I am 3 weeks into the sale of my home in Flint and the estate agent has just called to advise that the purchasers are appointing a new law firm. The reason given is that the lender will only deal with property lawyers on their approved list. Why would a big named mortgage company only work with specific law firms rather the firm that they want to choose for their conveyancing in Flint ?

Lenders have always had panels of law firms they are content to work with, but in recent years big names such as Santander, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have acted for them for many years.

Banks point to the increase in fraud as the reason for the reduction – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to monitor. Banks tend not to reveal how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Plenty of firms do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. The purchasers are not going to have any sway in the decision.

We were just about to sign contracts for a garden flat in Flint. We encountered a problem. The loan offer with expires on but the owners are putting forward a completion date of . Is it possible to extend the loan expiry date?

The best person to address this concern is your solicitors who is in a position to determine whether he or she is corresponding with the mortgage company, vendor’s solicitors, property agents or possibly all parties based on the history of your house move as of today.

At what point can the exchange of contracts occur in sale conveyancing in Flint and do I need to attend the solicitors office?

Where you are near to our conveyancing solicitors in Flint you are invited in to sign documents. That being said, the firms we recommend supply a nationwide conveyancing service and give just as diligent and professional a job for you when dealing with you electronically. The signing of the contract is not when everything is set in stone. Signing on the dotted line simply enables the firm to exchange contracts at the suitable time, which is ordinarily shortly after signing. The procedure is is usually a five minute process, although where an extended "chain" is in the mix, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in Flint)to be in the office at the appropriate time.

I opted to have a survey carried out on a house in Flint ahead of retaining conveyancers. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold aspect to the house. The surveyor advised that some banks tend not give a loan on such a home.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Bank of Scotland has different instructions for example to Halifax. Should you wish to call us we can investigate further via the relevant mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Flint. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Flint to see if the conveyancing costs will increase in light of this.

I have appointed a Flint conveyancing solicitor for our home move (first time buyers) and have noticed in the Ts and Cs that they are not overseen by the Financial Conduct Authority. Should I be worried or is that usually the case with ?

We can't see why they should be. Most don't lend money. You should check that they are regulated by the SRA, who set specific obligations in relation to amounts deposited in their bank.