I am acquiring residence in Bargoed. My Conveyancer is not listed on the lender approved panel. Is it possible for me to continue with my Bargoed conveyancing solicitor notwithstanding that they are excluded from the mortgage company panel of approved conveyancing solicitors?

Your options include

• Complete the purchase with your chosen Bargoed solicitor but your lender will need to use a conveyancing practitioner from their approved list. This will result in additional cost and potential interruption.
• Choose a fresh property lawyer to conduct the conveyancing, obviously checking they are on the lender conveyancing panel.
• Convince your property lawyer to apply to join the bank panel

The deeds to my home can not be found. The solicitors who handled the conveyancing in Bargoed 5 years ago have long since closed. What are my options?

You no longer need to hold title official documentation to prove you are the registered proprietor of land or property, as the Land Registry hold details of all registered land or property electronically.

I'm purchasing my first flat in Bargoed with a mortgage from The Royal Bank of Scotland. The sellers would not budge the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of additionals instead. The estate agent advised me not disclose to my solicitor about this deal as it may adversely affect my mortgage with the bank. Is this normal?.

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.

In what way does the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 impact my commercial property in Bargoed and how can your lawyers assist?

The particular law that you refer to affords protection to commercial tenants, granting the legal entitlement to apply to court for a continuation of occupancy at the end of an expired lease. There are limited grounds where a landlord can refrain from granting a lease renewal and the rules are complex. We are happy to direct you to commercial conveyancing practices who use the act to your advantage and handle your commercial conveyancing in Bargoed

Last January I purchased a leasehold flat in Bargoed. Do I have any liability for service charges for periods before completion of my purchase?

In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to ensure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

I bought a 1st floor flat in Bargoed, conveyancing was carried out December 2011. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Similar properties in Bargoed with over 90 years remaining are worth £211,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 levied per year. The lease ceases on 21st October 2092

With only 68 years remaining on your lease the likely cost is going to range between £9,500 and £11,000 as well as professional fees.

The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to supply a more accurate figure without more comprehensive investigations. 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. You should not move forward placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.