We are purchasing a 1 bedroom apartment in Pembrokeshire with a homeloan from Aldermore.We would like to retain our Pembrokeshire conveyancing practitioner but Aldermore says he's not listed on their "panel". we are left little option but to use a Aldermore panel firm or keep our local solicitor and pay for one of their panel ones to represent them. This seems very unfair; Can we not simply insist that Aldermore use our lawyer?

Unfortunately,no. The loan offered to you is subject to its various provisions, one of which will be that lawyers needs to be on the Aldermore solicitor panel. Until recently, most banks 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 solicitors to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for Aldermore

I decided to have a survey completed on a property in Pembrokeshire before appointing lawyers. I have been told that there is a flying freehold aspect to the house. My surveyor advised that some banks may not grant a loan on such a home.

It varies from the lender to lender. Lloyds has different requirements for example to Halifax. Should you wish to call us we can check with the appropriate lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Pembrokeshire. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Pembrokeshire to see if the conveyancing will be more expensive.

I was pointed in your direction by two or three local estate agents in Pembrokeshire to find a solicitor using your seach tool. What’s the financial inducement for Estate Agents to offer your services over and above a competitor’s?

We don’t give any financial incentive for sending work in our direction. We thought it would be too underhand a fee because home movers will think, ‘How come the agent getting a kickback? Why aren’t I receiving any benefit too?’ We would prefer to grow our business on genuine recommendations.

I am 17 days into a leasehold purchase having been referred to solicitors by the estate agent to perform conveyancing in Pembrokeshire. I am not happy. Could you help me find new conveyancers?

A conveyancer would have to be very bad to suggest replacing them. Has the mortgage been generated? If so you need to advise them of the new contact details and get the mortgage documents are issued to the new lawyers. Your solicitor ideally needs to be on the mortgage company panel to avoid supplemental charges and delays. So that should be your first question of the new conveyancers. Our find a solicitor tool can assist you in finding a bank approved solicitor for your home move in Pembrokeshire

My wife and I purchased a leasehold house in Pembrokeshire. Conveyancing and Nationwide Building Society 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 Pembrokeshire who previously acted has now retired. Any advice?

The first thing you should do is make enquiries of HMLR to make sure that the individual claiming to own the freehold is in fact the new freeholder. There is no need to instruct a Pembrokeshire conveyancing practitioner to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for less than a fiver. You should note that in any event, even if this is the rightful freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

I own a leasehold flat in Pembrokeshire, conveyancing formalities finalised half a dozen years ago. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Equivalent properties in Pembrokeshire with a long lease are worth £191,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £55 levied per year. The lease ends on 21st October 2078

With 53 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £27,600 and £31,800 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 are not able to advice on the actual costs without more detailed investigations. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward placing reliance on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.