My apartment in Trefriw is up for sale and I have a purchaser. Will my property lawyer have to be on the Skipton conveyancing panel in order to deal with paying off my mortgage?

Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the Skipton conveyancing panel they can still act for you on your sale. It might be that the lender will not release the original deeds (if applicable and increasingly irrelevant) until after the mortgage is paid off. You should speak to your lawyer directly before you start the process though to ensure that there is no problem as lenders are changing their requirements fairly frequently in recent years.

I'm remortgaging my current house to a buy to let loan with Godiva Mortgages Ltd and I will use the ballance of the raised equity towards a second house. The neighborhood we are talking about is Trefriw. Will your conveyancers be able to act for both sets of lenders and link together the conveyances?

Do use our search tool on this site to check that the lawyers are approved by both mortgage companies. Having checked that they are your conveyancer should be able to connect the two conveyancing matters but you should talk with you conveyancer and specify your desired outcome and requirements.

We're new on the property ladder - had an offer accepted, but the estate agent advised that the seller will only proceed if we appoint the agent's chosen conveyancers as they need a ‘quick sale’. My instinct tells me that we should use a family solicitor accustomed to conveyancing in Trefriw

It is unlikely the owners are driving this. If they desire ‘a quick sale', taking such a hostile approach to a genuine buyer is likely to cause more damage than good. Avoid the agents and go straight to the sellers and make sure they understand (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are excited to move forward, with finances arranged © you do not need to sell (d) you wish to move quickly (e)however you are going to use your own,trusted Trefriw conveyancing lawyers - not the ones that will earn their estate agent a referral fee or hit his conveyancing targets pre-set by corporate headquarters.

I work for a reputable estate agency in Trefriw where we have witnessed a few leasehold sales jeopardised due to leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have been given inconsistent advice from local Trefriw conveyancing solicitors. Please can you shed some light as to whether the vendor of a flat can commence the lease extension process for the buyer?

Provided that the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to kick-start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the proposed purchaser need not have to wait 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed before, or at the same time as completion of the sale.

An alternative approach is to agree the lease extension with the freeholder either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the buyer.

I own a ground floor flat in Trefriw, conveyancing formalities finalised in 1998. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Comparable properties in Trefriw with a long lease are worth £179,000. The ground rent is £65 charged once a year. The lease runs out on 21st October 2081

You have 57 years remaining on your lease we estimate the premium for your lease extension to range between £26,600 and £30,800 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 cannot give you a more accurate figure without more comprehensive investigations. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward based on this information before getting professional advice.

I recently become aware that one of the directors of the firm undertaking the purchase conveyancing in Trefriw is a relative of the owners that we are buying from. Is this acceptable?

On the basis that there is no conflict of interest this is permitted. If you are obtaining a home loan then the lender may have a say as many lenders have specific instructions concerning this. For example for Bradford & Bingley as of 12/11/2024, the requirements read as follows :