My brother and I have just acquired a property in Old St Mellons. We have noticed several problems with the house which we suspect were missed in the conveyancing searches. Is there anything we can do? What searches should? have been carried out for conveyancing in Old St Mellons?

It is not clear from the question as to the nature of the problems and if they are specific to conveyancing in Old St Mellons. Conveyancing searches and investigations undertaken as part of the legal transfer of property are designed to help avoid problems. As part of the legal transfer of property, the vendor answers a document known as a Seller’s Property Information Form. answers turns out to be incorrect, then you may have a claim against the owner for any losses that you have suffered. The survey should have identified any problems with the structure of the property. Assuming a detailed survey was carried out and the issues were not identified, you may have a claim against the surveyor. However, if you did not have a full survey, you may be responsible for fixing any defects that have now been noted. We would always encourage buyers to take every possible step to ensure they are completely aware of the condition of a property before purchase regardless of whether they are buying in Old St Mellons.

This question may be naive but I am unseasoned as a 1st time purchaser of a ground floor flat in Old St Mellons. Do I pick up the keys to the property on completion from my solicitor? If so, I will appoint a local conveyancing solicitor in Old St Mellons?

There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Your solicitors will arrange to send the completion advance to the seller's conveyancers, and shortly after the monies have arrived, you should be able to receive the keys from the property Agents and move into your new home. Usually this happens between 1 and 3pm.

When it comes to mortgage companies such as Skipton, do Old St Mellons conveyancers face an annual charge to be on the list of approved solicitors?

We are unaware of any mortgage company fees to be on their list of approved firms, although some do charge an administration fee to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.

We have a mortgage agreed in principle with Yorkshire BS. Old St Mellons conveyancing practitioners are appointed. What is the average time that one could expect to receive a mortgage offer from Yorkshire BS?

Some lenders take longer than others. Have Yorkshire BS completed the valuation? Have you advised Yorkshire BS as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel? Sometimes it can take as long as six weeks for a mortgage offer to be issued.

I'm buying a new build house in Old St Mellons with a loan from Santander. The builders refused to move on the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of additionals instead. The house builders rep told me not to tell my conveyancer about this deal as it could put at risk my loan with the bank. Should I keep quiet?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

I opted to have a survey carried out on a house in Old St Mellons prior to retaining solicitors. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold overhang to the property. My surveyor has said that some banks tend refuse to give a mortgage on a flying freehold house.

It varies from the lender to lender. Bank of Scotland has different instructions from Birmingham Midshires. If you call us we can check with the appropriate mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Old St Mellons. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.

I am in need of some leasehold conveyancing in Old St Mellons. Before I get started I require certainty as to the unexpired term of the lease.

Assuming the lease is registered - and almost all are in Old St Mellons - then the leasehold title will always include the basic details of the lease, namely the date; the term; and the original parties. From a conveyancing perspective such details then enable any prospective buyer and lender to confirm that any lease they are looking at is the one relevant to that title. For any other purpose, such as confirming how long the term was granted for and calculating what is left, then the register should be sufficient on it's own.

I invested in buying a basement flat in Old St Mellons, conveyancing having been completed in 2005. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Comparable flats in Old St Mellons with an extended lease are worth £176,000. The ground rent is £50 invoiced every year. The lease finishes on 21st October 2104

You have 80 years remaining on your lease we estimate the premium for your lease extension to range between £8,600 and £9,800 plus professional fees.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to advice on the actual costs without more detailed due diligence. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be taken into account and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.