I have given 2 months notice to my current landlord and have to vacate my rented apartment in Deeside by the end of next month. Conveyancing on my purchase has just started. How realistic is it to complete in a couple of weeks as I wish to avoid having to find short term accommodation?

Generally one should not serve notice for your lease unless exchange of contracts has taken place. If you have not already done so, notify to your conveyancer and request that they cajole the owners solicitors, try to an agreed time frame that all parties will look to achieve

What does my ID and proof of funds have anything to do with my conveyancing in Deeside? Is this really necessary?

Anti-terror and anti-money-laundering rules require solicitors and licensed conveyancers to verify the identity of the potential client they are dealing with prior to agreeing to accepting their conveyancing business. The Terms of Engagement that you need to sign should stipulate this. Your lender will also require certain documents to be viewed. Should you refuse to supply identification documents, your conveyancer can not take you on as a client.

I am looking for a leasehold apartment up to £195,000 and found one round the corner in Deeside I like with open areas and railway links nearby, however it only has 51 years on the lease. There is not much else in Deeside in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a short lease?

If you need a mortgage the shortness of the lease will be problematic. Reduce the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing proprietor has owned the property for a minimum of twenty four months you can request that they 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 consult your conveyancing solicitor about this.

I own a leasehold house in Deeside. Conveyancing and Virgin Money mortgage are in place. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the freehold. It included a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1992. The conveyancing solicitor in Deeside who acted for me is not around. What should I do?

First make enquiries of the Land Registry to make sure that this person is in fact the new freeholder. It is not necessary to instruct a Deeside conveyancing lawyer to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for £3. You should note that regardless, even if this is the rightful landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

I bought a 1st floor flat in Deeside, conveyancing was carried out 3 years ago. How much will my lease extension cost? Corresponding properties in Deeside with a long lease are worth £206,000. The ground rent is £45 per annum. The lease expires on 21st October 2092

With 67 years left to run the likely cost is going to be between £10,500 and £12,000 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more detailed investigations. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other concerns that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action based on this information without first getting professional advice.

We are in the middle of buying a residence in Deeside. Conveyancing lawyer has told us the property is "Leasehold". Should this make a difference on our mortgage valuation?

Deeside conveyancing does not usually involve leasehold houses. The key consideration here is the length of lease and the ground rent. If it's 999 years with a nominal rent, it's virtually freehold, so it’s unlikely to impact the value significantly.

At the other extreme, if it's, say, 50 years it is bound to have a significant effect on the value, and most likely wouldn't be mortgageable. The length of lease and ground rent will be set out in the lease to be supplied to your property lawyer.