happens now?

Now that you are to all intents and purposes signed on the dotted line you should find a conveyancing solicitor soon as you will have a fast approaching a fixed date to complete the conveyancing. An auction property will have a corresponding auction set of papers. This will include most,if not all of the paperwork that your lawyer requires. Where you are dealing with leasehold premises the auction papers should contain a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and associated conveyancing documentation pertinent to leasehold premises. You must hand this to the solicitor instructed by you at the earliest opportunity. You also need to ensure that you have funds in place to complete the transaction on the set completion date.

Forgive me if this question is silly but I am new to the process as a 1st time buyer of a ground floor flat in Henleaze. Do I pick up the keys to the house on the completion date from my solicitor? If this is the case, I will find a High Street conveyancing solicitor in Henleaze?

There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Your solicitors will transfer the purchase money to the owner’s lawyers, and shortly after the monies have arrived, you should be able to pick up the keys from the property Agents and start moving into the property. Usually this happens between 1 and 3pm.

I need some expedited conveyancing in Henleaze as I am faced with a deadline to sign on the dotted line in less than one month. A mortgage is not required. Is it possible to avoid the conveyancing searches to save fees and time?

As you are not getting a mortgage you have the choice not to do searches although no solicitor would suggest that you don't. With plenty of history conveyancing in Henleaze the following are examples of what can appear and therefore impact future mortgageability: Refused Planning Applications, Overdue Charges, Outstanding Grants, Road Schemes,...

Am I right to be suspicious that third parties that I am dealing with are recommending a national conveyancing firm as opposed to a local Henleaze conveyancing practice?

As with lots of professional services, often input from connections can be most helpful. Nevertheless there are lots of parties with a keen interest in a conveyancing transaction; estate agents, financial adviser and lenders might all put forward conveyancers to choose. Sometimes these lawyers might be known to one of the organisations as being good in their field, but occasionally there may be a commercial relationship behind the endorsement. You are free to appoint your preferred conveyancer. Don't forget that the majority of banks specify a panel list of solicitors you must use for the mortgage aspect of your house move.

Looking forward to exchange soon on a studio apartment in Henleaze. Conveyancing solicitors inform me that they report fully next week. What should I be looking out for?

Your report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Henleaze should include some of the following:

Do you need to have carpet in the flat or are you allowed wood flooring? Your conveyancers should enable you to have an understanding of the building insurance obligations The unexpired lease term. You should receive guidance as what happens when the lease ends, and aware of the importance of the 80 year mark You should be sent a copy of the lease

Leasehold Conveyancing in Henleaze - A selection of Questions you should ask before Purchasing

Are there any major works in the near future that could increase the service charges? For many Henleaze leaseholds the cost for major works are not built into the maintenance charges, although some managing agents in Henleaze obliged leaseholders to pay into a reserve fund created for the specific purpose of building a fund for major repairs or maintenance. The majority of Henleaze leasehold properties will incur a service bill for maintenance of the building set on behalf of the landlord. Where you acquire the apartment you will have to meet this contribution, usually periodically accross the year. This could vary from several hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for buildings with lifts and large communal areas. In all likelihood there will be a rentcharge to be met yearly, normally this is not a large amount, say around £25-£75 but you should to enquire as on occasion it can be many hundreds of pounds.