My wife and I are close to exchanging contracts on the sale of our home in Cwmbran and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a possibility that the property was constructed on contaminated land. Any high street Cwmbran conveyancer would know that there is no such problem. It does beg the question why the buyers used an internet conveyancing outfit rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Cwmbran. We have lived in Cwmbran for three years we know that this is a non issue. Is it a good idea to get in touch with our local Authority to get clarification that the buyers are looking for.

It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing lawyer currently acting for you. What do they say? You should check with your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out health insurance to cover that same sickness)

I'm purchasing a new build house in Cwmbran with a mortgage from Virgin Money. The sellers would not move on the price so I negotiated £7000 of fixtures and fittings instead. The house builders rep advised me not to tell my solicitor about this deal as it will adversely affect my loan with the lender. Should I keep quiet?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer 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.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold issue on a property I put an offer in last month in what should have been a simple, no chain conveyancing. Cwmbran is where the house is located. Can you shed any light on this issue?

Flying freeholds in Cwmbran 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 Cwmbran 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 Cwmbran may decide 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 property.

Having had my offer accepted I require leasehold conveyancing in Cwmbran. Before I set the wheels in motion I want to be sure as to the remaining lease term.

Assuming the lease is registered - and most are in Cwmbran - then the leasehold title will always include the short particulars of the lease, namely the date; the term; and the original parties. From a conveyancing perspective such details then enable any prospective buyer and lender to confirm that any lease they are looking at is the one relevant to that title. For any other purpose, such as confirming how long the term was granted for and calculating what is left, then the register should be sufficient on it's own.

I purchased a ground floor flat in Cwmbran, conveyancing was carried out in 2008. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Similar flats in Cwmbran with over 90 years remaining are worth £181,000. The ground rent is £55 levied per year. The lease finishes on 21st October 2076

With only 51 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £30,400 and £35,200 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more comprehensive investigations. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward based on this information before getting professional advice.

My wife and I expecting to exchange buying a house in Cwmbran but as a result of wreckage from the recent storms I have agreed recompense from the owner of £3k by way of a deduction in the price. This was going to be addressed as part of the conveyancing process but my mortgage company will not permit this. Why were they notified?

Your lawyer listed on the lender conveyancing panel is obliged to inform the bank of any variations to the sale price. If you did not allow your solicitor to report the price change to your lender then they would have no choice but to discontinue representing you and the lender.