I am selling my maisonette in Betws Y Coed and the estate agent has just text me to say that the buyers are changing their property lawyer. The reason given is that the bank will only deal with property lawyers on their conveyancing panel. On what basis would a leading lender only engage with certain solicitors rather the firm that they want to select for their conveyancing in Betws Y Coed ?

UK lenders have always had an approved set of law firms that can represent them, but in the last few years big names such as Lloyds Banking Group, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have acted for them for more than 15 years.

Lending institutions blame a rise in fraud by way of justification for the pruning – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to oversee. Banks tend not to disclose how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Some do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. The buyers are unlikely to have any sway in the decision.

When can the exchange of contracts take place for domestic conveyancing in Betws Y Coed and am I required to attend the lawyers office?

If you are in close proximity to our conveyancing solicitors in Betws Y Coed you are welcome to come in to sign contracts. However, the lender approved solicitors we recommend supply a countrywide conveyancing service and provide as equally comprehensive and professional a job for you when communicating with you electronically. The executing of the contract is not the important part. A signed contract simply enables the firm to officially exchange when the time is right, which is ordinarily shortly after signing. The procedure is nowadays normally dealt with by telephone and can be very rapid, although where a lengthy "chain" is involved, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in Betws Y Coed)to be in the office available at the end of the phone to exchange contracts.

The formalities of my purchase has taken place for my property in Betws Y Coed. Conveyancing was of an acceptable standard but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. Who do I contact should I wish to lodge a complaint?

Almost all banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Department at head office. We understand that complaints to a lender are resolved effectively and efficiently. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR who will take matters further.

I recently had an offer accepted on an apartment in Betws Y Coed. My mortgage broker suggested a solicitor. I paid an upfront payment of £200. A couple of days later, the conveyancer called me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Yorkshire BS 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 Yorkshire BS 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.

Our sealed bid on a property in Betws Y Coed has been accepted, the owners do however have a tied purchase. The vendors have placed an offer on a flat, but it’s not yet agreed to, and are looking at other flats booked. I have instructed a bricks and mortar conveyancing solicitor in Betws Y Coed. What should be my next step? When do I get the mortgage application with Skipton started?

It is usual to have concerns where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket too early (mortgage application is approx £1k, then valuation, Betws Y Coed conveyancing search fees, etc). The first course of action is to ensure that your solicitor is on the Skipton approved list. Regarding the next steps this very much depends on the uniqueness of your case, motivation for the property and on the state of the market. In a rising market the majority of purchasers would apply for a home loan with Skipton and pay for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they request their lawyer to press on with searches.

I need some quick conveyancing in Betws Y Coed as I am under pressure to complete within 3 weeks. A mortgage is not required. Can I escape the need for conveyancing searches to save money and time?

If.Given you are are a mortgage free purchaser you have the choice not to do searches although no lawyer would recommend that you don't. With lots of history conveyancing in Betws Y Coed the following are instances of issues that can show up and therefore impact future saleability: Refused Planning Applications, Overdue Charges, Outstanding Grants, Road Schemes,...

I was recommended by a number of estate agents in Betws Y Coed to choose a solicitor using your seach tool. Is there a financial inducement for Estate Agents to recommend your services rather than another?

We don’t make any commission for directing people in our direction. We thought it would be too underhand to pay a commission because a client could think, ‘Why is the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not receiving any benefit too?’ So we decided to step away from that.