My husband and I changing mortgage lender for our flat in Dolwyddelan with Barclays. We have a son approaching twenty who lives at home. Our solicitor has asked us to disclose any adults other than ourselves who lives in the flat. The solicitor has now sent a form for our son to sign, giving up any rights in the event that the apartment is forfeited by the lender. I have two concerns (1) Is this document specific to the Barclays conveyancing panel as he did not need to sign this form when we bought 3 years ago (2) In signing this form is our son in any way compromising his right to inherit the property?

First, rest assured that your Barclays conveyancing panel solicitor is doing the right thing as it is established procedure for any occupier who is aged 17 or over to sign the necessary Consent Form, which is purely to state that any rights he has in the property are postponed and secondary to Barclays. This is solely used to protect Barclays if the property were re-possessed so that in such circumstances, your son would be legally obliged to leave. It does not impact your son’s right to inherit the apartment. Please note that if your son were to inherit and the mortgage in favour of Barclays had not been discharged, he would be liable to take over the loan or pay it off, but other than that, there is nothing stopping him from keeping the property in accordance with your will or the rules of intestacy.

What does a local search inform me regarding the property I am buying in Dolwyddelan?

Dolwyddelan conveyancing often commences with the submitting local authority searches directly from your local Authority or through a personal search company for example Xpress Legal The local search plays a central role in many a Dolwyddelan conveyancing purchase; that is if you don’t want any nasty once you have moved into your property. The search will 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 13 subject areas.

I used Stirling Law several years past for my conveyancing in Dolwyddelan. Now, I need the files however the law firm is no longer operating. What do I do?

You should call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracing your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Dolwyddelan of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously instructed, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a house I put an offer in a fortnight ago in what should have been a straight forward, no chain conveyancing. Dolwyddelan is the location of the property. Can you shed any light on this issue?

Flying freeholds in Dolwyddelan are not the norm but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Dolwyddelan you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds diligently. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Dolwyddelan may determine that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold residence.

I am hoping to put an offer on a small detached house that seems to tick a lot of boxes, at a reasonable figure which is making it more attractive. I have since discovered that it's a leasehold rather than freehold. I am assuming that there are issues buying a house with a leasehold title in Dolwyddelan. Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed. Will they explain the issues?

Most houses in Dolwyddelan are freehold and not leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local solicitor who is familiar with the area who can assist with the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are buying in Dolwyddelan in which case you should be shopping around for a Dolwyddelan conveyancing practitioner and be sure that they have experience in transacting on leasehold houses. First you will need to check the unexpired lease term. As a leaseholder you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want to the property. The lease comes with conditions for example obtaining the landlord’spermission to carry out alterations. It may be necessary to pay a contribution towards the upkeep of the communal areas where the house is part of an estate. Your solicitor will appraise you on the various issues.

Dolwyddelan Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Questions you should consider before buying

How much is the ground rent and service charge? On the whole the cost for major works tend not to be included within maintenance charges, albeit that there some managing agents in Dolwyddelan obliged leasehold owners to contribute towards a sinking fund and this is used to offset against larger repairs or maintenance. It is important to be aware whether fixing the lift or some other major work is due in the foreseeable future that will be shared amongst the leaseholders and will dramatically increase the the service charges or result in a one off payment.