I was advised recently by my mortgage adviser that my Conwy property lawyer is not on the bank Conveyancing panel. What can I do to check?

Your first step should be to call your Conwy lawyer directly. It is reasonable to expect your lawyer to inform you of the situation. Where they are not on the panel they may recommend you to a Conwy conveyancing firm that is on the approved list of lawyers for your bank.

Can conveyancing in Conwy to be completed within 3 weeks?

In a situation where the seller is applying pressure for your conveyancing we would recommend that your lawyer is familiar with the location as they will have local contacts and knowledge. It is possible that they would have handled previoushomes in the same street. You would be best advised to use a Conwy conveyancing solicitor. Second, double check that the lawyer is on the on the approved list for your mortgage company. It is estimated that 18% of Conwy conveyancing deals are suspended or derailed after discovering a purchaser’s solicitor was not on their banks member panel. This can often result in the legal transfer of property being held up by as much as 21 days. It is understood that this issue impacts approximately 100,000 home moves annually. Most Conwy conveyancing practices can not represent certain banks so do check as early as possible.

Me and my brother own a renovated Georgian house in Conwy. Conveyancing practitioner acted for me and HSBC Bank. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw two entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold under the matching property. I'd like to know for sure, how can I find out??

You need to assess the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Conwy and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they remortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with buyers. You can also question the situation with the conveyancing lawyer who conducted the purchase.

Just had an offer accepted on a new build flat in Conwy. Conveyancing is a frightening process at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build legal work.

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

Will the freehold then be transferred for a nominal consideration (not exceeding £100) to the Management Company? Please provide evidence that the form of Lease proposed has been approved by the Land Registry. Has the Lease plan been approved by the Land Registry and if not when will they be lodged for this purpose? 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.

I was advised by a number of selling agents in Conwy to choose a property lawyer using your seach tool. What’s the financial upside for Estate Agents to promote your lawyers over and above alternative conveyancing organisations?

We refuse to make any referral fee for sending work our way. We thought it would be too underhand to pay a commission because home movers will think, ‘How come the agent getting a kickback? Why aren’t I getting any benefit too?’ So we decided to step away from that.