I am nearing exchange of contracts for my flat in Cefn Mawr and the estate agent has just called to warn that the purchasers are changing their conveyancer. I am told that this is due to the fact that the mortgage company will only work with property lawyers on their conveyancing panel. Why would a big named lender only work with certain law firms rather the firm that they want to choose for their conveyancing in Cefn Mawr ?

UK lenders have always had panels of law firms that can represent them, but in the past few years big names such as Nationwide, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have represented them for many years.

Mortgage companies point to the increase in fraud as the reason for the reduction – criteria have been tightened as a smaller panel is easier to maintain. Banks tend not to reveal how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Plenty of firms do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. The purchasers are not going to have any sway in the decision.

We were just about to sign contracts for a garden flat in Cefn Mawr. We have hit a stumbling block. Our loan offer with Yorkshire Building Society expires on 5/12/2025 but the sellers are suggesting a completion date of 9/12/2025. Can one extend the mortgage expiry date?

The person best placed to address this concern is your lawyer who will hopefully assess whether he or she is corresponding with the lender, vendor’s solicitors, selling agents or possibly all three based on the circumstances your conveyancing as of today.

Is there a search tool that I can utilise to check that the solicitor handling my conveyancing in Cefn Mawr is on the mortgage lender’sconveyancing panel? I am looking to avoid the situation of having one lawyer for me and one for Skipton Building Society thus spending £192.00 in another set of conveyancing fees.

Feel free to make use of the search tool on this web page. Pick the mortgage company and type ‘Cefn Mawr’ or your location and you will discover numerous conveyancers located in Cefn Mawr or by proximity to you.

Me and my brother have a renovated Edwardian property in Cefn Mawr. Conveyancing practitioner acted for me and Chelsea Building Society. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw two entries: the first freehold, another for leasehold under the matching property. 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 proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Cefn Mawr and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they remortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also enquire as to the position with the conveyancing solicitor who conducted the purchase.

Last June I purchased a leasehold house in Cefn Mawr. Do I have any liability for service charges relating to a period prior to 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. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. It is an essential part of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure 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 own a split level flat in Cefn Mawr, conveyancing was carried out half a dozen years ago. How much will my lease extension cost? Corresponding flats in Cefn Mawr with a long lease are worth £185,000. The ground rent is £65 invoiced annually. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2085

You have 60 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to range between £20,000 and £23,000 plus professional fees.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more detailed due diligence. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. 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 based on this information without first getting professional advice.