The vendors of the house we are looking to purchase hired a conveyancing practitioner in Caerphilly who has recommended a exclusivity agreement with a non-refundable deposit 10k. Is it wise to enter into such agreements?

There are a couple of main concerns with signing a lock out agreement (sometimes referred to as a no-shop agreement) is that it takes away the focus from making progress with the conveyancing process, so unless it requires little or no negotiation then it may turn out to be a cause of frustration and delay. It is not strongly advocated by Caerphilly conveyancing lawyers for this reason. A further concern is the extent of the remedies available - a jilted buyer is very unlikely to obtain injunctive relief to prohibit the owner selling to an alternative purchaser, so the only remedy available under the contract will be the reimbursement of abortive charges and, in limited situations, the extra payment of damages.

This question may be naive but I am wet behind the ears as a 1st time purchaser of a garden flat in Caerphilly. Do I receive the keys to the property on the completion date from my lawyer? If so, I will find a local conveyancing solicitor in Caerphilly?

On the day of completion you do not need to go to the conveyancers office in Caerphilly. Conveyancing lawyers for you will transfer the purchase money to the vendor’s lawyers, and shortly after the monies have arrived, you should be invited to receive the keys from the property Agents and start moving into the property. This tends to happen between 1 and 3pm.

Last month we had a mortgage agreed in principle with Co-operative. Caerphilly conveyancing solicitors are chosen. What is the average time that one could expect to receive a mortgage offer from Co-operative?

There is no definitive answer here. Have Co-operative conducted the survey? Have you informed Co-operative as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Co-operative conveyancing panel? Sometimes it can take as long as six weeks for a mortgage offer to be issued.

I recently had an offer accepted on an apartment in Caerphilly. My financial adviser pressured me to appoint their conveyancer. I paid an upfront payment of £200. Not long after, the property lawyer called me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Principality 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 Principality 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 been told that property searches are the main reason for stalling in Caerphilly conveyancing transactions. Is that correct?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) has noted the findings of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure within the most frequent causes of delays in the conveyancing process. Local searches are not likely to feature in any holding up conveyancing in Caerphilly.

Just bought a terraced house in Caerphilly , how long will it take for the Land Registry to deal with the formalities evidencing my title? My Caerphilly conveyancing solicitor works at snail pace, so I want to be certain that my name is recorded.

As far as conveyancing in Caerphilly registration is no quicker or slower than the rest of the country. Rather than based on location, timeframes can vary depending on the party submitting the application, whether it is in order and whether the Land registry communicate with any other persons or bodies. As of today roughly 80% of such applications are fully addressed within 12 days but some can be subject to extensive hold-ups. Historically registration takes place after the new owner is living at the premises therefore 'speed' is not always primary concern yet where there is a degree of urgency associated with the registration then you or your conveyancer could speak with the land registry and explain the circumstances.

I am short of a 10% deposit on my apartment purchase in Caerphilly , but I still want to proceed. What can I do?

You can agree a smaller deposit. Many vendors will agree to a smaller deposit or even no deposit for a first time buyer or 100% mortgage. Be aware though that if you fail to complete you will still need to hand over a minimum of 10% of the purchase price regardless of how much deposit was agreed.

You can also agree a simultaneous exchange and completion as no deposit is required for this however neither party will be tied in until completion actually takes place and it can be risky if sellers change their mind at the last minute