Is the fact that my solicitor in Blaenau Ffestiniog is not identified on my lender's conveyancing panel that there is a problem with the standard of the firm’s work?

That is most likely an incorrect assumption to make. There are all sorts of perfectly reasonable explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator indicated 76% of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The top 5 reasons are as follows: (1) low volume of transactions (2) the solicitor is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. If you are concerned you should simply call the Blaenau Ffestiniog conveyancing practice and enquire why they are no longer on the approved list for your lender.

My son-in-law is about to exchange on a new build apartment in Blaenau Ffestiniog with a home loan from Clydesdale. His solicitor has said that there is a delay in receiving the ‘Disclosure of Incentive Form’. This document is news to me - what is it and who needs sight of it?

The document is intended to provide information to the main parties involved in the transaction. Therefore, it will be provided to your son’s lawyer who should be on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel as a standard part of the process, and to the surveyor when asked. The developer will be required to start the process by downloading the form and completing it. The form will therefore need to be available for the valuer at the time of his or her site visit. The form should be sent to the Clydesdale conveyancing panel solicitor as early as possible, in order to avoid any last minute delays, and no later than at exchange of contracts.

I am buying a victorian detached house in Blaenau Ffestiniog. Our aim is to carry out a loft conversion at the property.Will legal work on the property involve enquiries to see if these alterations are permitted?

Your solicitor will check the registered title as conveyancing in Blaenau Ffestiniog can on occasion reveal restrictions in the title deeds which restrict categories of works or need the consent of another owner. Some extensions call for local authority planning consent 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 prior to committing yourself to a purchase.

I have a mortgage with TSB for my property in Blaenau Ffestiniog. Conveyancing was finalised some time ago. If I am intending to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform TSB?

You must advise TSB in advance of renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of TSB’s mortgage conditions. It may be that TSB will allow you to rent out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact TSB directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a TSB conveyancing panel solicitor.

Intending to buy a flat in Blaenau Ffestiniog. I have received an online quote from a licenced conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Building Society if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the RBS conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.

They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that the Blaenau Ffestiniog conveyancing practitioner is on the RBS conveyancing panel.

I purchased a semi-detached Edwardian property in Blaenau Ffestiniog. Conveyancing lawyer represented me and Bank of Ireland. I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are a couple of entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold with the exact same address. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?

You need to review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Blaenau Ffestiniog and other areas of 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 check the situation with the conveyancing solicitor who conducted the work.

Are there frequently found problems that you witness in leases for Blaenau Ffestiniog properties?

Leasehold conveyancing in Blaenau Ffestiniog is not unique. Most leases are individual and legal mistakes in the legal wording can result in certain sections are erroneous. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

Clauses dealing with recovering service charges for expenditure on the building or common parts. A duty to insure the building

A defective lease can cause issues when trying to sell a property primarily because it impacts on the ability to obtain a mortgage on the property. Lloyds TSB Bank, Virgin Money, and TSB all have express conveyancing instructions when it comes to what is expected in a lease. If a mortgage lender believes that the lease does not cover certain provisions they may refuse to grant the mortgage, obliging the buyer to withdraw.

I purchased a ground floor flat in Blaenau Ffestiniog, conveyancing having been completed in 1998. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Corresponding flats in Blaenau Ffestiniog with over 90 years remaining are worth £260,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 per annum. The lease runs out on 21st October 2100

You have 75 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to range between £8,600 and £9,800 as well as professional fees.

The figure above 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 may be other concerns that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.