My aunt pointed out to me me that in buying a property in Cardigan there may be a number of restrictions preventing external changes to a property. Is this right?

We are aware of a number of properties in Cardigan which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to perform external alterations. Part of the conveyancing in Cardigan should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.

I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Cardigan. I have a mortgage offer with Yorkshire BS. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have 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 Yorkshire BS, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel.

Completion of my purchase has taken place for my property in Cardigan. Conveyancing was satisfactory but I would like to complain about the lender. How do I make a complaint?

Almost all lenders have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Department at head office. In most cases complaints to a lender are sorted out very quickly. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service who will take matters further.

I have todaydiscovered that Action Conveyancing have been shut down. They carried out my conveyancing in Cardigan for a purchase of a leasehold apartment 10 months ago. How can I check that the property is registered correctly in the name of the previous owner?

The easiest way to see if the premises is registered to you, you can make 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 Cardigan conveyancing specialists.

I have been on the look out for a flat up to £235,500 and found one round the corner in Cardigan I like with amenity areas and transport links nearby, the downside is that it only has 49 years on the lease. There is not much else in Cardigan for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a short lease?

If you require a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term may be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the price by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current owner has owned the premises for a minimum of twenty four months you can request that they commence the lease extension formalities 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 consult your conveyancing solicitor concerning this.

As co-executor for the will of my grandmother I am selling a property in Swansea but reside in Cardigan. My solicitor (who is 300 miles from merequires that I execute a statutory declaration before completion. Can you recommend a conveyancing solicitor in Cardigan to attest this legal document for me?

strictly speaking you are unlikely to need to have the documents witnessed by a conveyancing solicitor. Ordinarily any notary public or qualified solicitor will be fine regardless of whether they are Cardigan based

Our lawyer in Cardigan has uncovered a a legal deficiency with the lease for the property we are purchasing in Cardigan. The other side have suggested title insurance as a workaround. We are happy with insurance and will pay for it. Our solicitor says that as he is on the bank conveyancing panel he must check that the lender is happy with this solution. Are we the client or is the bank?

The short answer to your last question is that, notwithstanding the potential for a conflict of interest, you and the bank are the client. A precondition to being on the mortgage company approved panel is to comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements. The UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook conditions require your lawyer to disclose issues such as defects will the lease so that the bank can be afforded the opportunity to check with their valuer as to the extent that the value of the property is affected . Should you refuse to allow your lawyer to make the appropriate notification then your lawyer will have no choice but to discontinue acting for you.