My brother-in-law has suggested I instruct a conveyancing solicitor in Wrexham. I I am struggling to find out if they are accepted on the Leeds Building Society approved list of lawyers. Could you assist?

You should e-mail the lawyer and ask them if they are on the lender panel. Alternatively you can get in touch with Leeds Building Society who may be able to confirm.

My relative advised me that where I am purchasing in Wrexham I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?

This is a search is occasionally quoted for as part of the standard Wrexham conveyancing searches. It is a large document of about 40 pages, listing and setting out important information about Wrexham around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Wrexham Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime details, Wrexham Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data concerning Wrexham.

I used Action Conveyancing a few years ago for my conveyancing in Wrexham. Now, I need the files but cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?

Do call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Wrexham of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously retained, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

I have been on the look out for a leasehold apartment up to £195,000 and found one round the corner in Wrexham I like with amenity areas and railway links nearby, the downside is that it only has 61 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Wrexham in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a lease with such few years left?

If you require a home loan that many years may be problematic. Reduce the price by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing proprietor has owned the premises for a minimum of twenty four months you can ask them to start the process of the extension and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer about this.

I am attracted to a two apartments in Wrexham which have about fifty years unexpired on the leases. Will this present a problem?

A lease is a legal document that entitles you to use the premises for a period of time. As the lease shortens the saleability of the lease decreases and results in it becoming more expensive to extend the lease. For this reason it is generally wise to extend the lease term. More often than not it is difficulties arise selling premises with a short lease because mortgage lenders less inclined to grant a loan on properties of this type. Lease enfranchisement can be a difficult process. We advise that you seek professional help from a solicitor and surveyor with experience in this area.

I own a garden flat in Wrexham, conveyancing formalities finalised October 1999. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Similar properties in Wrexham with a long lease are worth £260,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 levied per year. The lease runs out on 21st October 2098

You have 74 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to span between £8,600 and £9,800 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" 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 supply a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed due diligence. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward based on this information without first getting professional advice.