Please help. My Hengoed lawyer is advising me that he has toconduct Hengoed conveyancing searches resulting from the fact thatthe firm are on the Nat Westapproved lawyer panel. These Hengoed searches cost a lot of money can this be avoided?

Unfortunately both you and your lawyer have little choice here. As you are taking a mortgage with a lender your conveyancer has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your solicitor would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of your lender’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to comply with the CML Handbook specifications . Even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out Hengoed conveyancing searches.

Due to the advice of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a property in Hengoed prior to appointing conveyancers. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold element to the house. Our surveyor advised that some banks may refuse to give a mortgage on a flying freehold house.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Santander has different instructions for example to Birmingham Midshires. Should you wish to telephone us we can look into this further with the appropriate bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Hengoed. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.

I have been sourcing a conveyancing lawyer in Hengoed for my purchase. Is it possible to check a solicitor's record with the legal regulator?

You may search for presented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions stemming from inquisitions from 2008 onwards. Go to Check a solicitor's record. To find information Pre 2008, or to check a firm's history, phone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 any week day save for Tuesday when lines open at 9.30am. For callers outside the UK, use +44 (0)121 329 6800. The regulator sometimes monitor telephone calls for training requirements.

I own a leasehold flat in Hengoed. Conveyancing and HSBC Bank mortgage are in place. I have received a letter from someone claiming to own the reversionary interest in the property. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1995. The conveyancing solicitor in Hengoed who acted for me is not around. What should I do?

The first thing you should do is make enquiries of the Land Registry to make sure that this person is in fact the new freeholder. It is not necessary to incur the fees of a Hengoed conveyancing practitioner to do this as it can be done on-line for a few pound. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the legitimate freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

I purchased a basement flat in Hengoed, conveyancing was carried out February 2001. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Equivalent flats in Hengoed with over 90 years remaining are worth £180,000. The ground rent is £65 yearly. The lease finishes on 21st October 2083

With 59 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £20,900 and £24,200 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of detailed due diligence. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other concerns 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 based on this information without first getting professional advice.

My conveyancers in Hengoed have advised me that no longer have my conveyancing file. To assist with my purchase I took out a mortgage with the bank. Is it case that being on the lender conveyancing panel they need to have retained the file for a number of years?

It very much depends from lender to lender but many of the Terms and Conditions of Conveyancing Panel Appointment require the file to be held for a period of 6 years. That being said we have not seen a copy of the mortgage company Conveyancing Panel Terms. It might be worth you contacting the mortgage company directly.