My wife and I are purchasing a flat in Wellington. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a solicitor? On completion day we have to send our life savings into their account. What is the protection we have from them run away with our deposit?

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.

I just bought a flat at auction in Wellington. Conveyancing is needed. What are my next steps?

Now that you are exchanged you now have to instruct a conveyancing solicitor quickly as you now have a fast approaching a drop dead date to complete the conveyancing. Every auction property will have an associated legal set of papers. This will include most,if not all of the documents that your solicitor will need. Where you are dealing with leasehold premises the conveyancing papers should include a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and associated conveyancing paperwork specific to leasehold premises. You must pass this on to the lawyer instructed by you ASAP. You also need to ensure that you have funds in order to complete the transaction on the set completion date.

We are aiming to move home in September. Will my conveyancing solicitor call the removal company on the day of completion. On a separate note, can you recommend a removal company in Wellington. Conveyancing lawyer was organised before I stumbled across this site.

On the day of completion you will need to pick up the house keys from your selling agent however this can only happen once the previous owners solicitors confirm to the agent that the monies to complete are in and the keys can be passed over. Subsequently you should inform the removal men that they can start moving you in. As a matter of policy we do not suggest a specific removal organisation but can assist you in choosing a residential property solicitor in Wellington or a firm that specialises in conveyancing in Wellington.

4 months have elapsed since my purchase conveyancing in Wellington took place. I have checked the Land Registry site which shows that I paid £175,000 when infact I paid £215,000. Why the discrepancy?

The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the asset from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.

I'm buying my first flat in Wellington with a loan from Bank of Scotland. The builders refused to move on the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of additionals instead. The estate agent suggested that I not inform my solicitor about this side-deal as it may impact my loan with the lender. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold issue on a house I put an offer in last month in what was supposed to be a simple, chain free conveyancing. Wellington is where the house is located. What do you suggest?

Flying freeholds in Wellington are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Wellington you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds diligently. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Wellington may determine 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.

If all goes to plan we aim to complete the sale of our £400,000 apartment in Wellington on Friday in a week. The freeholder has quoted £300 for Landlord’s certificate, insurance certificate and 3 years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge such fees for a flat conveyance in Wellington?

Wellington conveyancing on leasehold flats usually requires the purchaser’s lawyer submitting questions for the landlord to answer. Although the landlord is not legally bound to address such questions most will be willing to do so. They are at liberty to charge a reasonable administration fee for answering enquiries or supplying documentation. There is no set fee. The average costs for the information that you are referring to is over three hundred pounds, in some cases it is in excess of £800. The management information fee invoiced by the landlord must be accompanied by a synopsis of rights and obligations in respect of administration fees, otherwise the charge is technically not due. Reality however dictates that you have no option but to pay whatever is demanded if you want to exchange contracts with the buyer.

Wellington Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Questions you should ask Prior to Purchasing

How much is the ground rent and service charge? Is the freehold owned jointly by the tenants? What is the length of the lease?