Some advice if I may. My Denbighshire solicitor is assuring me that he has toapply for Denbighshire conveyancing searches stemming from the fact thatthe firm are on the HSBCsolicitor panel. Is my conveyancer correct?

You have limited options available to you. As you are obtaining a mortgage with a bank your solicitor has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your conveyancer would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of your bank’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to comply with the CML Handbook provisions . Even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out Denbighshire conveyancing searches.

A colleague recommended that if I am purchasing in Denbighshire I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?

A search of this type is sometimes quoted for as part of the standard Denbighshire conveyancing searches. It is a large report of more than thirty pages, listing and setting out significant information about Denbighshire around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime details, Denbighshire Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data concerning Denbighshire.

I'm buying a new build house in Denbighshire with a loan from Lloyds TSB Bank. The builders would not move on the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of extras instead. The property agent advised me not disclose to my solicitor about the deal as it would adversely affect my mortgage with the bank. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

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.

I am looking at a two apartments in Denbighshire both have about fifty years left on the lease term. Will this present a problem?

There is no doubt about it. A leasehold flat in Denbighshire is a wasting asset as a result of the reducing lease term. The closer the lease gets to its expiry date, the more it reduces the marketability of the premises. The majority of purchasers and banks, leases with under eighty years become less and less attractive. On a more upbeat note, leaseholders can extend their leases by serving a Section 42 Notice. One stipulation is that they must have owned the premises for two years (unlike a Section 13 notice for purchasing the freehold, when leaseholders can participate from day one of ownership). When successful, they will have the right to an extension of 90 years to the current term and ground rent is effectively reduced to zero. Before moving forward with a purchase of a residence with a short lease term remaining you should talk to a solicitor specialising in lease extensions and leasehold enfranchisement. We are are happy to put you in touch with Denbighshire conveyancing experts who will explain the options available to you during an initial telephone conversation free of charge. A more straightforward and quicker method of extending would be to contact your landlord directly and sound him out on the prospect of extending the lease. They may agree to a smaller lump sum and an increase in the ground rent, but to shorter extension terms in return. You need to ensure that any new terms represent good long-term value compared with the standard benefits of the Section 42 Notice and that onerous clauses are not inserted into any redrafting of the lease.

Denbighshire Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Questions you should consider before buying

Does the lease have more than 90 years unexpired? Who takes charge for maintaining and repairing the building? This information is helpful as a) areas may result in problems in the building as the common areas may start to deteriorate if maintenance remain unpaid b) if the leaseholders have a dispute with the managing agents you will wish to know about it

One month into a sale of a flat in Denbighshire. Conveyancing is fine but we have been asked to pay an extortionate amount by the managing agents. So far we have forked out £295.50 for a leasehold management pack and then a further £134.40 for additional queries supplied by the buyers conveyancer.

You will not have control over the extent of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Denbighshire leasehold property is £395. When it comes to Denbighshire conveyancing deals it is usual for the seller to cover the costs. The landlord or their agents are not duty bound to answer these questions although many will agree to do so - albeit often at exorbitant prices disproportionate to the work involved. Regretfully there is no legislation that requires set charges for administrative tasks. There is no set time limit by which they are duty bound to supply the information.