Me and my fiance are intending to buy a 1 bedroom apartment in Denbighshire with a mortgage. We wish to retain our Denbighshire solicitor, but the mortgage company says he's not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the bank panel solicitors or continue with our Denbighshire solicitor as well as pay for one of their panel ones to act for them. We regard this is inequitable; can we not demand that the mortgage company use our Denbighshire solicitor ?

No, not really. Your mortgage offer is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the bank’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. A further alternative is for your Denbighshire conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

Do banks and building societies provide you with an approved list of Denbighshire conveyancing solicitors? How do you know who is on the Barclays conveyancing panel?

Denbighshire conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Barclays conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Barclays directly.

The estate agent has sent us the confirmation of our purchase of a new build flat in Denbighshire. Conveyancing is necessary evil at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build legal work.

Set out below is a sample of a few leasehold new build enquiries that you may expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Denbighshire

The Vendor must covenant to keep unoccupied units in good repair until long leases are granted therefore. Please supply a car parking plan. The Landlord must covenant to assume the management if the Management Company goes into liquidation or otherwise defaults in running the management scheme. Please confirm the Lease plans are surveyor prepared. Will control of the Management Company (if any) be handed over to purchasers on completion of the last sale or earlier?

Over the last few months I have been searching for a flat up to £245,000 and identified one close by in Denbighshire I like with a park and station nearby, however it's only got 61 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Denbighshire suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a short lease?

If you require a home loan that many years will be problematic. Reduce the price by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing owner has owned the premises for at least 2 years you could request that they start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor regarding this.

I am intending to let out my leasehold flat in Denbighshire. Conveyancing solicitor who did the purchase is retired - so can't ask him. Do I need to ask my freeholder for permission?

A small minority of properties in Denbighshire do contain a provision to say that subletting is only permitted with prior consent from the landlord. The landlord is not entitled to unreasonably withhold but, in such cases, they would need to review references. Experience suggests that problems are usually caused by unsatisfactory tenants rather than owner-occupiers and for that reason you can expect the freeholder to take up the references and consider them carefully before granting permission.

Denbighshire Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Queries Prior to Purchasing

Does the lease contain onerous restrictions? It is important to be aware if redecorating or some other significant cost is due shortly to be shared amongst the leasehold owners and may well materially increase the the service charges or require a specific invoice.