It is a dozen years since I acquired my home in Penrhyndeudraeth. Conveyancing lawyers have now been instructed on the sale but I can't find my title documents. Will this cause complications?

You need not be too concerned. First there is a chance that the deeds will be kept by your lender or they may be archived with the lawyers who acted in the purchase. Secondly the chances are that the property will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to establish that you are the registered owner by your conveyancing lawyers obtaining up to date copy of the land registers. The vast majority of conveyancing in Penrhyndeudraeth involves registered property but in the rare situation where your property is unregistered it adds to the complexity but is resolvable.

We are buying a purpose built apartment in Penrhyndeudraeth with a loan from Bank of Ireland.We would like to retain our Penrhyndeudraeth conveyancing practitioner but Bank of Ireland informed us his firm is not on their "panel". We have to appoint a Bank of Ireland panel firm or keep our local solicitor and fork out for one of their panel ones to act for them. We feel as though this is unjust; Can we not simply insist that Bank of Ireland use our lawyer?

No, not really. The home loan issued to you contains terms and conditions, one of which will be that solicitors needs to be on the Bank of Ireland approved list. Until recently, most mortgage companies had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could find one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your solicitors to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for Bank of Ireland

My husband and I are 3 weeks into a residential purchase having been recommend to solicitors by the local agent to carry out the conveyancing in Penrhyndeudraeth. I am am very frustrated with the quality of service. Could you help me find new lawyers?

They would have to be really poor in order to consider changing them. Has your mortgage been issued? If so you will need to inform them of the replacement conveyancer and get the loan are re-sent. The solicitor ideally needs to be on the mortgage company approved list to avoid added fees and complications. So that should be your first question of the new conveyancers. The search tool should assist you in finding a bank approved solicitor for your home move in Penrhyndeudraeth

When it comes to leasehold conveyancing in Penrhyndeudraeth what are the most frequent lease problems?

There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Penrhyndeudraeth. Most leases are unique and drafting errors can sometimes mean that certain clauses are not included. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

A provision for the recovery of money spent for the benefit of another party. Repairing obligations to or maintain parts of the building

A defective lease can cause problems when trying to sell a property as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. Lloyds TSB Bank, Coventry Building Society, and Aldermore all have very detailed conveyancing instructions when it comes to what is expected in a lease. Where a lender has been advised by their lawyers that the lease is defective they may refuse to grant the mortgage, forcing the buyer to withdraw.

I am the registered owner of a ground floor flat in Penrhyndeudraeth, conveyancing formalities finalised 9 years ago. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Corresponding flats in Penrhyndeudraeth with over 90 years remaining are worth £195,000. The ground rent is £45 levied per year. The lease ends on 21st October 2089

With only 63 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £16,200 and £18,600 as well as legals.

The figure 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. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt additional concerns that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.

Two months into buying a residence in Penrhyndeudraeth. Conveyancing solicitor has told us the property is "Leasehold". Should this impact our Natwest valuation?

Penrhyndeudraeth conveyancing does not in most situations involve leasehold houses. The crucial consideration here is the length of lease and the ground rent. If it's 999 years with a peppercorn rent, it's essentially freehold, so it shouldn't impact the marketability significantly.

At the other end of the spectrum, if it's, say, fifty five years it is bound to have a adverse impact on the value, and probably wouldn't be mortgageable. The remaining lease term and ground rent will be specified in the lease provided to your lawyer.