I am purchasing a house and the conveyancer has raised the issue of Chancel Repair for which the property may be obligated to contribute to given it’s proximity to the area of such a church. She has suggested insurance. Is this strictly required for conveyancing in Conwy

Unless a previous purchase of the house completed post 12 October 2013 you could expect solicitors conducting conveyancing in Conwy to continue to advocate a chancel search and or insurance against a claim.

I have been on the look out for a leasehold apartment up to £195,000 and identified one round the corner in Conwy I like with amenity areas and railway links in the vicinity, however it only has 49 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Conwy for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a short lease?

If you need a home loan the remaining unexpired lease term may be an issue. Discount the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing proprietor has owned the property for at least twenty four months you could request that they commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer concerning this matter.

As co-executor for the estate of my aunt I am disposing of a property in Newport but live in Conwy. My conveyancer (based 260 kilometers from merequires that I sign a statutory declaration prior to completion. Can you recommend a conveyancing lawyer in Conwy to attest and place their company stamp on the document?

strictly speaking you are not likely to be required to have the documents attested by a conveyancing solicitor. Normally any notary public or solicitor will do regardless of whether they are located in Conwy

Estate agents have just been given the go-ahead to market my ground floor flat in Conwy. Conveyancing is yet to be initiated, but I have recently received a yearly maintenance charge invoice – should I leave it to the buyer to sort out?

The sensible thing to do is clear the maintenance contribution as usual given that all rents and maintenance invoices should be apportioned on completion, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the purchaser for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most management companies will not acknowledge the buyer unless the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

I invested in buying a 1st floor flat in Conwy, conveyancing having been completed in 2011. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Corresponding flats in Conwy with a long lease are worth £201,000. The ground rent is £45 charged once a year. The lease terminates on 21st October 2089

With only 64 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to span between £14,300 and £16,400 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. Do not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional concerns that need to be taken into account and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.

Developers have recommended to me a conveyancer and I've obtained an estimate from them. It's almost £300 less expensive than my family Conwy conveyancing practitioner. What's the catch?

Builders normally have lists of property lawyers who expedite matters and who know the developer’s documentation and conveyancing practitioner. Plenty of developers offer an incentive to choose a preferred lawyer for this reason, any increased fees can be avoided and a builder won't suggest a conveyancing factory and run the risk of having the transaction stall when they require an exchange in 28 days. A counter-argument for not agreeing to use the suggested lawyer is that they may prove hesitant to fight for your interests at the risk of upsetting the sellers. If you worry that this may be the case you should remain with your high street Conwy conveyancer.