Our solicitor has discovered a a legal deficiency with the lease for the property we are purchasing in Old St Mellons. The other side have put forward title insurance as a solution. We are happy with insurance and will cover the costs. Our conveyancer has advised that he must check that the lender is content with this solution. Are we the client or is the lender?

The short answer to your last question is that, notwithstanding the risk of a conflict of interest, you and the mortgage company are the client. Your lawyer must comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook conditions. The UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook conditions require your lawyer to disclose issues such as defects with the lease so that the lender 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 conveyancing practitioner will have no choice but to discontinue acting for you.

After looking at moneysavingexpert.com for an online lawyer in Old St Mellons, most say that I should use a CQS accredited lawyer. What is CQS?

The Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) provides a kitemark for residential conveyancing practices issued by the Law Society. Membership achievement establishes a level of credibility for member firms with stakeholders (regulators, lenders, insurers and consumers) based upon: * the integrity of the senior responsible officer and other key conveyancing staff * the firm's adherence to good practice management standards * adherence to best practice conveyancing procedures through the scheme protocol It includes numerous companies who handle conveyancing in Old St Mellons.

My wife and I own a semi-detached Victorian property in Old St Mellons. Conveyancing lawyer acted for me and HSBC Bank. I did a free Land Registry search last week and I saw a couple of entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold with the matching property. Is it worth asking HSBC Bank to clarify?

You should read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Old St Mellons and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they sell they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also check the situation with your conveyancing solicitor who carried out the work.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a property I put an offer in two weeks back in what was supposed to be a straight forward, no chain conveyancing. Old St Mellons is where the house is located. Is there any guidance you can impart?

Flying freeholds in Old St Mellons are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Old St Mellons you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds thoroughly. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Old St Mellons may decide that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold premises.

Estate agents have just been given the go-ahead to market my garden apartment in Old St Mellons. Conveyancing is yet to be initiated, however I have just had a quarterly maintenance charge demand – should I leave it to the buyer to sort out?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should pay the maintenance contribution as you normally would because all rents and service payments will be allotted on completion, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the buyer 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. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

I purchased a 1st floor flat in Old St Mellons, conveyancing formalities finalised half a dozen years ago. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Similar flats in Old St Mellons with an extended lease are worth £255,000. The ground rent is £45 levied per year. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2100

With 74 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £8,600 and £9,800 as well as legals.

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. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other concerns that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.