I require conveyancing for a flat in a fairly new development (five years old) in Swansea City. Almost all the appartments are already occupied. Is it strictly necessary to order neighbourhood searches as part of conveyancing in Swansea City?

You are putting yourself at risk in not carrying out Swansea City conveyancing searches. Without searches you have no clarity over flooding, environmental etc which may mean you walk away due to potential problems down the line. If you are buying without a mortgage there is no legal requirement to have them, but we would absolutely advise in the strongest possible terms that your lawyer conducts them. Where time pressures and expenses are top of your issues you should consider with your solicitor about the possibility of search insurance

I am purchasing my first flat in Swansea City with a loan from Lloyds TSB Bank. The sellers would not reduce the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of extras instead. The house builders rep advised me not disclose to my solicitor about the deal as it could jeopardize my mortgage with Lloyds TSB Bank. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

I have been on the look out for a leasehold apartment up to £245,000 and identified one near me in Swansea City I like with amenity areas and station nearby, the downside is that it's only got 49 remaining years left on the lease. There is not much else in Swansea City in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a short lease?

Should you require a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term will likely be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing owner has owned the premises for at least 2 years you could request that they start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor about this.

Am I right to be suspicious that brokers that I am dealing with are suggesting a nationwide conveyancing firm as opposed to a High Street Swansea City conveyancing firm?

As is the case with many professional services, often recommendations from relatives can be most helpful. Nevertheless there are many players in a conveyancing deal; estate agents, mortgage brokers and lenders may put forward lawyers to retain. Sometimes these conveyancers might be known to one of the organisations as experts in their field, but sometimes there might be a commercial relationship behind the endorsement. You have the discretion to choose your preferred conveyancer. Don't forget that most lenders specify a panel list of law firms you have to use for the lender related work in your house move.

A conveyancing company acted on my conveyancing in Swansea City half a dozen years past and was holding my deeds but has now closed – how do I get hold of them?

Title deeds, as such, are no longer appropriate for most homes in Swansea City are registered electronically at Land Registry. Where you need to show ownership or are disposing of or re-mortgaging your property lawyer can obtain up to date copies of the register from the Land Registry in any case.

If you feel there may be other documents or you have any other queries please e-mail your request with details of the transaction and documents you need to filerequest@clc-uk.org. The CLC will let you know what information they have and any additional information they may need before they are in a position to identify and send the documents to you. Following an intervention it may take some time for the CLC to access archived files and documents, but your request will be actioned as quickly as possible.