The owners of the house we are purchasing are using a conveyancing firm in Arthog who has insisted on a preliminary agreement with a payment 10k. Are such agreements promoted for Arthog conveyancing transactions?

This form of preliminary agreement is not the norm in Arthog, conveyancers are not keen on them as they detract from the main conveyancing focus and if you end up losing your deposit then the solicitor is left exposed. Furthermore, there is no assurance that just because the vendor has executed a lock out contract they will sell to you. They may breach the agreement if they are offered a large enough incentive to do so because an aggrieved claimant with the benefit of a lockoutcontract will still be legally obliged to establish consequential losses from the breach and this may not compare to the financial benefit that your vendor may obtain by breaking the contract, however morally unworthy that may be.

Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to my property are lost. The solicitors who conducted the conveyancing in Arthog 10 years ago have long since closed. What are my options?

As long as you have a registered title the details of your ownership will be held by the Land Registry with a Title Number. It is possible to conduct a search at the Land Registry, locate your house and secure up to date copies of the property title for a small fee. If the title is Leasehold then the Land Registry will also normally hold a certified duplicate of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be retrieved for £20 inclusive of VAT.

I'm buying my first flat in Arthog with the aid of help to buy. The developers refused to budge the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of additionals instead. The sale representative suggested that I not to tell my conveyancer about the side-deal as it may jeopardize my loan with Alliance & Leicester . Should I keep quiet?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

In my capacity as executor for the will of my aunt I am selling a house in Cardiff but I am based in Arthog. My conveyancer (based 300 miles awayneeds me to execute a stat dec ahead of the transaction finalising. Can you recommend a conveyancing practitioner in Arthog to witness this legal document for me?

strictly speaking you are unlikely to need to have the documents attested by a conveyancing solicitor. Ordinarily or notary public or qualified solicitor will do regardless of whether they are Arthog based

I've found a house that appears to meet my requirements, at a great price which is making it all the more appealing. I have just found out that it's a leasehold rather than freehold. I am assuming that there are particular concerns buying a house with a leasehold title in Arthog. Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed. Will they explain the issues?

The majority of houses in Arthog are freehold rather than 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 apparent that you are buying in Arthog so you should seriously consider shopping around for a Arthog conveyancing solicitor and be sure that they are used to dealing with leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the unexpired lease term. Being a lessee you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want with the house. The lease comes with conditions such as requiring the freeholder’sconsent to conduct alterations. You may also be required to pay a service charge towards the upkeep of the communal areas where the property is located on an estate. Your solicitor should appraise you on the various issues.

I own a 1st floor flat in Arthog, conveyancing was carried out December 2009. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Similar properties in Arthog with an extended lease are worth £222,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 charged once a year. The lease terminates on 21st October 2095

You have 70 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £9,500 and £11,000 as well as legals.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more comprehensive due diligence. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be additional concerns that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.