We're in Porthleven, First timers purchasing with a mortgage (lender is Coventry BS , and our solicitor is on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?

The fact that your lawyer is on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no property lawyer should guarantee a timeframe for your conveyancing, due to third parties outside of your control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain.

We are purchasing a flat in Porthleven. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a lawyer? On the day of competition we will need to send our life savings into their account. What protection do we have from them run away with our money?

Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.

When it comes to mortgage companies such as Yorkshire BS, do Porthleven solicitors incur an annual charge to be on the list of approved solicitors?

We are not aware of any lender fees to register on their list of approved firms, although some do levy an administration fee to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.

I currently have a mortgage with RBS for my property in Porthleven. Conveyancing was finalised 12 months ago. In the event that I decide to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a BTL mortgage or inform RBS?

RBS must be informed of your intention prior to renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of RBS’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will permit you to let out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact RBS directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a RBS conveyancing panel firm.

I am intent on selling our house in Porthleven and according to the buyers it appears that there is a risk of it being built land that was not decontaminated. A local conveyancer would know that there is no such problem. For the life of me I don't know why the buyers are using a national conveyancing practice as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Porthleven. We have lived in Porthleven for 5 years we know that this is a non issue. Is it a good idea to get in touch with our local Authority to obtain clarification that the buyers are looking for.

It would appear that you have a conveyancing firm currently acting for you. What do they say? You should 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 life insurance to cover that same sickness)

Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to my home can not be found. The lawyers who handled the conveyancing in Porthleven 4 years ago no longer exist. Will I be able to sell the house?

You no longer need to have the physical original deeds to establish that you are the registered proprietor of land or property, given that the Land Registry have everything they need in a digital format.

I see that you have a search directory listing solicitors on the bank conveyancing panel. Do Porthleven conveyancing companies pay you a referral fee if I appoint them for my own conveyancing?

We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the lender conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to the any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in Porthleven.