Is the fact that my solicitor in Conwy is not on my bank's conveyancing panel that there is a problem with the standard of his conveyancing?
It would be unwise to jump to that conclusion. There are all sorts of perfectly reasonable explanations. Just recently a report by the solicitors regulator revealed 76% of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The most common reasons for removal are: (1) low volume of transactions (2) the solicitor is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. If you are concerned you should contact the Conwy conveyancing firm and enquire why they are no longer on the approved list for your lender.
My partner and I are acquiring our first property. Our solicitor has texted usto see if we would like to take out additional conveyancing searches. We are really unsure what's appropriate for conveyancing in Conwy
The type of Conwy conveyancing searches depends entirely on the premises, the location, the possibility of any of these risks, your knowledge of the region and risks, your general appetite to risk. What is important is that you adequately comprehend what information each search could supply. You may then decide if you consider that you need that search. Where you are unclear, ask your property lawyer to recommend.
It is is a decade since I bought my property in Conwy. Conveyancing solicitors have recently been retained on the sale but I can't find the title documents. Is this a problem?
Don’t worry too much. Firstly the deeds may be with the lender or they could stored with the lawyers who oversaw the purchase. Secondly in most cases the property will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to establish that you own the property by your conveyancing lawyers acquiring current official copies of the land registers. Nearly all conveyancing in Conwy involves registered property but in the unlikely event that your property is unregistered it adds to the complexity but is resolvable.
Should my conveyancer be making enquiries concerning flooding during the conveyancing in Conwy.
The risk of flooding is if increasing concern for solicitors carrying out conveyancing in Conwy. There are those who purchase a house in Conwy, fully aware that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, leaving to one side the physical destruction, if a house is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, adequate insurance cover, or sell the property. There are steps that can be taken as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the purchaser.
Solicitors are not best placed to offer advice on flood risk, but there are a various searches that can be undertaken by the buyer or by their conveyancers which can figure out the risks in Conwy. The conventional set of information sent to a purchaser’s conveyancer (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) contains a usual question of the vendor to find out if the property has ever been flooded. If flooding has previously occurred which is not disclosed by the owner, then a purchaser could issue a legal claim for losses as a result of such an incorrect response. The buyer’s solicitors may also order an environmental report. This will disclose whether there is a recorded flood risk. If so, additional investigations will need to be made.
Are Conwy conveyancing solicitors duty bound by the Law Society to issue clear conveyancing figures?
Contained within the Solicitors Code of Conduct are set rules and regulations as to how the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) allow solicitors to publicise their charges to clients.The Law Society have practice note giving advice on how to publicise transparent charges to avoid breaching any such rule. Practice notes are not legal advice issued by the Law Society and is not intended as the only standard of good practice a conveyancing solicitor should adhere to. The Practice Note does, nevertheless, represent the Law Society’s perspective of acceptable practice for publicising conveyancing charges, and accordingly it’s a recommended read for any solicitor or conveyancer in Conwy or beyond.