Is it necessary during the course of the conveyancing process to have a meeting at the offices of the solicitor to execute the mortgage deed? If so, I will appoint a lawyer who conducts conveyancing in St Davids so that I can attend their offices if necessary.

As opposed to 15 years ago, almost all mortgage companies no longer require their conveyancing panel lawyer to witness the mortgagors signature. You will still be obliged to provide ID documents and there are still manifest advantages to instructing a local solicitor, in your situation a conveyancing solicitor in St Davids.

Should commercial conveyancing searches reveal planned roadworks that could affect a commercial site in St Davids?

Its becoming the norm that commercial conveyancing solicitors in St Davids will conduct a SiteSolutions Highways report as it reduces the time that conveyancers invest in researching accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in St Davids. The report provides definitive information on the adoption status of roads, footpaths and verges, as well as the implication of traffic schemes and the rights of way surrounding a commercial development sites in St Davids.

For every commercial conveyancing transaction in St Davids it is critical to investigate the adoption status of roads surrounding a site. Failure to identify developments where adoption procedures have not been dealt with adequately could result in delays to St Davids commercial conveyancing deals as well as pose a risk to future intentions for the site. These searches are not carried out for residential conveyancing in St Davids.

Me and my brother have a terraced Victorian house in St Davids. Conveyancing solicitor represented me and Barclays Direct. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw two entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold under the matching property. I'd like to know for sure, how can I find out??

You should read 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 proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in St Davids and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they buy they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with purchasers. You can also enquire as to the position with your conveyancing solicitor who conducted the conveyancing.

Back In 2000, I bought a leasehold flat in St Davids. Conveyancing and Nationwide Building Society mortgage organised. I have received a letter from someone claiming to own the reversionary interest in the property. Attached was a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1998. The conveyancing solicitor in St Davids who previously acted has long since retired. Any advice?

First contact the Land Registry to be sure that this person is in fact the registered owner of the freehold reversion. You do not need to instruct a St Davids conveyancing solicitor to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for a few pound. You should note that in any event, even if this is the legitimate landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

I bought a split level flat in St Davids, conveyancing formalities finalised October 2005. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Equivalent flats in St Davids with a long lease are worth £181,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £55 invoiced annually. The lease finishes on 21st October 2075

With 50 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £31,400 and £36,200 plus costs.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to supply a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed due diligence. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.

What are my options where I am unhappy with the conveyancer who did our conveyancing in St Davids?

We live in an imperfect world, and unfortunately occasionally matters do not go as planned. However there is recourse if you were not happy with your conveyancing in St Davids. This varies from trying to resolve matters directly with them, through to reporting a property lawyer to their governing body. If things still aren’t sorted out you may consider enlisting the help of the Legal Ombudsman.