Having sold my house in Radstock last April yet the purchaser is e-mailing every few hours complaining that her conveyancer is waiting to hear from mine. What are the post completion sale formalities following completion?

Following your house sale your conveyancer should deliver the transfer deeds and all additional paperwork to the buyer’s conveyancer. Where relevant, your lawyer must also evidence that the mortgage has been redeemed to the purchasers lawyers. There is unlikely to be post completion formalities specific conveyancing in Radstock.

We are getting the release of further monies on our mortgage from TSB as we want to conduct renovations to our house in Radstock. Do we need to appoint a high street Radstock solicitor on the TSB conveyancing panel to deal with the legals?

TSB don't usually instruct a member of their conveyancing panel to handle such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the TSB list.

I am due to exchange contracts on my house. I had a double glazing fitted in June 2007, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's lender, Bank of Ireland are being difficult. The Radstock solicitor who is on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel is saying indemnity insurance will be fine but Bank of Ireland are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do Bank of Ireland have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that Bank of Ireland have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Bank of Ireland 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.

Having read lots of mortgage guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Radstock solicitor - who is on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?

Bank of Ireland will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Bank of Ireland will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your lawyer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Radstock postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Bank of Ireland, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Radstock.

I have been told that property searches are the primary cause of stalling in Radstock house deals. Is there any truth in this?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) published determinations of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure amongst the top 10 causes of delays during the legal transfer of property. Local searches are unlikely to feature in any holding up conveyancing in Radstock.

I have todaybecome aware that Stirling Law have been shut down. They conducted my conveyancing in Radstock for a purchase of a leasehold apartment 18 months ago. How can I establish that the property is in my name in the name of the previous owner?

The quickest method to see if the premises is in your name, you can make a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Radstock conveyancing specialists.

Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Radstock with the intention of expediting the sale process?

• Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Radstock can be avoided if you instruct lawyers the minute your agents start marketing the property and request that they start to put together the leasehold information needed by the purchasers’ representatives.
You believe that you know the number of years left on your lease but it would be advisable verify this by asking your conveyancers. A buyer’s conveyancer will not be happy to advise their client to where the lease term is under 80 years. In the circumstances it is essential at an early stage that you identify whether the lease term for your property needs extending. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your property on the market for sale. The majority of landlords or Management Companies in Radstock charge for supplying management packs for a leasehold property. You or your lawyers should discover the fee that they propose to charge. The management pack can be applied for as soon as you have a buyer, thus reducing delays. The typical amount of time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most frequent cause of frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Radstock. In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s approval? In particular have you laid down wooden flooring? Radstock leases often stipulate that internal structural alterations or installing wooden flooring calls for a licence from the Landlord consenting to such alterations. Should you fail to have the paperwork to hand do not communicate with the landlord without contacting your lawyer in advance. If there is a history of any disputes with your landlord or managing agents it is essential that these are resolved before the property is put on the market. The purchasers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase 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 completion of the sale. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled prior to the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You will still have to reveal particulars of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is clearly preferable to reveal the dispute as historic as opposed to unresolved.

I invested in buying a leasehold flat in Radstock, conveyancing formalities finalised 7 years ago. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Similar flats in Radstock with over 90 years remaining are worth £216,000. The ground rent is £50 yearly. The lease ceases on 21st October 2094

With only 69 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £9,500 and £11,000 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to advice on a more accurate figure in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action based on this information before getting professional advice.