I am acquiring a property for cash in Calcot and Tilehurst. I have lived for the previous 20 years in Calcot and Tilehurst. Conveyancing searches are a lot of money. Given that I have knowledge of the road and vicinity intimately should I not bother getting the solicitor to do all the conveyancing searches?

If you not getting a mortgage, then all but one or two of the Calcot and Tilehurst conveyancing searches are non-obligatory. Your lawyer will 'advise', perhaps strongly, that you should have searches done, but she has a professional duty to take that path of guidance. Do consider; if you are likely to dispose of the house at a future date, it could be of importance to your future buyer what the searches contain. On occasion houses with day to day issues can still throw up unexpected search results. A good conveyancing solicitor in Calcot and Tilehurst will provide you some practical advice in this regard.

What does a local search tell me about the property we're buying in Calcot and Tilehurst?

Calcot and Tilehurst conveyancing often commences with the ordering local authority searches directly from your local Authority or through a personal search company such as Searches UK The local search plays a central part in many a Calcot and Tilehurst conveyancing purchase; that is if you don’t want any unpleasant surprises after you move into your new home. The search should supply information on, amongst other things, details on planning applications applicable to the property (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of thirteen subject areas.

I have been sourcing a conveyancing practitioner in Calcot and Tilehurst for my home move. Can I review a firm’s record with the profession’s regulator?

You can review documented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions arising from inquisitions commenced on or after 1 January 2008. Visit Check a solicitor's record. To find records about the period before 1 January 2008, or to check a solicitors record, call 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 any week day save for Tuesday when lines open at 9.30am. For callers outside the UK, call +44 (0)121 329 6800. The regulator may recorded call for training reasons.

Back In 2005, I bought a leasehold flat in Calcot and Tilehurst. Conveyancing and The Mortgage Works mortgage went though with no issue. I have received a letter from someone saying they have taken over the reversionary interest in the property. It included a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1992. The conveyancing solicitor in Calcot and Tilehurst who previously acted has long since retired. Do I pay?

The first thing you should do is contact the Land Registry to be sure that this person is indeed the registered owner of the freehold reversion. It is not necessary to instruct a Calcot and Tilehurst conveyancing lawyer to do this as it can be done on-line for less than a fiver. You should note that regardless, even if this is the rightful landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

I am the registered owner of a studio flat in Calcot and Tilehurst, conveyancing having been completed 6 years ago. How much will my lease extension cost? Similar flats in Calcot and Tilehurst with an extended lease are worth £227,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 levied per year. The lease ends on 21st October 2098

With only 72 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to range between £9,500 and £11,000 as well as costs.

The figure above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to provide a more accurate figure in the absence of comprehensive investigations. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other concerns that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.

Myself and my partner have just had an offer agreed on a house and had meeting on Friday with the Post Office for the mortgage. They warned me that when it comes to appointing a lawyer that unless they are on their approved list of lawyers then we will incur an additional charge of £250+. This is because they will then have to appoint a conveyancer to act on their behalf in addition to the one we appoint on our behalf and we are liable for their invoice. I have asked the Post Office to provide me with a list so I can request estimates only from their approved lawyers but was told that I need to check with each individual conveyancer to see if they are on the panel. Is their an easier way of going about this?

You can enquire of the Post Office what their criteria for panel membership is for a conveyancer.Thereafter ask the solicitor of your choice whether they meet the criteria and have they acted on mortgages for the Post Office in the past. Where the answer to those is yes, then just clarify this with the Post Office. Another option is to utilise our search tool and we should be able to find you a solicitor in Calcot and Tilehurst on the approved list for the Post Office.