we are a couple who are hoping to buy a newly converted apartment in Llwyngwril with a residential mortgage from Nottingham Building Society.We have a Llwyngwril conveyancing practitioner but Nottingham Building Society advised that she’s not on their "panel". we are left little option but to use a Nottingham Building Society panel lawyer or retain our preferred solicitor and fork out for one of their panel ones to act for them. This seems very unfair; is there anything we can do?

Unfortunately,no. The home loan issued to you is subject to its terms and conditions, a common one being that conveyancers will be on the Nottingham Building Society approved list. in the past, most banks had large numbers of solicitors on their panels: a borrower could find one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for Nottingham Building Society

Will our conveyancer be raising enquiries about flooding as part of the conveyancing in Llwyngwril.

Flooding is a growing risk for conveyancers dealing with homes in Llwyngwril. Some people will acquire a property in Llwyngwril, completely aware that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, leaving to one side the physical destruction, where a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, adequate building insurance, or dispose of the premises. There are steps that can be taken as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the purchaser.

Solicitors are not qualified to offer advice on flood risk, but there are a number of checks that may be carried out by the purchaser or by their solicitors which should figure out the risks in Llwyngwril. The conventional set of information sent to a purchaser’s lawyer (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) includes a standard question of the owner to find out whether the property has ever been flooded. If flooding has previously occurred which is not revealed by the owner, then a buyer could issue a legal claim for losses as a result of such an incorrect response. A buyer’s lawyers should also conduct an enviro search. This should disclose if there is a recorded flood risk. If so, more detailed investigations should be conducted.

I was pointed in your direction by a number of property agents in Llwyngwril to get a quote from a conveyancer on your site. Is there a financial upside for Estate Agents to promote your services over and above alternative conveyancing organisations?

We refuse to offer any commission for directing people our way. We thought it would be too underhand a fee as home movers will think, ‘Why is the agent getting a kickback? Why aren’t I getting any benefit too?’ So we decided to step away from that.

Last November I purchased a leasehold property in Llwyngwril. Do I have any liability for service charges for periods before my ownership?

Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to ensure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

Llwyngwril Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Queries before buying

Is the freehold reversion owned collectively by the tenants? If a Llwyngwril lease has less than 80 years it will impact the salability of the apartment. It is worth checking with your bank that they are willing to lend given the lease term. A short lease means that you will most likely require a lease extension sooner rather than later and you need to have some idea of what this would cost. Remember, in most cases you would be required to have owned the premises for two years in order to be entitled to exercise a lease extension. How much is the yearly service fee and ground rent?

I have selected a Llwyngwril conveyancing solicitor for our house purchase (novice purchasers) and have picked up in the terms and conditions that they are not covered by the FCA. Need I be worried or is that standard with conveyancer?

We can't see why they should be. Most conveyancer don't lend money. You should check that they are governed by the SRA, who dictate specific conditions in place on monies held on client account.