I have just been advised by my financial adviser that my Rumney lawyer is not on the mortgage company Conveyancing panel. What can I do to check?

The first thing you need to do is to contact your Rumney conveyancer. You lawyer should notify you of the situation. Where they are not on the panel they could put your in touch with solicitors on the conveyancing panel for your mortgage company.

I am need of leasehold conveyancing for an apartment in a fairly new development (seven years built) in Rumney. 95% of the appartments have already been occupied. Is it strictly necessary to order neighbourhood searches for my conveyancing in Rumney?

You are opening yourself up to an unnecessary risk in failing carrying out Rumney conveyancing searches. Without searches you have no clarity over flooding, environmental etc which may mean you walk away due to potential problems down the line. If you are buying without a mortgage there is no legal requirement to have them, but we would seriously advise in no uncertain terms that your conveyancer conducts them. Where speed and cost are top of your concerns you should consider with your lawyer about the possibility of search insurance

I opted to have a survey completed on a property in Rumney in advance of instructing lawyers. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold aspect to the property. The surveyor has said that some mortgage companies will not give a loan on a flying freehold home.

It varies from the lender to lender. Lloyds has different requirements from Birmingham Midshires. Should you wish to telephone us we can check via the appropriate lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Rumney. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.

I have just started marketing my ground floor flat in Rumney. Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon, however I have just had a half-yearly maintenance charge invoice – what should I do?

The sensible thing to do is discharge the invoice as you normally would given that all rents and maintenance invoices should be allotted as part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

I inherited a 1st floor flat in Rumney, conveyancing formalities finalised 8 years ago. How much will my lease extension cost? Similar properties in Rumney with a long lease are worth £201,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 levied per year. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2089

With 64 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £14,300 and £16,400 plus costs.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to advice on a more accurate figure without more detailed due diligence. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt additional concerns that need to be taken into account and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.

There are a number of houses in Rumney on private lanes. We are acquiring one such property. What are the pros and cons of purchasing a house on a privately owned road?

Rumney conveyancing solicitors will be well versed in dealing houseson private. The property lawyer should investigate Land Registry data to identify any rights or responsibilities. In many cases there is a management company (wholly owned by residents) that proprietors pay into to maintain the road. If there is one, the road will likely be maintained and look nicer than council owned.