We have rather pushy vendors who has insisted on a preliminary contract with a payment two thousand pounds. Is it wise to enter into such agreements?

Exclusivity contracts are contracts between a home vendor and purchaser giving the buyer exclusive rights to the sale of the premises within an agreed time frame. Essentially, a lock out is a document specifying that you should have a contract at a later time which is the main conveyancing contract. It is generally used for buyer protection though in many situations, the vendor may enjoy an upside from such agreements as well. There are many pros and cons to using them but you need to check with your conveyancer but note that it may result in costing you more in conveyancing charges. In light of this these agreements are unusual when it comes to conveyancing in Llanharan.

We're in Llanharan, First timers purchasing with a mortgage (lender is Santander , and our solicitor is on the Santander conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?

The fact that your lawyer is on the Santander conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no solicitor should guarantee a timeframe for your conveyancing, due to third parties outside of your control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain.

My bid for a property was accepted at auction in Llanharan. Conveyancing is needed. What are my next steps?

Now that you have legally committed yourself to purchase you should hire the services of a conveyancing practitioner soon as you are faced with a pending a drop dead date to complete the property. All auction property will ordinarily have an associated auction pack. This will likely include most,if not all of the documents that your conveyancer requires. Where you are dealing with leasehold property the auction papers should include a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and associated conveyancing documentation pertinent to leasehold premises. You must give this to your appointed conveyancing solicitor ASAP. You also need to ensure that that you have the requisite funding in place to complete on the on the contractual date .

After weeks of negotiation I have agreed a price on an apartment in Llanharan. My financial adviser recommended their conveyancers. I paid an advanced payment of £200. A few days later, the solicitor contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Kent Reliance panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

I am due to exchange contracts on my apartment. I had a double glazing fitted in November 2007, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's mortgage company, Aldermore are being a right pain. The Llanharan solicitor who is on the Aldermore conveyancing panel is saying indemnity insurance will be fine but Aldermore are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do Aldermore have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that Aldermore have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Aldermore may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.

I have been on the look out for a flat up to £305k and identified one round the corner in Llanharan I like with open areas and railway links nearby, however it's only got 52 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Llanharan in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a lease with such few years left?

Should you need a home loan the shortness of the lease may be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing proprietor has owned the property for at least twenty four months you may request that they commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer concerning this.

Why am I unable to complete our conveyancing in Llanharan on Good Friday?

This is due to the fact that on completion the money needs to be transferred electronically between the banks of the purchaser and seller's solicitor and at present this can only take place on a business day. It is not possible to complete on a weekend either.