I have recentlybecome aware that Stirling Law have closed. They carried out my conveyancing in Wenvoe for a purchase of a leasehold flat 10 months ago. How can I establish that my home is in my name in the name of the previous owner?

The quickest way to check if the premises is in your name, you can carry out a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Wenvoe conveyancing specialists.

I'm purchasing a new build house in Wenvoe with the aid of help to buy. The sellers refused to reduce the amount so I negotiated 6k of fixtures and fittings instead. The house builders rep told me not to tell my conveyancer about the deal as it would adversely affect my loan with the lender. Should I keep quiet?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder 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 £305k and found one near me in Wenvoe I like with a park and railway links nearby, the downside is that it only has 51 years unexpired on the lease. There is not much else in Wenvoe for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a lease with such few years left?

If you need a mortgage the shortness of the lease may be an issue. Reduce the offer by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing proprietor has owned the property for at least twenty four months you may ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer about this.

I was advised by a number of selling agents in Wenvoe to find a property lawyer on your site. What’s the financial upside for Estate Agents to market your site ahead of alternative conveyancing organisations?

We refuse to make any referral fee for pointing buyers and sellers in our direction. We found it would be just too difficult to pay a commission because a client could think, ‘Why is the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not getting any benefit too?’ We would prefer to grow our business on genuine recommendations.

I have just started marketing my 2 bed apartment in Wenvoe. Conveyancing has not commenced, however I have recently received a half-yearly maintenance charge invoice – what should I do?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should clear the invoice as normal as all rents and service charges will be apportioned as part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the purchaser for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most management companies will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.

I inherited a split level flat in Wenvoe, conveyancing formalities finalised half a dozen years ago. How much will my lease extension cost? Similar flats in Wenvoe with a long lease are worth £260,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 per annum. The lease ceases on 21st October 2100

With only 75 years remaining on your lease we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £8,600 and £9,800 plus professional fees.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action based on this information before getting professional advice.