I am in the process of selling my apartment in Cwmcarn and the estate agent has just e-mailed to warn that the purchasers are switching property lawyer. The reason given is that the bank will only deal with solicitors on their approved list. On what basis would a big named mortgage company only work with certain solicitors rather the firm that they want to appoint for their conveyancing in Cwmcarn ?

UK lenders have always had an approved set of law firms that can represent them, but in the past few years big names such as Yorkshire Building Society, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have represented them for many years.

Mortgage companies point to the increase in fraud as the reason for the cull – criteria have been tightened as a smaller panel is easier to keep an eye on. No lender will say how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is being contacted daily by practices that have been removed from panels. Some are unaware that they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. Your purchasers are not going to have any impact on this.

Do I need to visit the offices of the solicitor to sign the mortgage deed? If so, I will appoint a lawyer who conducts conveyancing in Cwmcarn so that I can attend their offices if required.

Whereas this was necessary twenty years ago, almost all lenders no longer oblige their conveyancing panel solicitor to witness the mortgagors signature. You will still be obliged to provide ID documents and there are still distinct advantages to using a local solicitor, in your case a conveyancing solicitor in Cwmcarn.

4 months have elapsed following my purchase conveyancing in Cwmcarn completed. I have checked the Land Registry site which shows that I paid £200,000 when infact I paid £170,000. Why the discrepancy?

The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the residence from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.

I am buying my first flat in Cwmcarn benefiting from help to buy. The sellers refused to budge the price so I negotiated 6k of additionals instead. The house builders rep advised me not to tell my lawyer about the side-deal as it may impact my loan with the lender. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

I am looking for a flat up to £195,000 and found one near me in Cwmcarn I like with open areas and transport links in the vicinity, however it only has 49 years on the lease. There is not much else in Cwmcarn suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a lease with such few years left?

If you require a home loan the remaining unexpired lease term will be an issue. Reduce the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current proprietor has owned the property for at least 2 years you may request that they commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer concerning this.