As someone clueless as to conveyancing in Bedwas what is your top tip you can impart concerning the ownership transfer in Bedwas

You may not hear this from too many lawyers but conveyancing in Bedwas and elsewhere in England and Wales is an adversarial process. Put another way, when it comes to conveyancing there is an abundance of room for conflict between you and other parties involved in the ownership transfer. For example, the seller, property agent and sometimes your mortgage company. Choosing a solicitor for your conveyancing in Bedwas should not be taken lightly as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the ONLY party in the legal process whose responsibility is to look after your legal interests and to keep you safe.

There is a definite creep in the "blame" culture- someone must be at fault for the process taking so long. You your first instinct should be to trust your conveyancer above all other players in the conveyancing process.

Is it correct that all Bedwas CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors are on the RBS conveyancing panel?

Some major lenders now make use of the accreditation scheme as the starting point for Panel approval such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS accreditation however gives no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. That being said,the CML have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for firms wishing to join their approved list of conveyancing solicitors.

Last month we had a mortgage agreed in principle with Skipton. Bedwas conveyancing solicitors are appointed. What is the average time that one could expect to receive a mortgage offer from Skipton?

Some lenders take longer than others. Have Skipton conducted the survey? Have you informed Skipton as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Skipton conveyancing panel? It is not unusual for a mortgage offer to take a month to come through.

I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with Clydesdale. I assume I don't need a Bedwas conveyancing practitioner on the Clydesdale panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.

If you have finished paying off your Clydesdale mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Clydesdale mortgage from the register. Clydesdale, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:

1. but are not moving to another property
2. where Clydesdale has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. Clydesdale has instructed the Land Registry to do so

Will my lawyer be making enquiries concerning flooding as part of the conveyancing in Bedwas.

The risk of flooding is if increasing concern for lawyers dealing with homes in Bedwas. Plenty of people will acquire a property in Bedwas, completely expectant that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, leaving to one side the physical damage, where a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, adequate insurance cover, or sell the premises. There are steps that can be taken as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the buyer.

Solicitors are not qualified to give advice on flood risk, but there are a numerous searches that may be undertaken by the buyer or on a buyer’s behalf which will give them a better appreciation of the risks in Bedwas. The standard information supplied to a purchaser’s lawyer (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) contains a usual inquiry of the seller to determine whether the premises has suffered from flooding. If the property has been flooded in past and is not disclosed by the owner, then a buyer could commence a claim for damages as a result of such an incorrect answer. The purchaser’s conveyancers will also conduct an enviro search. This will higlight whether there is a recorded flood risk. If so, additional inquiries will need to be made.

I have justdiscovered that Arc property Solicitors have been shut down. They carried out my conveyancing in Bedwas for a purchase of a leasehold apartment 10 months ago. How can I check that the property is in my name in the name of the previous owner?

The quickest way to see if the property is in your name, you can make a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Bedwas conveyancing specialists.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a flat up to £245,000 and found one near me in Bedwas I like with amenity areas and transport links nearby, however it's only got 52 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Bedwas for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a short lease?

If you need a mortgage the shortness of the lease will be problematic. Discount the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing proprietor has owned the premises for at least 2 years you could ask them to start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor about this matter.