Me and my partner are buying a 2 bedroom flat in Penylan with a mortgage. We have a Penylan conveyancer, however the lender says he's not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the mortgage company panel solicitors or keep our Penylan conveyancer and pay for one of their panel firms to represent them. This seems very unfair; can we not require that the bank use our Penylan solicitor ?

Unfortunately,no. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the bank’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose 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 Penylan conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

Do lenders provide you with an approved list of Penylan conveyancing solicitors? How do you know who is on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel?

Penylan conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Bank of Ireland directly.

We are planning on selling our home in Penylan and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a possibility that the property was built land that was not decontaminated. Any high street Penylan lawyer would know this is not the case. For the life of me I don't know why the purchasers instructed a national conveyancing firm as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Penylan. Having lived in Penylan for six years we know that this is a non issue. Is it a good idea to contact our local Authority to obtain confirmation need.

It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing firm already. Are they able to advise? You must check with your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out health insurance to cover that same sickness)

I have justfound out that Stirling Law have closed. They conducted my conveyancing in Penylan for a purchase of a leasehold flat 12 months ago. How can I check that the property is in my name in the name of the former proprietor?

The easiest way to check if the premises is registered to you, 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 Penylan conveyancing specialists.

I have recently realised that I have 68 years remaining on my flat in Penylan. I need to get lease extension but my landlord is missing. What options are available to me?

If you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be extended by the magistrate. However, you will be required to prove that you or your lawyers have used your best endeavours to find the landlord. In some cases an enquiry agent may be useful to conduct investigations and to produce an expert document to be accepted by the court as proof that the landlord can not be located. It is advisable to get professional help from a conveyancer both on devolving into the landlord’s disappearance and the application to the County Court covering Penylan.

Penylan Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Queries before Purchasing

What restrictions exist in the Penylan Lease? How long is the Lease? How many of the leaseholders are in arrears for their service charge payments?