Completed the sale of my flat in Poundbury last November yet the purchaser is SMS messaging me complaining that her conveyancer is waiting to hear from myconveyancer. What should have happened now that I have sold?

After completion of your disposal your conveyancer should deliver the transfer deeds and all additional paperwork to the purchaser's solicitors. If applicable, your lawyer should also confirm that the home loan has been repaid to the buyers lawyers. There are no post completion requirements peculiar conveyancing in Poundbury.

Having spent time reading moneysavingexpert.com for a conveyancing lawyer in Poundbury, most say that I must instruct a CQS kitemarked lawyer. Can you explain what CQS is?

The Law Society's Conveyancing Quality Scheme is the recognised kitemark for legal experts in home ownership transfers, trusted by some of the UK's biggest lenders. Four years ago the Conveyancing Quality Scheme was officially recognised by the Legal Ombudsman. CQS is not a scheme offered by the Society for Licensed Conveyancers. Poundbury is one of the numerous areas in England and Wales where there are Accredited lawyers.

Will my solicitor be making enquiries about flooding as part of the conveyancing in Poundbury.

The risk of flooding is if increasing concern for lawyers conducting conveyancing in Poundbury. Plenty of people will purchase a house in Poundbury, completely expectant that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, aside from the physical destruction, where a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, adequate building insurance, or sell the property. There are steps that can be taken as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the purchaser.

Conveyancers are not best placed to impart advice on flood risk, however there are a number of checks that may be initiated by the purchaser or on a buyer’s behalf which should give them a better understanding of the risks in Poundbury. The standard completed inquiry forms given to a buyer’s lawyer (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) includes a usual inquiry of the owner to discover whether the premises has suffered from flooding. In the event that the property has been flooded in past and is not notified by the owner, then a buyer could commence a claim for damages as a result of such an inaccurate answer. The buyer’s lawyers will also order an environmental report. This will indicate whether there is any known flood risk. If so, more detailed investigations should be conducted.

Am I right to be concerned by estate agents that I am dealing with are encouraging me to use a web based conveyancing firm as opposed to a local Poundbury conveyancing firm?

As with many service providers, often input from connections can be most helpful. But there are many parties with a keen interest in a conveyancing deal; estate agents, financial adviser and lenders might all put forward lawyers to retain. Sometimes these conveyancers might be known to one of the organisations as experts in their field, but sometimes there is an underlying financial incentive behind the recommendation. You are free to appoint your own conveyancer. You need to be aware that many banks operate an approved list of law firms you must use for the mortgage related work in your home move.

All being well we will complete the sale of our £400,000 apartment in Poundbury next week. The management company has quoted £300 for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and previous years service charge statements. Is the landlord entitled to charge exorbitant fees for a flat conveyance in Poundbury?

For most leasehold sales in Poundbury conveyancing will involve, questions about the management of a building inevitably needing to be answered directly by the freeholder or its agent, this includes :

Answering pre-exchange questions Where consent is required before sale in Poundbury Copies of the building insurance and schedule Deeds of covenant upon sale Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your conveyancer will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Poundbury leasehold premises is £350. For Poundbury conveyancing transactions it is customary for the seller to pay for these costs. The landlord or their agents are under no legal obligation to answer such questions most will be willing to do so - albeit often at exorbitant prices where the fees bear little relation to the work involved. Unfortunately there is no law that requires fixed charges for administrative tasks. Neither is there any legal time frame by which they are obliged to provide the information.

Poundbury Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Queries Prior to buying

It would be sensible to investigate if the the lease includes any adverse restrictions in the lease. For instance it is reasonably common in Poundbury leases that pets are not permitted in certain buildings in Poundbury. If you like the flatin Poundbury but your cat is not allowed to live with you then you will be faced difficult compromise. What is the the remaining lease term? The answer will be useful as a) areas could cause problems for the block as the communal areas may start to deteriorate if services are not paid for b) if the leaseholders have a dispute with the managing agents you will need to know about it