My wife and I are purchasing a apartment in Whitland. I might seem paranoid but how we can trust a solicitor? At some point we have to put our life savings into their account. What protection do we have from them run away with our money?

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.

Completion of my purchase has taken place for my property in Whitland. Conveyancing was a necessary evil but I would like to complain about the lender. How do I make a complaint?

Most lenders have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Team at head office. In most cases complaints to a lender are resolved very quickly. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service who will take matters further.

Having read lots of mortgage guides, I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Whitland solicitor - who is on the Barclays conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?

Barclays will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Barclays will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own Whitland surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.

Do I need to pay for insurance to address the risk of chancel repairs when acquiring a house in Whitland?

Unless a prior acquisition of the property took place post 12 October 2013 you may take it that solicitors conducting conveyancing in Whitland to remain recommending a chancel search and or insurance against a claim.

How does conveyancing in Whitland differ for new build properties?

Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in Whitland come to us having been asked by the housebuilder to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the residence is built. This is because house builders in Whitland typically purchase the site, 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 conveyancing solicitors 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 Whitland or who has acted in the same development.

I am a sole trader intending to lease a unit on a shopping parade. Can you recommend lawyers offering competitive fees for non-domestic conveyancing in Whitland for less than 2k?

We are happy to recommend firms who have an in-depth of experience of commercial conveyancing in Whitland, including the sale and acquisition of businesses as well as simply property. Whether you are looking to buy or dispose of a shop, pub, restaurant, office, retail premises or a whole business we will find you the right solicitor. As for the charges these will vary based on the structure and heads of terms of the proposed transaction. Please provide us with your contact information or phone us so that we may furnish you with a fixed commercial conveyancing calculation.

If all goes to plan we aim to complete the sale of our £250,000 flat in Whitland next week. The freeholder has quoted £300 for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and 3 years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge an administration fee for a leasehold conveyance in Whitland?

Whitland conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes usually involves fees being invoiced by management companies :

Addressing pre-contract questions Where consent is required before sale in Whitland Supplying insurance information Deeds of covenant upon sale Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your solicitor will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Whitland leasehold property is £350. For Whitland conveyancing transactions it is customary for the seller to pay for these costs. The landlord or their agents are under no legal obligation to answer such questions most will be willing to do so - albeit often at exorbitant prices where the fees bear little relation to the work involved. Unfortunately there is no law that requires fixed charges for administrative tasks. Neither is there any legal time frame by which they are obliged to provide the information.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Whitland - A selection of Queries before Purchasing

The answer will be useful as a) areas can result in problems for the building as the common areas may begin to deteriorate where maintenance are not paid for b) if the leasehold owners have an issue with the running of the building you will want to know about it It is important to be aware whether fixing the lift or some other major work is anticipated that will be shared between the tenants and will dramatically increase the the service costs or result in a specific invoice. Many Whitland leasehold apartments will have a service bill for the upkeep of the block set by the management company. Should you purchase the property you will have to meet this charge, usually in instalments during the year. This may differ from several hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for blocks with lifts and large common grounds. In all probability there will be a ground rent to be met annual, normally this is not a significant figure, say around £25-£75 but you should to check it because on occasion it could be many hundreds of pounds.