It is a dozen years since I purchased my home in Torfaen. Conveyancing lawyers have just been appointed on the sale but I am unable to track down my title deeds. Is this a problem?
Don’t worry too much. First there is a possibility that the deeds will be retained by your mortgage company or they could be in the possession of the conveyancers who acted in the purchase. Secondly the likelihood is that the land will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to prove you own the property by your conveyancing solicitors acquiring up to date copy of the land registers. Nearly all conveyancing in Torfaen involves registered property but in the unlikely event that your property is not registered it adds to the complexity but is not insurmountable.
I am purchasing a terraced house in Torfaen. How practical is it for me to do the conveyancing?
Leaving aside the complexities and merits of DIY conveyancing in Torfaen you will have to appoint a solicitor on your mortgage company's conveyancing panel to look after their interests. Most people therefore find it easier to let the solicitor act for them and the lender. Furthermore there is minimal cost savings to be made in you doing conveyancing for yourself and another lawyer conducting the conveyancing for the lender. Please feel free to use the search tool to find a lawyer on your lender panel in Torfaen.
I am assisting my aunt sell her house in Torfaen. Does the conveyancer commission the energy performance certificate or should I organise this?
After the demise of Home Packs, EPC’s became a compulsory component of selling a property. An EPC needs to be to hand prior to the property being placed on the market. It is not as aspect of the sale process that solicitors ordinarily organise. If you are instructing a Torfaen conveyancing solicitor they may help arrange energy assessments given their contacts with reputable Torfaen assessors
We expect to receive a OIP from UBS this week so we can work out what to offer on a property we like as otherwise we are dependent on web based calculators (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do UBS recommend any Torfaen solicitors on the UBS conveyancing panel, or is it better to go independently?
You will need to appoint Torfaen solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the UBS conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and UBS through the process.
I was told four weeks ago that my mortgage has been agreed to by Virgin Money. Is it usual for Virgin Money to only issue the offer once my solicitor in Torfaen is approved on their conveyancing panel? Virgin Money have asked my solicitor to see a copy of their PI Insurance.
Mortgage companies tend not to not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Virgin Money to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold element on a house I put an offer in a fortnight ago in what should have been a straight forward, no chain conveyancing. Torfaen is the location of the property. Is there any advice you can impart?
Flying freeholds in Torfaen are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Torfaen you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds very carefully. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Torfaen may ascertain that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold residence.
I have been pointed in your direction by numerous estate agents in Torfaen to get a quote from a solicitor on your site. Is there a financial advantage for Estate Agents to recommend your services rather than another?
We refuse to make any commission for pointing buyers and sellers to this site. We thought it would be too underhand to pay a commission because a client could think, ‘How come the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not receiving any benefit too?’ We would prefer to grow our business on genuine recommendations.