I was referred a conveyancer who has sent a quote for £1200 for leasehold conveyancing in Swansea. I am selling a newly refurbished detached home for £225,000. This appears too much. Is it above what I should be paying for conveyancing in Swansea?

The estimate does seem a tad overpriced. If you are prepared to spend time comparing quotes you might reduce the fees marginally by as much as £125. That being said, you maycome to regret opting for an an untested conveyancer. Don't forget to check that the solicitor can also act for your lender. Do use our search tool to select a Swansea conveyancing firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Swansea.

We are buying a flat in Swansea. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a conveyancer? On completion day we will need to deposit money into their account. What is the protection we have from them run away with our monies?

Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.

If you had a top tip for choosing a conveyancing solicitor in Swansea what would it be?

It would be unwise to be seduced by the cheapest Swansea conveyancing fees. You really do get what you pay for when it comes to property lawyers. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you know exactly what you’ll have to pay in ahead of the deal.

We had appointed solicitors with offices in Swansea on the Coventry BS solicitor panel. They have just billed me a separate amount for handling the Coventry BS mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by Coventry BS?

As unfair as it may appear, as long as it’s in their Terms of Engagement or Quote then yes your conveyancing practitioner is entitled to charge a fee for this. This charge is not dictated by Coventry BS but by your Swansea conveyancer. Numerous firms on the Coventry BS panel will levy ’dealing with mortgage’ fee and others do not.

Will our conveyancer be raising enquiries concerning flooding during the conveyancing in Swansea.

Flooding is a growing risk for solicitors dealing with homes in Swansea. Some people will purchase a house in Swansea, completely aware that at some time, it may be flooded. However, aside from the physical damage, where a house is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, adequate building insurance, or dispose of the property. Steps can be carried out as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the purchaser.

Solicitors are not qualified to impart advice on flood risk, however there are a number of searches that may be undertaken by the buyer or by their conveyancers which should give them a better appreciation of the risks in Swansea. The standard property information forms supplied to a purchaser’s conveyancer (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) contains a usual question of the seller to discover whether the property has ever been flooded. In the event that the property has been flooded in past and is not notified by the seller, then a purchaser may issue a claim for damages as a result of such an incorrect answer. The buyer’s solicitors should also commission an enviro search. This should reveal if there is a recorded flood risk. If so, additional inquiries will need to be carried out.

In sourcing the internet for the phrase on line conveyancing in Swansea it shows results of numerous conveyancerslocally. With so much choice what is the best way to find the right solicitor for purchase transaction?

The ideal method of choosing a suitable conveyancer is via trusted referral, so seek the guidance of friends and those you trust who have bought a property in Swansea or the respected estate agent or financial adviser. Costs for conveyancing in Swansea vary, so it's advisable to secure at least three quotes from different law firms. Make sure that you know what costs in the quote includes.

I am on look out for some leasehold conveyancing in Swansea. Before I set the wheels in motion I require certainty as to the remaining lease term.

Assuming the lease is recorded at the land registry - and almost all are in Swansea - 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 own a basement flat in Swansea, conveyancing having been completed January 2002. Can you let me have an estimate of the premium that my landlord can legally expect in return for granting a renewal of my lease? Equivalent flats in Swansea with an extended lease are worth £192,000. The ground rent is £55 invoiced annually. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2078

With 54 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to span between £32,300 and £37,400 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 the actual costs without more comprehensive investigations. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other issues that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward based on this information without first getting professional advice.