Can I be sure that the Chepstow conveyancing solicitor on the Virgin Money panel is any good?

When it comes to conveyancing in Chepstow getting recommendations is a sensible start. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one advertising the lowest fees. We would always suggest that you speak with the lawyer conducting your conveyancing.

My wife and I are at the point of looking at flats in Chepstow and I am now considering a potential offer. Is it best to have my lawyer on ‘stand by’? I intend to finance via a mortgage with Yorkshire BS.

You should start obtaining conveyancing estimates from solicitors ASAP. After you have chosen your lawyer and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their contact information on to the EA. Given that you are getting a mortgage with Yorkshire BS, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.

I am due to exchange contracts on my house. I had a double glazing fitted in December 2006, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My purchaser’s lender, Santander are being difficult. The Chepstow solicitor who is on the Santander conveyancing panel is saying indemnity insurance will be fine but Santander are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do Santander have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that Santander have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Santander may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.

I have todayfound out that Arc property Solicitors have been shut down. They conducted my conveyancing in Chepstow for a purchase of a leasehold flat 18 months ago. How can I be sure that the property is in my name in the name of the former proprietor?

The quickest method to see if the property is in your name, you can carry out 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 Chepstow conveyancing specialists.

Due to the input of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a house in Chepstow ahead of appointing solicitors. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold overhang to the property. Our surveyor advised that some mortgage companies may not issue a mortgage on a flying freehold property.

It depends who your proposed lender is. HSBC has different instructions for example to Birmingham Midshires. If you contact us we can look into this further with the appropriate bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Chepstow. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Chepstow to see if the conveyancing costs will increase in light of this.

I am attracted to a two maisonettes in Chepstow both have in the region of forty five years remaining on the leases. Will this present a problem?

There are plenty of short leases in Chepstow. The lease is a legal document that entitles you to use the property for a prescribed time frame. As the lease gets shorter the value of the lease reduces and results in it becoming more expensive to extend the lease. For this reason it is advisable to increase the term of the lease. More often than not it is difficult to sell a property with a short lease because mortgage companies less inclined to grant a loan on properties of this type. Lease enfranchisement can be a protracted process. We recommend you get professional assistance from a conveyancer and surveyor with experience in this area.

Chepstow Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Queries Prior to buying

What is the yearly maintenance fee and ground rent? Be sure to enquire if there are any onerous prohibitions in the lease. For example it is very common in Chepstow leases that pets are not permitted in certain buildings in Chepstow. If you love the apartmentin Chepstow however your cat is not allowed to live with you then you have a very hard decision. Does the lease have onerous restrictions?

We are in the middle of buying a residence in Chepstow. Conveyancing lawyer has called to say the title is "Leasehold". Should this impact our Natwest valuation?

Chepstow conveyancing does not normally involve leasehold houses. The key consideration here is the remaining lease term and the ground rent. If it's 999 years with a nominal rent, it's essentially freehold, so it shouldn't impact the marketability significantly.

At the other end of the spectrum, if it's, say, 50 years it is bound to have a significant effect on the value, and probably wouldn't be mortgageable. The length of lease and ground rent will be specified in the lease to be supplied to your conveyancing practitioner.