I have been recommended a conveyancing solicitor in Brynmawr. I need to find out if they are accepted on the Virgin Money approved list of lawyers. Can you or the lender confirm if they are on the panel?

The first thing to do is phone the lawyer and ask them if they are on the lender panel. Otherwise you should call Virgin Money who may be able to assist.

Does a directory service exist listing Virgin Money panel solicitors in Brynmawr on the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook Website?

Unfortunately not yet. There is no such directory service on the CML or Building Society Association websites. A small selection of lending institutions make their panel listings open the public on the web. If you are in need of a Brynmawr solicitor on the Virgin Money please make the most of our facility.

My husband and I have organised the release of further funds on our mortgage from Lloyds as we wish to conduct alterations to our property in Brynmawr. Are we obliged to select a nearby Brynmawr solicitor on the Lloyds conveyancing panel to handle the legals?

Lloyds do not ordinarily require firms on their approved list of lawyers to handle the formalities. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Lloyds list.

I recently had an offer agreed on a house in Brynmawr. My mortgage broker pressured me to appoint their property lawyer. I paid an on account payment of £150. A couple of days later, the property lawyer called me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the UBS conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the UBS panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

I have recentlybecome aware that Action Conveyancing have been shut down. They carried out my conveyancing in Brynmawr for a purchase of a leasehold flat 12 months ago. How can I be sure that my home is not still registered in the name of the former proprietor?

The quickest way to see if the premises is registered to you, 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 Brynmawr conveyancing specialists.

I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold issue on a property I put an offer in last month in what was supposed to be a quick, no chain conveyancing. Brynmawr is where the house is located. Can you shed any light on this issue?

Flying freeholds in Brynmawr are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Brynmawr you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds thoroughly. Your lender may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Brynmawr may determine 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 residence.

Having had my offer accepted I require leasehold conveyancing in Brynmawr. Before I get started I would like to find out the unexpired term of the lease.

Assuming the lease is registered - and most are in Brynmawr - then the leasehold title will always include the short particulars of the lease, namely the date; the term; and the original parties. From a conveyancing perspective such details then enable any prospective buyer and lender to confirm that any lease they are looking at is the one relevant to that title. For any other purpose, such as confirming how long the term was granted for and calculating what is left, then the register should be sufficient on it's own.

I invested in buying a leasehold flat in Brynmawr, conveyancing formalities finalised June 2006. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Corresponding properties in Brynmawr with an extended lease are worth £211,000. The ground rent is £45 invoiced annually. The lease runs out on 21st October 2093

With 67 years unexpired the likely cost is going to range between £10,500 and £12,000 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of detailed investigations. Do not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward based on this information without first getting professional advice.