I am need of leasehold conveyancing for a flat in a fairly new development (6 years built) in Mid Wales. 95% of the flats have already been occupied. Is it strictly necessary to order conveyancing searches as part of conveyancing in Mid Wales?

If you getting a loan, your bank will insist on some (many) of the searches so you'll have no choice. If not, then Mid Wales conveyancing searches are for you to decide upon. No doubt your conveyancer, will 'advise', perhaps strongly, that you should not go ahead without searches, but he or she is duty bound in this regard. One thing to bear in mind; if you are likely to sell the house one day, it may be of interest to your future buyer what the searches contain. Sometimes houses with no practical issues can still throw up adverse search results. But if you insist that your lawyer to proceed without searches then your lawyer will have to follow your instructions or you may need to find a new lawyer for your conveyancing in Mid Wales.

Me and my partner are purchasing a apartment in Mid Wales. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a solicitor? At some point we will need to put money into their account. What is the protection we have from them run away with our deposit?

Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.

I just bought a flat at auction in Mid Wales. Conveyancing is necessary. What is next?

Having legally bound yourself to purchase you now have to appoint a conveyancing solicitor quickly as you will have a pending a fixed date to complete the purchase. An auction property should have a corresponding auction pack. This should include most,if not all of the paperwork that your conveyancer will need. If you have purchased leasehold premises the legal papers should provide a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and associated conveyancing documentation pertinent to a leasehold property. You should hand this to your appointed conveyancing solicitor as soon as possible. Do make sure that your finances are in order to complete the transaction on the set completion date.

We were going to get a DIP from UBS this week so we know how much we could potentially offer as otherwise we are dependent on web based calculators (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do UBS recommend any Mid Wales solicitors on the UBS conveyancing panel, or is it better to go independently?

You will need to appoint Mid Wales solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the UBS conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and UBS through the process.

What can a local search tell me regarding the property we're purchasing in Mid Wales?

Mid Wales conveyancing often commences with the applying for local authority searches directly from your local Authority or through a personal search company for instance Searchflow The local search is essential in every Mid Wales conveyancing purchase; as long as you don’t want any unpleasant surprises after you move into your property. The search should provide information on, amongst other things, details on planning applications relevant to the property (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of thirteen topic headings.

I'm purchasing my first flat in Mid Wales with a mortgage from Leeds Building Society. The developers would not budge the price so I negotiated £7000 of additionals instead. The sale representative told me not inform my lawyer about the extras as it may put at risk my mortgage with Leeds Building Society. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder 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 only have Sixty One years remaining on my flat in Mid Wales. I now wish to get lease extension but my freeholder is absent. What are my options?

On the basis that you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be extended by the magistrate. You will be obliged to prove that you or your lawyers have used your best endeavours to locate the lessor. In some cases an enquiry agent should be useful to try and locate and prepare an expert document to be accepted by the court as proof that the landlord can not be located. It is advisable to get professional help from a solicitor in relation to proving the landlord’s disappearance and the application to the County Court covering Mid Wales.

I invested in buying a 2 bed flat in Mid Wales, conveyancing formalities finalised 7 years ago. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Comparable flats in Mid Wales with an extended lease are worth £222,000. The ground rent is £50 invoiced annually. The lease ceases on 21st October 2096

With just 71 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £9,500 and £11,000 as well as professional fees.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to provide a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed due diligence. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional concerns that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.