I am acquiring a house for cash in Montgomery. I have resided for the previous 20 years in Montgomery. Conveyancing searches are exorbitant. Given that I know the area and road very well must I have all the conveyancing searches?

Provided that you do not need a home loan, then almost all of the Montgomery conveyancing searches are optional. Your lawyer will 'advise', no-doubt strongly, that you should have searches done, but he has a professional duty to take that path of guidance. Do bear in mind; if you are likely to sell the house in the future, it will be of interest to your future buyer what the searches disclose. There are plenty of instances where properties with functional issues can still throw up unexpected search results. A good conveyancing solicitor in Montgomery will be able to give you some constructive advice here.

I'm spending time viewing houses in Montgomery and I am now considering a potential offer. Should I already have a solicitor in place at this stage? I intend to finance via a home loan with TSB.

It would be sensible to commence your search sooner rather than later. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their contact information on to the estate agent. Given that you are obtaining a mortgage with TSB, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the TSB conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.

The formalities of my remortgage has taken place for my property in Montgomery. Conveyancing was of an acceptable standard but I would like to complain about the lender. Who do I contact should I wish to lodge a complaint?

All lenders have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Team at head office. We understand that complaints to a lender are sorted out effectively and efficiently. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR who will take matters further.

About to purchase flat in Montgomery. I have received an online quote from a licenced conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Lender if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the Nationwide conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.

They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that the Montgomery solicitor is on the Nationwide conveyancing panel.

4 months have elapsed since my purchase conveyancing in Montgomery took place. I have checked the Land Registry website which shows that I paid £175,000 when infact I paid £160,000. Why the discrepancy?

The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the asset from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.

Having had my offer accepted I require leasehold conveyancing in Montgomery. Before I get started I require certainty as to the unexpired term of the lease.

Assuming the lease is recorded at the land registry - and 99.9% are in Montgomery - then the leasehold title will always include the basic details 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 own a 1st floor flat in Montgomery, conveyancing having been completed May 2009. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Equivalent flats in Montgomery with over 90 years remaining are worth £197,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £55 per annum. The lease finishes on 21st October 2081

With 55 years remaining on your lease the likely cost is going to range between £31,400 and £36,200 plus legals.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to supply a more accurate figure without more comprehensive due diligence. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other issues that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.

We are considering using a web based solicitor ahead of a Montgomery conveyancing practice. Am I making a mistake?

There are advantages of having the opportunity to visit a local Montgomery conveyancing solicitor such as

• signing documents on short notice
• often being able to see someone face-to-face can make a significant difference, particularly for more complex transactions
• the ability to complain if matters need to addressed

When analysing fees, look carefully for hidden extras. The majority decent Montgomery high street solicitors give an all-inclusive price. Many online agents appear to offer cheap prices, but have hidden 'extras' in the in the terms and conditions.