It is a dozen years since I purchased my house in Hereford. Conveyancing solicitors have now been appointed on the sale but I am unable to find my title deeds. Is this a problem?

Don’t worry too much. Firstly there is a possibility that the deeds will be retained by the mortgage company or they could be in the possession of the solicitor who handled your purchase. Secondly the likelihood is that the land will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to establish that you are the registered owner by your conveyancing solicitors acquiring up to date copy of the land registers. Almost all conveyancing in Hereford relates to registered property but in the rare situation where your property is unregistered it is more of a problem but is resolvable.

We previously appointed conveyancing lawyers locally in Hereford on the Nottingham solicitor approved list. They have just invoiced me a separate sum for dealing with the Nottingham mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee specified by Nottingham?

As unfair as it may appear, as long as it’s in their Terms and Conditions or Quote then yes your lawyer can charge a fee for this. The fee is not set by Nottingham but by your Hereford property lawyer. Some firms on the Nottingham panel will quote ’dealing with mortgage’ fee and others do not.

My husband and I have organised a further advance on our home loan from Clydesdale as we intend to conduct a loft conversion to our property in Hereford. Do we need to choose a high street Hereford solicitor on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel to deal with the paperwork?

Clydesdale do not ordinarily instruct a member of 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 Clydesdale panel.

My wife and I are at the point of viewing houses in Hereford and I am now considering a potential offer. Is it wise to have a lawyer on ‘stand by’? I am planning to take a home loan with Co-operative.

You should start requesting conveyancing estimates from solicitors ASAP. After you have chosen your lawyer and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and forward their contact information on to the estate agent. As you are seeking a mortgage with Co-operative, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the Co-operative conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold issue on a house I put an offer in a fortnight ago in what should have been a straight forward, no chain conveyancing. Hereford is where the house is located. What do you suggest?

Flying freeholds in Hereford are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Hereford you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds very carefully. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Hereford may determine that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold residence.

I'm refinancing my primary property to a BTL mortgage with Clydesdale and I will use the rest of the raised equity towards another house. The location we are interested in is Hereford. Will your conveyancers be able to act for both sets of mortgage companies and tie in the conveyances?

Do use our search tool on this page to ensure that the solicitors are approved by both mortgage companies. Assuming that they are your lawyer should be able to tie up the two transactions but you should have a chat with you lawyer and make clear your expectations and needs.

We expect to complete the sale of our £250,000 maisonette in Hereford next Tuesday. The freeholder has quoted £420 for Landlord’s certificate, building insurance schedule and 3 years service charge statements. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge an administration fee for a leasehold conveyance in Hereford?

Hereford conveyancing on leasehold apartments usually necessitates the buyer’s solicitor sending questions for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is under no legal obligation to answer these enquiries most will be willing to do so. They are entitled to levy a reasonable charge for answering questions or supplying documentation. There is no set fee. The average fee for the paperwork that you are referring to is £350, in some cases it exceeds £800. The administration charge demanded by the landlord must be accompanied by a summary of entitlements and obligations in respect of administration fees, otherwise the invoice is not strictly payable. Reality however dictates that you have no option but to pay whatever is demanded if you want to exchange contracts with the buyer.

I own a 2 bed flat in Hereford, conveyancing was carried out half a dozen years ago. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Equivalent flats in Hereford with an extended lease are worth £181,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £55 invoiced every year. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2075

With only 50 years left to run the likely cost is going to be between £31,400 and £36,200 as well as costs.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward placing reliance on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.