My fiance and I are hoping to acquire a flat in Risca and have instructed a Risca conveyancing practice. Within the past 48 hours our property lawyer has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through in anticipation of exchanging contracts shortly. Nottingham Building Society have this evening contacted us to advise us that there is now an issue as our Risca solicitor is not on their approved list of lawyers. Is this a problem?

When purchasing a property with the benefit of a mortgage it is normal for the purchasers' solicitors to also represent the purchaser's lender. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your solicitor should contact your lender and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own solicitors to act. You don't have to instruct a firm on the bank's conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Risca solicitors, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it will likely delay the transaction as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.

I am purchasing a flat and need a conveyancing solicitor in Risca who is on the Bank of Scotland solicitor. Can you recommend a local solicitor?

Our service is limited to being a directory service for firms who wish to listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for Bank of Scotland in certain locations such as Risca. We dont recommend any particular firm.

I can see plenty of information on this site about conveyancing in Risca but can you isolate your top tip for selecting the right conveyancer in Risca

Do not opt for the lowest Risca conveyancing fees. You really do get what you pay for when it comes to property lawyers. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you know exactly what you’ll have to pay in ahead of time.

Do I select a Licenced Conveyancer or Solicitor for conveyancing in Risca?

There are two types of lawyers who can conduct conveyancing in Risca namely licenced conveyancers or solicitors. The two can administer conveyancing services that you need to complete the disposal or acquisition of property. They are both required to carry out Risca conveyancing on similar standards and guidelines so you may be safe in the knowledge that your conveyancing will be properly conducted and that the requisite procedures will be suitably followed.

I am selling my flat. I had a double glazing fitted in February 2008, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My purchaser’s lender, Leeds Building Society are being pedantic. The Risca solicitor who is on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel is recommending indemnity insurance as a solution but Leeds Building Society are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do Leeds Building Society have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that Leeds Building Society have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Leeds Building Society may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.

I need some expedited conveyancing in Risca as I have pressure to complete within one month. Thankfully I do not require a mortgage. Is it possible to avoid the conveyancing searches to save fees and time?

As you are not taking a home loan you have the choice not to do searches although no conveyancer would suggest that you don't. Drawing on years of experience of conveyancing in Risca the following are instances of issues that can be revealed and adversely affect market value: Enforcement Notices, Overdue Charges, Overdue Grants, Railway Schemes,...

About to purchase a new build apartment in Risca. Conveyancing is daunting at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build legal work.

Set out below are examples of a selection of leasehold new build enquiries that you may expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Risca

Please confirm the Lease plans are architect prepared. Has the Lease plan been approved by the Land Registry and if not when will they be lodged for this purpose? Please supply evidence that the form of Lease proposed has been approved by the Land Registry. The Landlord must covenant to assume the management if the Management Company goes into liquidation or otherwise defaults in running the management scheme. Please supply a car parking plan.