I am in the process of selling my house in Frant and the EA has just text me to say that the buyers are changing their property lawyer. The excuse is that the lender will only work with property lawyers on their approved list. On what basis would a major mortgage company only work with certain solicitors rather the firm that they want to choose to handle their conveyancing in Frant ?

Lenders have always had an approved set of law firms that can represent them, but in the last few years big names such as HSBC, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have represented them for decades.

Lending institutions attribute this action to a rise in fraud by way of justification for the cull – criteria have been tightened as a smaller panel is easier to maintain. Banks tend not to disclose how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that 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. The purchasers are not going to have any impact on this.

My stepmother advised me that in purchasing a property in Frant there could be various restrictions preventing external changes to a property. Is this right?

There are anumerous of properties in Frant which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to external variations. Part of the conveyancing in Frant should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.

I am purchasing a terrace house in Frant. We would like to carry out a loft conversion at the house.Will the conveyancing process involve investigations to determine if these works are prohibited?

Your property lawyer will check the registered title as conveyancing in Frant will sometimes reveal restrictions in the title documents which prohibit certain works or require the consent of a 3rd party. Many additions call for local authority planning consent and approval under the building regulations. Many locations are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which frequently prevent or affect extensions. You should check these things with a surveyor prior to committing yourself to a purchase.

is it true that all Frant solicitor firms on the Principality conveyancing panel are governed by the SRA?

As solicitors, in order to be on the Principality conveyancing panel they would need to be governed by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. The majority of banks do allow licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such organisation would be overseen by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.

I have recentlyfound out that Stirling Law have been shut down. They conducted my conveyancing in Frant for a purchase of a freehold house 10 months ago. How can I be sure that my home is not still registered in the name of the former proprietor?

The quickest method to see if the property is in your name, you can make a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Frant conveyancing specialists.

My husband and I are FTB’s - had an offer accepted, yet the property agent informed us that the vendor will only issue a contract if we use their chosen conveyancers as they want an ‘expedited deal’. We would rather use a high street solicitor with experience of conveyancing in Frant

It is highly unlikely the owners are driving this. Should the owner desire ‘a quick sale', turning down a motivated buyer is going to damage their objectives. Speak to the owners direct and explain that (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are ready to progress, with finances in place © you do not need to sell (d) you intend to proceed fast (e)but you are going to appoint your preferred Frant conveyancing lawyers - rather thanthose that will give the estate agent a referral fee or meet his conveyancing targets demanded by head office.

I am short of a 10% deposit on my flat purchase in Frant , but I still want to proceed. What can I do?

One option is to try and agree a smaller deposit. Most vendors will agree to a smaller deposit or even no deposit for a first time buyer or 100% mortgage. Be aware though that if you fail to complete you will still need to hand over a minimum of 10% of the purchase price regardless of how much deposit was agreed.

You can also agree a simultaneous exchange and completion as no deposit is required for this however neither party will be tied in until completion actually takes place and it can be risky if sellers change their mind at the last second