My wife and I have a renovated Edwardian house in Caernarfon. Conveyancing practitioner acted for me and Barnsley Building Society. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are a couple of entries: the first freehold, another for leasehold with the exact same address. I'd like to know for sure, how can I find out??

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 owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Caernarfon 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 lenders. You can also check the situation with the conveyancing solicitor who conducted the purchase.

I'm buying my first flat in Caernarfon with a mortgage from The Mortgage Works. The builders refused to budge the price so I negotiated £7000 of fixtures and fittings instead. The sale representative told me not to tell my solicitor about this side-deal as it could impact my mortgage with the bank. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

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.

I have been sourcing a conveyancing practitioner in Caernarfon for my home move. Is it possible to see a firm’s record with the legal regulator?

One may find presented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions stemming from investigations started on or after Jan 2008. Visit Check a solicitor's record. For records about the period before 1 January 2008, or to check a solicitors record, ring 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 any week day save for Tuesday when lines open at 9.30am. International callers, use +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA could recorded call for training purposes.

Back In 2008, I bought a leasehold house in Caernarfon. Conveyancing and Norwich and Peterborough Building Society mortgage organised. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the reversionary interest in the property. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1991. The conveyancing solicitor in Caernarfon who previously acted has long since retired. Any advice?

The first thing you should do is make enquiries of the Land Registry to be sure that the individual claiming to own the freehold is in fact the new freeholder. You do not need to instruct a Caernarfon conveyancing practitioner to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for £3. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the rightful landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

I purchased a 1st floor flat in Caernarfon, conveyancing formalities finalised half a dozen years ago. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Equivalent properties in Caernarfon with over 90 years remaining are worth £201,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 per annum. The lease finishes on 21st October 2089

With only 65 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to span between £13,300 and £15,400 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure in the absence of comprehensive investigations. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional concerns 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 based on this information before getting professional advice.

We yesterday found out that one of the partners of the conveyancing practice undertaking the purchase conveyancing in Caernarfon is a relative of the seller. Is this permitted?

Provided there is no conflict of interest this is allowable. If you are obtaining mortgage finance then the bank may have a say as many mortgage companies have specific instructions on this. For example for Royal Bank of Scotland -Natwest One as of 29/4/2024, the requirements read as follows :