My wife and I are in the process of viewing flats in Connahs Quay and I am about to put in an offer. Is it too early to have a solicitor in place? I intend to finance via a home loan with Clydesdale.

It would be prudent to start your search sooner rather than later. After you have chosen your lawyer and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and forward their details on to the estate agent. As you are getting a mortgage with Clydesdale, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.

I have paid off my mortgage with UBS. I assume I don't need a Connahs Quay lawyer on the UBS panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.

If you have finished paying off your UBS mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the UBS mortgage from the register. UBS, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:

1. but are not moving to another property
2. where UBS has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. UBS has instructed the Land Registry to do so

It is not clear whether my bank requires a lease extension. I have telephoned my Connahs Quay building society branch on various occasions and was reassured it wasn't a problem and they would lend. My Connahs Quay conveyancing solicitor - who is on the mortgage company conveyancing panel- telephoned and was told they refuse to lend in accordance with their published requirements. Who do I believe?

The conveyancer has to follow the CML Handbook section two requirements for your lender. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the bank will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the lender to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years remaining.

The deeds to our home are lost. The solicitors who dealt with the conveyancing in Connahs Quay 4 years ago no longer exist. Will I be able to sell the house?

You no longer need to hold title official documentation to establish that you are the registered proprietor of land or premises, as the Land Registry have everything they need in a digital format.

Am I right to be concerned by estate agents that I am dealing with are encouraging me to use an internet conveyancing firm as opposed to a local Connahs Quay conveyancing company?

As with lots of professional services, often suggestions from relatives can be worth their weight in gold. Yet there are many parties with a vested interest in a conveyancing transaction; estate agents, mortgage brokers and lenders may recommend solicitors to appoint. Sometimes these conveyancers might be known to one of the organisations as being good in their field, but occasionally there may be a commercial relationship behind the recommendation. You have the discretion to choose your own lawyer. However, bear in mind that the majority of lenders operate an approved list of conveyancers you must use for the mortgage aspect of your house move.

My wife and I purchased a leasehold house in Connahs Quay. Conveyancing and The Royal Bank of Scotland mortgage went though with no issue. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the reversionary interest in the property. Attached was a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1994. The conveyancing practitioner in Connahs Quay who acted for me is not around. What should I do?

First make enquiries of HMLR to be sure that the individual purporting to own the freehold is in fact the new freeholder. It is not necessary to incur the fees of a Connahs Quay conveyancing firm to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for less than a fiver. You should note that regardless, even if this is the legitimate freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

I am the registered owner of a 1 bedroom flat in Connahs Quay, conveyancing formalities finalised in 2008. Can you let me have an estimate of the premium that my landlord can legally expect in return for granting a renewal of my lease? Comparable flats in Connahs Quay with an extended lease are worth £222,000. The ground rent is £50 yearly. The lease terminates on 21st October 2095

You have 70 years unexpired the likely cost is going to be between £9,500 and £11,000 plus legals.

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 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 you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward based on this information before getting professional advice.

I own a leasehold flat in Connahs Quay. Conveyancing was finished in five years ago. I have heard that I should not let the lease length get too low. Why is that a problem?

Connahs Quay residential long term leases are for a fixed term - often just under one hundred years when they are first granted. However many flats in Connahs Quay were constructed or converted 20 or more years ago and so these leases now have fewer than eighty years left to run. This may seem like a long time however Banks, Building Societies and other mortgage lenders generally need leases to have at least 75 years unexpired to be mortgageable. Accordingly when you come to sell the property you will need to extend the term of your lease if you are nearing 75 years. To enhance your property value you should be considering whether to extend your lease long before you come to sell it. Furthermore advantages to taking action before the lease hits 80 years as when the lease falls below 80 years the premium you have to pay to extend starts to increase.