Our conveyancer has identified a a problem with the lease for the property we are buying in Dunvant. The seller’s lawyers have offered defective title insurance as a solution. We are happy with insurance and will pay for it. Our conveyancing practitioner says that he must ensure that the mortgage company is willing to move forward with this solution. Are we the client or is the bank?

The short answer to your last question is that, notwithstanding the risk of a conflict of interest, you and the lender are the client. Your lawyer must comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook provisions. The UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook conditions require your lawyer to disclose issues such as defects with the lease so that the lender can be afforded the opportunity to check with their valuer as to the extent that the value of the property is affected. Should you refuse to allow your lawyer to make the appropriate notification then your conveyancing practitioner will have no choice but to discontinue acting for you.

I am considering applying for a Kent Reliance mortgage for purchase of a new build (under development) in Dunvant with 60% loan to value. Is it compulsory to choose a solicitor on the conveyancing panel for Kent Reliance ?

There is nothing to stop you using your solicitor, but Kent Reliance will insist on their interests being represented by a firm on their conveyancing panel. There is greater potential for delays and confusion with an additional lawyer added to the mix, and it will undoubtedly be more expensive too.

The formalities of my remortgage has taken place for my property in Dunvant. Conveyancing was satisfactory but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. Who do I contact should I wish to lodge a complaint?

Almost all lenders have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Team at head office. In most cases complaints to a lender are sorted out effectively and efficiently. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service who will take matters further.

I had an offer accepted on a property in Dunvant on 9/7/2025, valuation was booked 4 days after, received a clean bill of health. Conveyancer instructed, so the only thing outstanding was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Clydesdale and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel. Can the lender hold off the offer?

A lender would not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Clydesdale to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.

I've read lots of mortgage guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Dunvant solicitor - who is on the Barclays conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?

Barclays will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Barclays will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your conveyancer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Dunvant postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Barclays, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Dunvant.

Expecting to complete next month on a ground floor flat in Dunvant. Conveyancing lawyers assured me that they will have a report out to me on Monday. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

Your report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Dunvant should include some of the following:

The total ownership of the premises. This may be the apartment itself but may include a loft or storage are if applicable. Information as to the provision as set out in the lease to to contribute towards maintenance costs - in respect of the block, and the more general rights a tenant enjoys Responsibility for maintaining the window frames How long the lease is. You should receive guidance as what happens when the lease ends, and informed of the importance of not letting the lease term falling below eighty years Defining your legal entitlements in relation to common areas in the block.For example, does the lease permit a right of way over an accessway or staircase?

Leasehold Conveyancing in Dunvant - Sample of Questions you should consider before buying

Are there any major works on the horizon that could increase the maintenance fees? The best form of lease structure is if the freehold title is owned by the leaseholders. In this scenario the tenants have being in charge if their destiny and notwithstanding that a managing agent is usually employed where the building is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent retained by the leaseholders. Please note if it is fewer than 80 years it will impact the marketability of the apartment. It is worth checking with your lender that they are content with the length of the lease. Leases with less than 80 years remaining means that you will probably have to extend the lease sooner rather than later and you need to have some idea of how much this would cost. Remember, in most cases you would need to own the premises for a couple of years in order to be legally able to extend the lease.

A conveyancing company acted on my conveyancing in Dunvant half a dozen years past having archived my deeds but has now closed – how do I get hold of these?

Title deeds, as such, are no longer appropriate for most properties in Dunvant are archived electronically at Land Registry. If you need to establish ownership or are disposing of or re-mortgaging your lawyer should obtain up to date copies of the register from the Land Registry in any case.

If you feel there may be other documents or you have any other queries please e-mail your request with details of the transaction and documents you need to filerequest@clc-uk.org. The CLC will let you know what information they have and any additional information they may need before they are in a position to identify and send the documents to you. Following an intervention it may take some time for the CLC to access archived files and documents, but your request will be actioned with reasonable haste.