If you had a top tip for selecting a conveyancing solicitor in Twyford what would it be?

Do not opt for the cheapest Twyford conveyancing quote. You really do get what you pay for when it comes to conveyancing solicitors. 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.

I currently have a mortgage with Leeds Building Society for my property in Twyford. Conveyancing has been completed a year ago. If I am intending to rent out my property and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a BTL mortgage or inform Leeds Building Society?

Your original mortgage agreement with Leeds Building Society will provide that you need their approval prior to renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of Leeds Building Society’s mortgage conditions. It may be that Leeds Building Society will allow you to rent out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Leeds Building Society directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel solicitor.

After much negotiation I have agreed a price on a house in Twyford. My financial adviser pressured me to appoint their solicitor. I paid an on account payment of £225. A few days later, the conveyancer contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Principality conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Principality panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

How does conveyancing in Twyford differ for new build properties?

Most buyers of new build residence in Twyford contact us having been asked by the seller to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is completed. This is because builders in Twyford usually purchase the land, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct property lawyers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are accustomed to new build conveyancing in Twyford or who has acted in the same development.

Taking into account that I will soon spend 450k on a property in Twyford I would like to talk to a lawyer regarding thetransaction before appointing the firm. Is this something that you can arrange?

This is something that we recommend - it is our preference to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you first talking to the lawyer who will be carrying out your conveyancing in Twyford.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - every client is an important individual, not a file number. The practices that we put you in touch with believe that the fees you are calculated and presented to you for your conveyancing in Twyford should be the amount on the final invoice that you end up paying.

I am hoping to put an offer on a small detached house that appears to be perfect, at a great figure which is making it more attractive. I have subsequently found out that it's a leasehold as opposed to freehold. I am assuming that there are issues buying a house with a leasehold title in Twyford. Conveyancing lawyers have are about to be instructed. Will my lawyers set out the risks of buying a leasehold house in Twyford ?

The majority of houses in Twyford are freehold rather than leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local solicitor used to dealing with such properties who can assist with the conveyancing process. it is apparent that you are purchasing in Twyford so you should seriously consider looking for a Twyford conveyancing practitioner and be sure that they have experience in dealing with leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the unexpired lease term. As a leaseholder you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want to the property. The lease comes with conditions such as requiring the freeholder’spermission to carry out alterations. It may be necessary to pay a contribution towards the maintenance of the estate where the property is part of an estate. Your lawyer will appraise you on the various issues.

I invested in buying a studio flat in Twyford, conveyancing was carried out in 2006. 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? Corresponding properties in Twyford with a long lease are worth £180,000. The ground rent is £65 per annum. The lease expires on 21st October 2082

With 59 years left to run the likely cost is going to span between £20,900 and £24,200 as well as professional fees.

The figure above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive investigations. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other issues that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward based on this information before getting professional advice.

Partway through the sale of a leasehold flat in Twyford. Conveyancing is fine but we have been asked to pay a fortune from the managing agents. To date we have issued a cheque for £268 for a leasehold management information and then a further £134.40 for additional questions supplied by the buyers conveyancing practitioner.

You will not have control over the level of the bill for this information however the average fee for the information for Twyford leasehold property is £360. When it comes to Twyford conveyancing transactions it is conventional for the vendor to cover the costs. The freeholder or their agents are under no statutory obligation to answer such questions most will agree to do so - albeit often at exorbitant prices out of proportion to the work involved. Unfortunately there is no statute that requires set fees for administrative tasks. There is no set time limit by which they are obliged to provide answers.