The St Clears conveyancing solicitors that just started acting on my house acquisition in St Clears have suddenly closed. They were on acting for me because I had to have a lawyer on the TSB conveyancing panel and my previous St Clears lawyer was not. I cut them a cheque for £250 in advance. What are my options?

Assuming that you have an Estate Agent in the equation then inform them straight away so that they advise the vendors that there may be a slight delay due to the problems encountered. Most sellers would be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You should appoint new lawyers that are on the TSB conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money, it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new lawyers may be able to assist.

I have paid off my mortgage with Co-operative. I assume I don't need a St Clears solicitor on the Co-operative panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.

If you have finished paying off your Co-operative 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 Co-operative mortgage from the register. Co-operative, 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 Co-operative has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. Co-operative has instructed the Land Registry to do so

I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in St Clears. I have a mortgage agreed with Co-operative. Conveyancing is not something I have any knowledge of. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should use one. Any advice?

It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Co-operative, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Co-operative conveyancing panel.

My offer on a house in St Clears has been accepted, the sellers do nevertheless have a connected purchase. The sellers have put an offer on on an apartment, however it’s not been accepted yet, and have viewings of other flats in the pipeline. I have instructed a nearby conveyancing solicitor in St Clears. What should be my next step? At what stage should I apply for the mortgage with Lloyds?

It is normal to have apprehensions where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket too early (home loan application is in the region of one thousand pounds, then survey, St Clears conveyancing search fees, etc). First, you should ensure that your property lawyer is on the Lloyds conveyancing panel. As to the next steps this very much depends on the circumstances of your case, attraction to this property and on the state of the market. In a hot market some buyers would apply for the mortgage with Lloyds and pay for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they request their conveyancer to proceed with searches.

I am using a search engine for the phrase on line conveyancing in St Clears it brings up many conveyancersin the vicinity. How do I determine which is the right conveyancer for purchase transaction?

The preferential method of choosing a suitable conveyancer is through a personal referral, so ask colleagues and family who have bought a property in St Clears or a reputable estate agent or mortgage broker. Charges for conveyancing in St Clears vary, so it's sensible to request a minimum of four fee estimates from different companies. Be sure to seek confirmation that the fees are fixed.

I am attracted to a two apartments in St Clears which have in the region of forty five years unexpired on the lease term. Will this present a problem?

There are no two ways about it. A leasehold apartment in St Clears is a wasting asset as a result of the reducing lease term. The closer the lease gets to its expiry date, the more it adversely affects the value of the premises. The majority of buyers and lenders, leases with under eighty years become less and less attractive. On a more upbeat note, leaseholders can extend their leases by serving a Section 42 Notice. One stipulation is that they must have owned the property for two years (unlike a Section 13 notice for purchasing the freehold, when leaseholders can participate from day one of ownership). When successful, they will have the right to an extension of 90 years to the current term and ground rent is effectively reduced to zero. Before moving forward with a purchase of a residence with a short lease term remaining you should talk to a solicitor specialising in lease extensions and leasehold enfranchisement. We are are happy to put you in touch with St Clears conveyancing experts who will explain the options available to you during an initial telephone conversation free of charge. More often than not it is possible to negotiate informally with the freeholder to extend the lease. You may find he or she is happy to negotiate informally and willing to consider your offer straight off, without having to involve anyone else. This will save you time and money and it could help you reach a lower price on the lease. You need to ensure that any new terms represent good long-term value compared with the standard benefits of the Section 42 Notice and that onerous clauses are not inserted into any redrafting of the lease.

I bought a 1st floor flat in St Clears, conveyancing was carried out 3 years ago. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Similar properties in St Clears with an extended lease are worth £180,000. The ground rent is £65 levied per year. The lease expires on 21st October 2083

You have 59 years remaining on your lease the likely cost is going to span between £20,900 and £24,200 as well as 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 provide the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information before getting professional advice.

Living abroad it is not practicable to travel my St Clears conveyancing lawyers office to sign documents for conveyancing in St Clears – is this a problem?

No. St Clears conveyancing solicitors can handle home moves for clients nationally. It is not necessary for you to be able to visit a St Clears conveyancers office. They can deal with everything remotely from their St Clears office.