Me and my brother own a terraced Georgian house in Splott. Conveyancing practitioner represented me and Nationwide Building Society. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are a couple of entries: the first freehold, another for leasehold under the exact same address. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?

You should assess the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Splott and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they mortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with buyers. You can also check the situation with your conveyancing practitioner who carried out the work.

I'm buying my first flat in Splott benefiting from help to buy. The developers refused to budge the amount so I negotiated £7000 of extras instead. The house builders rep told me not disclose to my solicitor about this side-deal as it would impact 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.

What does commercial conveyancing in Splott cover?

Non domestic conveyancing in Splott incorporates a broad range of services, offered by regulated solicitors, relating to business property. For example, this area of conveyancing can cover the sale or purchase of freehold business premises or, more commonly, the assignment of existing business tenancies or the drafting of new leasing arrangements. Commercial conveyancing solicitors can also offer advice on the sale of business assets, commercial loans and the termination of leases.

In my capacity as executor for the will of my uncle I am disposing of a house in Monmouth but reside in Splott. My lawyer (who is 200 kilometers from merequires that I sign a statutory declaration prior to completion. Can you recommend a conveyancing practitioner in Splott to attest this legal document for me?

Technically speaking you are not likely to be required to have the documents attested by a conveyancing solicitor. Ordinarily or notary public or solicitor will be fine regardless of whether they are Splott based

I work for a busy estate agency in Splott where we have experienced a few flat sales derailed as a result of short leases. I have received inconsistent advice from local Splott conveyancing firms. Please can you shed some light as to whether the owner of a flat can initiate the lease extension process for the buyer?

Provided that the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to commence the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the buyer need not have to sit tight for 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done prior to, or at the same time as completion of the sale.

Alternatively, it may be possible to extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the purchaser.

I invested in buying a ground floor flat in Splott, conveyancing formalities finalised in 1999. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Corresponding flats in Splott with over 90 years remaining are worth £190,000. The ground rent is £65 invoiced annually. The lease ends on 21st October 2085

With just 61 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £18,100 and £20,800 as well as professional fees.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to supply a more accurate figure in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. Do not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.