Is the fact that my solicitor in Gower is not listed on my lender's conveyancing panel that there is a problem with the standard of her work?

That is most likely a wrong assumption to make. There are plenty of reasonable explanations. Just recently a report by the solicitors regulator indicated 76% of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The most common reasons for removal are: (1) low volume of transactions (2) the lawyer is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. Should you be concerned you should contact the Gower conveyancing firm and ask them why they are no longer on the approved list for your bank.

It is is a decade since I purchased my home in Gower. Conveyancing solicitors have recently been instructed on the sale but I am unable to track down the title deeds. Will this jeopardise the sale?

You need not be too concerned. First the deeds may be retained by your lender or they may be in the possession of the solicitor who handled your purchase. Secondly the chances are that the title will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to establish that you own the property by your conveyancing solicitors procuring current official copies of the land registers. Nearly all conveyancing in Gower involves registered property but in the rare situation where your property is not registered it is more tricky but is not insurmountable.

Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to our home are lost. The conveyancers who did the conveyancing in Gower 10 years ago are no longer around. What do I do?

Assuming you have a registered title the information relating to your ownership will be evidenced by the Land Registry under a Title Number. It is easy to conduct a search at the Land Registry, find your house and order up to date copies of the Registered Entries for a small fee. If the property is Leasehold then the Land Registry will also normally hold a file copy of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be obtained for a small fee.

About to purchase a new build apartment in Gower. Conveyancing is a frightening process at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. What sort of enquires would be asked in new build legal work.

Here is a sample of a selection of leasehold new build enquiries that you can expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Gower

There must be mutual enforceability of lessee’s covenants. The Lease must contain a provision on behalf of the Vendor to pay the service charges in respect of unoccupied units in order to ensure that all services can be provided. If there are lifts in the building, please confirm that the owners of flats on the ground and basement floors will not be required to contribute towards the cost of maintenance and renewal. Will control of the Management Company (if any) be handed over to purchasers on completion of the last sale or earlier? Where there is an Undertaking being granted there is the risk of forfeiture of the Headlease subject to relief if one or more of the Underlessees are willing to accept the original Head Lessee’s obligations as otherwise relief will be denied to the Underlessees. The only alternatives are the Head Lessor agreeing not to forfeit the Headlease or the Head Lessee guaranteeing to the Underlessees that it will not be in breach of the Headlease.

There are only Seventy years remaining on my lease in Gower. I need to get lease extension but my landlord is missing. What should I do?

On the basis that you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be extended by the Court. You will be obliged to prove that you have done all that could be expected to track down the freeholder. For most situations an enquiry agent may be useful to try and locate and prepare a report which can be accepted by the court as evidence that the freeholder is indeed missing. It is wise to seek advice from a solicitor in relation to investigating the landlord’s absence and the vesting order request to the County Court overseeing Gower.

I bought a basement flat in Gower, conveyancing was carried out 7 years ago. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Corresponding properties in Gower with over 90 years remaining are worth £260,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 invoiced annually. The lease finishes on 21st October 2098

You have 74 years remaining on your lease the likely cost is going to range between £8,600 and £9,800 plus legals.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to advice on a more accurate figure in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt additional concerns that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.