What is the first thing I need to know concerning purchase conveyancing in Southmead?

Not many law firms or advisers will tell you this but conveyancing in Southmead or throughout England and Wales is an adversarial process. Put another way, when it comes to conveyancing there exists an abundance of opportunity for conflict between you and other parties involved in the transaction. For example, the seller, estate agent and even potentially your lender. Appointing a lawyer for your conveyancing in Southmead is a critical decision as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the SOLE party in the transaction whose role it is to look after your best interests and to protect you.

Sometimes a third party with a vested interest may try and convince you that it is in your interests to do things their way. For example, the estate agent may claim to be assisting by claiming that your lawyer is wrong. Or your mortgage broker may advise you to do something that is contrary to your conveyancers recommendation. You should always trust your lawyer above all other parties in the conveyancing process.

I am in the process of remortgaging my flat in Southmead, does my lawyer have to be on the Solicitor panel?

In theory, you could use a solicitor that is not on the conveyancing panel, but would require one of their panel solicitors to be instructed to act in their interests, and you'd have to pay for this - so most people instruct a panel solicitor. It's also easier, as otherwise you'd have to deal with two solicitors for the same transaction.

A friend advised me that in purchasing a property in Southmead there could be various restrictions prohibiting external alterations to a property. Is this right?

We are aware of a number of properties in Southmead which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to perform external changes. Part of the conveyancing in Southmead should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.

My wife and I buying a victorian detached house in Southmead. The intention is to carry out an extension to the side at the house.Will legal work on the property involve investigations to ascertain if these alterations were previously refused?

Your conveyancer should review the deeds as conveyancing in Southmead will occasionally reveal restrictions in the title documents which prevent categories of works or necessitated the consent of a 3rd party. Many extensions call for local authority planning permissions and approval under the building regulations. Certain areas are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which frequently prevent or affect extensions. You should check these things with a surveyor ahead of any purchase.

is it true that all Southmead conveyancing solicitors on the conveyancing panel are governed by the SRA?

As solicitors, in order to be on the approved list of solicitors they would need to be overseen by the SRA. Some banks do list licenced conveyancers on their panel and in such a situation the practice would be regulated by the CLC.

I need to retain a conveyancing solicitor for my conveyancing in Southmead. I've land on a web site which looks to be the perfect offering If it is possible to get all formalities completed via web that would be preferable. Should I be wary? What should out be looking out for?

As usual with these online conveyancers you need to read ALL the small print - did you notice the extra charge for dealing with the mortgage?

My wife and I purchased a leasehold house in Southmead. Conveyancing and mortgage went though with no issue. A letter has just been received from someone claiming to own the reversionary interest in the property. It included a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1993. The conveyancing practitioner in Southmead who acted for me is not around. Any advice?

First contact HMLR to be sure that this person is indeed the new freeholder. You do not need to incur the fees of a Southmead conveyancing lawyer to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for less than a fiver. Rest assured that regardless, even if this is the legitimate landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

I bought a 1st floor flat in Southmead, conveyancing was carried out half a dozen years ago. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Equivalent flats in Southmead with an extended lease are worth £165,000. The ground rent is £45 levied per year. The lease finishes on 21st October 50

With only 50 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to range between £36,100 and £41,800 plus legals.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more comprehensive investigations. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action placing reliance on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.