Me and my fiance are purchasing an apartment in Bethesda. My property lawyer has never been on on the mortgage company approved list. Is it possible for me to retain my Bethesda conveyancing solicitor notwithstanding that they are not on the bank panel?

You must use a lawyer to complete the legal work required if you take out a loan to buy your property. The solicitor will conduct all the necessary due diligence on the property, make sure that you will be registered as proprietor and ensure that all the necessary mortgage paperwork is in order. You may appoint a Bethesda lawyer of your choice. Nevertheless, where the lawyer appointed is not a member of the mortgage company approved list further charges will be levied as separate legal representation will be need by the mortgage company. Bank panel applications can be submitted, so provided your lawyer has not historically applied for membership they should take the chance to apply.

My partner and I are refinancing our penthouse in Bethesda with UBS. We have a son 19 who lives at home. Our solicitor requested us to identify any adults other than ourselves who reside at the property. The solicitor has now sent a form for our son to sign, waiving any legal rights in the event that the flat is forfeited by the lender. I have two questions (1) Is this form unique to the UBS conveyancing panel as he never had to sign this form when we bought 4 years ago (2) In signing this form is our son in any way compromising his right to inherit the property?

First, rest assured that your UBS conveyancing panel solicitor is doing the right thing as it is established procedure for any occupier who is aged 17 or over to sign the necessary Consent Form, which is purely to state that any rights he has in the property are postponed and secondary to UBS. This is solely used to protect UBS if the property were re-possessed so that in such circumstances, your son would be legally obliged to leave. It does not impact your son’s right to inherit the apartment. Please note that if your son were to inherit and the mortgage in favour of UBS had not been discharged, he would be liable to take over the loan or pay it off, but other than that, there is nothing stopping him from keeping the property in accordance with your will or the rules of intestacy.

We are downsizing from our property in Bethesda and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a risk of it being constructed on contaminated land. Any high street Bethesda lawyer would know that there is no such problem. For the life of me I don't know why the purchasers instructed a national conveyancing practice as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Bethesda. Having lived in Bethesda for six years we know that this is a non issue. Should we contact our local Authority to get clarification that there is no issue.

It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing firm currently acting for you. What do they say? You need to check with your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out life insurance to cover that same illness)

I am buying a new build apartment in Bethesda. Conveyancing is daunting at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. What sort of enquires would be asked in new build conveyancing.

Set out below is a sample of a few leasehold new build enquiries that you can expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Bethesda

Will control of the Management Company (if any) be handed over to purchasers on completion of the last sale or earlier? Investor purchasers must be able to freely grant unsecured tenancies at market rents without requiring any consents. The Lease must contain a provision on behalf of the Vendor to pay the service charges in respect of unoccupied units in order to ensure that all services can be provided. The Vendor must covenant to keep unoccupied units in good repair until long leases are granted therefore. Has the Lease plan been approved by the Land Registry and if not when will they be lodged for this purpose?

Am in the process of buying my first property in Bethesda. Conveyancing solicitor has been appointed. The financial consultant pointed out that a survey is not necessary as the house is just 20 yrs old.

You would be well advised to have a Home Buyer's Report. As the premises is over 10 years old the property will not come with a warranty, so you don't want to take a risk. Where a property of this age shows no signs of defects a Home Buyer's report may be sufficient. The report should highlight any apparent issues and suggest additional investigation if relevant. Where there are any signs of problems get a full Building Survey from the beginning.