The sellers of the home we are looking to purchase are using a conveyancing firm in Pontcanna who has recommended a lock out agreement with a payment two thousand pounds. Is it wise to enter into such agreements?
There are two main drawbacks with entering into any lock out contract (occasionally termed an exclusivity agreement) is that it takes away the focus from making progress with the conveyancing transaction itself, so unless it requires minimal or no negotiation then it could transpire to be unhelpful. It is not strongly advocated amongst Pontcanna conveyancing lawyers as a result. The other main negative is the extent of the remedies available - a jilted buyer is very unlikely to be issued with an injunction to bar the seller completing the sale to a third party, so the only remedy available under the contract will be the reimbursement of wasted costs and, in restricted scenarios, the additional payment of damages.
I am told that my conveyancing solicitors will need to check that the building insurance when buying a house in Pontcanna. My lender is The Mortgage Works
The Mortgage Works have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 28/3/2026, the requirements read as follows :
I purchased a 4 bedroom Victorian house in Pontcanna. Conveyancing solicitor acted for me and Nottingham Building Society. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are a couple of entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold with the matching property. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?
You should review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Pontcanna and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they mortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with mortgage companies. You can also question the position with your conveyancing solicitor who completed the work.
Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a property I put an offer in last month in what was supposed to be a simple, chain free conveyancing. Pontcanna is where the house is located. Is there any advice you can impart?
Flying freeholds in Pontcanna are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Pontcanna you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds diligently. Your lender may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Pontcanna 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.
Am I better off to use a Pontcanna conveyancing lawyer who is local to the property I am purchasing? We have a good friend who can execute the legal formalities but her office is 200kilometers away.
The benefit of a high street Pontcanna conveyancing practice is that you can pop in to execute paperwork, deliver your ID and apply pressure on them if necessary. They will also have local knowledge which is a benefit. That being said it's more important to get someone that will do a good and efficient job. If other friends have used your friend and on the whole were content that should trump using an unfamiliar Pontcanna conveyancing solicitor solely due to them being local.
Our lenders have just issued us with a mortgage offer. We instructed a high street conveyancer in Pontcanna last week. Today, our broker called to say that the bank said that we cannot use our solicitor as they aren't on their 'approved list'. As novices, we did not have a clue that the mortgage company had a say Is this permitted?
You are at liberty to instruct any property lawyer you wish to choose for your conveyancing in Pontcanna but if they are not on the your bank's approved list you must incur an extra fee so your bank can retain their own lawyers. On occasion it is conceivable that your preferred conveyancing firm to get included on to the lender list of approved firms. You can use online tools such as lenderpanel.com to find a conveyancing solcitor in Pontcanna on the mortgage company panel. You can go into your local bank branch in Pontcanna. They can recommend conveyancing solicitors in Pontcanna on the bank panel.