I am assisting my sister sell her house in Ventnor. Does the conveyancer commission the energy assessment or should I organise this?

After the demise of HIPs, energy performance certificates was maintained a mandatory part of moving property. An EPC must be commissioned before the property is advertised. This is not a task that solicitors ordinarily organise. If you are using a Ventnor conveyancing practitioner they might help arrange energy performance certificates due to their relationships with long established local accredited person

My fiancee and I are spending time looking at apartments in Ventnor and I am about to put in an offer. Is it advisable to have my solicitor on ‘stand by’? I will be getting a home loan with Co-operative.

You should start requesting conveyancing estimates from solicitors ASAP. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their details on to the selling agent. Given that you are seeking a mortgage with Co-operative, make sure you remember to check that your lawyer is on the Co-operative conveyancing panel.

I was told four weeks ago that my mortgage has been agreed to by Nottingham. Is it usual for Nottingham to only issue the offer once my solicitor in Ventnor is approved on their conveyancing panel? Nottingham have asked my solicitor to see a copy of their Professional Indemnity Insurance Schedule.

A lender would not issue an offer until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Nottingham to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Nottingham conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.

I need some quick conveyancing in Ventnor as I have a deadline to complete within one month. Fortunately I do not require a mortgage. Can I avoid the conveyancing searches to save fees and time?

As you are are a mortgage free buyer you are at free not to do searches although no solicitor would suggest that you don't. With plenty of history conveyancing in Ventnor the following are instances of issues that can crop up and adversely affect market value: Refused Planning Applications, Overdue Charges, Outstanding Grants, Railway Schemes,...

I am thinking of appointing a conveyancing practitioner in Ventnor for my home move. Is it possible to review a solicitor's complaints history with the legal regulator?

Members of the public may find published Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) determinations arising from investigations from 2008 onwards. Visit Check a solicitor's record. To find information about the period before 1 January 2008, or to check a solicitors history, ring 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. International callers, call +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA could recorded telephone calls for training reasons.

I have just started marketing my ground floor apartment in Ventnor. Conveyancing is yet to be initiated, however I have just received a quarterly service charge demand – Do I pay up?

It best that you pay the invoice as usual as all rents and maintenance invoices should be allotted on completion, so you will be reimbursed by the purchaser for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most management companies will not acknowledge the buyer unless 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 invested in buying a 1 bedroom flat in Ventnor, conveyancing having been completed 5 years ago. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Equivalent flats in Ventnor with over 90 years remaining are worth £211,000. The ground rent is £50 per annum. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2093

With only 68 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £9,500 and £11,000 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of detailed investigations. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.

I have today had an offer accepted on a leasehold flat in Ventnor and the mortgage adviser that we are dealing with suggested his conveyancing practitioner. They quoted nine hundred pounds plus VAT and 3rd party costs. Does this sound reasonable?

Don't just go on one quote. You should seek like-for-like quotes for your conveyancing in Ventnor. Then pick one that you are comfortable with and crucially, is on the approved list of the mortgage company that you have applied for a mortgage from.