At what point can the exchange of contracts occur in purchase conveyancing in Montpelier and do I need to be at the solicitors office?

Where you are round the corner to one of the conveyancing solicitors in Montpelier you are welcome to come in to sign contracts. That being said, the firms we recommend offer countrywide coverage for conveyancing and provide as equally comprehensive and professional a job for you when communicating with you by post or email. The executing of the contract is not when everything is set in stone. Signing on the dotted line simply enables the conveyancer to officially exchange at the suitable time, which will usually be very shortly after signing. The exchange process is nowadays normally dealt with by telephone and can be very rapid, although where an extended "chain" is in play, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in Montpelier)to be in the office available at the end of the phone to exchange contracts.

The Montpelier conveyancing solicitors that I appointed last week on my house acquisition in Montpelier have without warning shut down. I only went with them because I needed a firm on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel and my preferred Montpelier lawyer was not. I cut them a cheque for £250 in advance. What do I do now?

Assuming that you have an Estate Agent in the equation then inform them immediately so that they advise the vendors that there may be a slight delay due to the problems encountered. Most sellers would be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You should appoint new lawyers that are on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money, it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new solicitors should be in a position to assist.

Have just purchased a probate house at auction in Montpelier. Conveyancing is needed. What are my next steps?

Now that you have legally bound yourself to purchase you will need to appoint a conveyancing practitioner as a matter of priority as you will have a tight a drop dead date to complete the transaction. Every auction property will have a bespoke auction pack. This will likely include the copy title deeds, local authority and drainage searches. In the case of leasehold premises the auction pack may include a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and other conveyancing documentation specific to a leasehold property. You should hand this to the conveyancer working for you as soon as possible. You also need to ensure that your finances are in order to complete on the date specified in the contract.

I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in Montpelier off the council. I have a mortgage offer with Leeds Building Society. Conveyancing is new to me. 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 Leeds Building Society, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel.

Principality have agreed my mortgage in principle, my offer on a property in Montpelier has been accepted, what are the next steps?

The estate agent will want to know who your solicitors are (make sure the property lawyers are on the lender’s approved list). Telephone Principality or the financial adviser and complete any outstanding documentation. Principality will instruct a valuer who will get in contact with the estate agent or owners to book an appointment. Once conducted (assuming no problems) it takes about a fortnight for the mortgage offer to be issued. Principality will send the offer to you and your solicitors. The transaction will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Montpelier.

As co-executor for the will of my grandmother I am selling a house in Swansea but I am based in Montpelier. My solicitor (based 260 miles awayhas requested that I execute a statutory declaration ahead of the transaction finalising. Could you suggest a conveyancing solicitor in Montpelier who can witness this legal document for me?

Technically speaking you are not likely to need to have the documents attested by a conveyancing solicitor. Ordinarily any notary public or qualified solicitor will do regardless of whether they are Montpelier based

Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Montpelier from the point of view of expediting the sale process?

• Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Montpelier can be avoided where you get in touch lawyers the minute you market your property and ask them to put together the leasehold information which will be required by the buyers’ conveyancers.
Some Montpelier leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this applies to your lease, it would be prudent to notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers put in hand financial (bank) and professional references. Any bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is able to meet the yearly 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 service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the purchasers or their solicitors. You may think that you are aware of the number of years left on your lease but it would be advisable verify this by asking your conveyancers. A buyer’s lawyer will be unlikely to recommend their client to to exchange contracts if the lease term is below 75 years. It is therefore important at an early stage that you identify whether the lease requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your home on the market for sale. If there is a history of conflict with your landlord or managing agents it is essential that these are resolved prior to the flat being put on the market. The buyers and their solicitors will be warry about purchasing a flat where there is a current dispute. You may have to bite the bullet and discharge any arrears of service charge or settle the dispute prior to the buyers completing the purchase. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled prior to the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You are still duty bound to disclose particulars of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is clearly preferable to present the dispute as historic rather than unsettled.

I bought a leasehold flat in Montpelier, conveyancing having been completed September 2003. How much will my lease extension cost? Similar flats in Montpelier with a long lease are worth £181,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £55 levied per year. The lease finishes on 21st October 2075

You have 51 years unexpired the likely cost is going to span between £30,400 and £35,200 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other issues that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.