My partner and I are selling our home in St Mellons and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a possibility that the property was built land that was not decontaminated. A local conveyancer would know this is not the case. It does beg the question why the buyers are using a nationwide conveyancing outfit rather than a conveyancing solicitor in St Mellons. Having lived in St Mellons for 4 years we know of no issue. Is it a good idea to contact our local Authority to obtain confirmation need.

It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing firm already. Are they able to advise? You should enquire of your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out health insurance to cover that same illness)

I am looking for a ground for flat up to £305k and found one close by in St Mellons I like with a park and transport links in the vicinity, however it's only got 49 remaining years left on the lease. There is not much else in St Mellons for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a lease with such few years left?

Should you need a home loan the remaining unexpired lease term will likely be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the price by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing proprietor has owned the premises for a minimum of 2 years you could ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor about this matter.

Given that I will soon spend 450k on a garden flat in St Mellons I would like to have a conversation with the lawyer regarding thehome move in advance of giving the go ahead to the firm. Can this be arranged?

We could not agree more - we would be delighted to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you liaising with the lawyer due to be conducting your conveyancing in St Mellons.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - every client is unique person, not a file number. The solicitors that we put you in touch with believe that the figure you are provided with for residential conveyancing in St Mellons should be the figure that you are charged.

My husband and I are novice buyers - had an offer accepted, yet the agent advised that the vendor will only issue a contract if we appoint their preferred lawyers as they want a ‘quick sale’. We would rather use a local conveyancer who is familiar with conveyancing in St Mellons

It is highly unlikely the sellers are driving this. If they require ‘a quick sale', taking such a hostile approach to a motivated purchaser is not the way to achieve this. Try to communicate with the owners directly and make sure they understand (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are ready to go, with mortgage lined up © you are unencumbered (d) you intend to proceed fast (e)but you are going to use your preferred St Mellons conveyancing firm - not the ones that will give the negotiator at the agency a commission or hit his conveyancing targets demanded by head office.

I have recently realised that I have 68 years unexpired on my flat in St Mellons. I am keen to get lease extension but my freeholder is can not be found. What should I do?

On the basis that you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be granted an extra 90 years by the Court. However, you will be required to demonstrate that you have used your best endeavours to find the lessor. For most situations a specialist may be useful to carry out a search and to produce an expert document to be accepted by the court as evidence that the freeholder can not be located. It is wise to seek advice from a conveyancer in relation to devolving into the landlord’s disappearance and the vesting order request to the County Court covering St Mellons.

I acquired a studio flat in St Mellons, conveyancing formalities finalised 9 years ago. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Similar flats in St Mellons with a long lease are worth £179,000. The ground rent is £65 yearly. The lease ends on 21st October 2075

With only 57 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to span between £26,600 and £30,800 as well as professional fees.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed investigations. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.