I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Mid Wales. I have a mortgage agreed with . Conveyancing is new to me. 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 , you will need to appoint a solicitor on the conveyancing panel.

I can not fathom if my mortgage offer obliges me to make sure the lease term for the flat is extended prior to the completion date. I have called my Mid Wales building society branch on various occasions and was told they are content with the situation and they will lend. My Mid Wales conveyancing solicitor - who is on the mortgage company conveyancing panel- telephoned to say that they would not lend in accordance with their specific requirements. I simply don't know who is right.

As long as the is on the bank approved list, she or he must comply with the CML Handbook conditions for the bank. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the bank will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the mortgage company to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years remaining.

My offer on a property in Mid Wales has been agreed to, but there is a chain. The vendors have placed an offer on a flat, but it’s not yet agreed to, and have viewings of other apartments in the pipeline. I have selected a high street conveyancing solicitor in Mid Wales. What should be my next step? At what stage do I apply for the mortgage with ?

It is usual to have apprehensions where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket too early (mortgage application is approx £1k, then survey, Mid Wales conveyancing search fees, etc). The first course of action is to ensure that your is on the approved list. Regarding the subsequent phase this very much dictated by the specifics of your case, motivation for the property and on the state of the market. During a buoyant market some buyers will apply for a home loan with and pay for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they request their to move forward with searches.

Should commercial conveyancing searches reveal impending roadworks that may affect a commercial estate in Mid Wales?

Its becoming the norm that commercial conveyancing solicitors in Mid Wales will execute a SiteSolutions Highways report as it dramatically cuts the time that conveyancers invest in researching accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in Mid Wales. The search result sets out definitive data on the adoption status of roads, footpaths and verges, as well as the implication of traffic schemes and the rights of way surrounding a commercial development sites in Mid Wales.

For every commercial conveyancing transaction in Mid Wales it is critical to investigate the adoption status of roads surrounding a site. The absence of identifying developments where adoption procedures have not been dealt with adequately may result in delays to Mid Wales commercial conveyancing deals as well as present a risk to future intentions for the site. These searches are not carried out for domestic conveyancing in Mid Wales.

I was pointed in your direction by a number of selling agents in Mid Wales to locate a conveyancer using your seach tool. What’s the financial upside for Estate Agents to market your site over another?

We refuse to give any financial incentive for pointing buyers and sellers our way. We thought it would be too underhand to pay a commission as home movers will think, ‘Why is the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not getting any benefit too?’ So we decided to step away from that.

My husband and I are one month into a freehold purchase having been directed to conveyancers by the high street agent to perform conveyancing in Mid Wales. I am not happy. Could you help me find new conveyancers?

A solicitor would need to be really bad in order to consider diss instructing them. Has your mortgage offer been sent? If so you must advise them of the replacement solicitor and have the loan are re-issued. Your solicitor ideally should be on the banks panel to avoid supplemental charges and complications. So that should be your first question of the new conveyancers. The search tool should help you find a lender approved conveyancer for your conveyancing in Mid Wales

I invested in buying a ground floor flat in Mid Wales, conveyancing formalities finalised half a dozen years ago. How much will my lease extension cost? Comparable properties in Mid Wales with an extended lease are worth £165,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 invoiced annually. The lease ceases on 21st October 50

You have 50 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to span between £36,100 and £41,800 plus costs.

The figure above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more detailed due diligence. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward based on this information before getting professional advice.