Is the fact that my solicitor in Rumney is not on my lender's solicitor panel that there is a problem with the quality of her work?

That would more than likely be a wrong assumption to make. There are plenty of plausible explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator indicated 76% of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The most common reasons for removal are: (1) lack of transactions (2) the lawyer is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. Should you be concerned you should simply call the Rumney conveyancing firm and enquire why they are no longer on the approved list for your lender.

Can the conveyancing lawyers identified through your search tool handle auction conveyancing in Rumney?

There are a number of auction practitioners we can put you in touch with those who can conduct auction conveyancing. Rumney is just one of the many areas of where our lawyers have a presence.

I am assisting my step-mother sell her house in Rumney. Will the conveyancer order an energy performance certificate or it is for the seller to see to?

Following the abolition of HIPs, energy performance certificates was left as a required element of selling a house. An EPC should be commissioned before the property is marketed. This is not a task that solicitors ordinarily arrange. If you are using a Rumney conveyancing solicitor they might be willing to arrange EPC’s due to their contacts with long established local providers

My fiancee and I are in the process of viewing houses in Rumney and I am now considering a potential offer. Should I already have a conveyancing practitioner appointed at this stage? I am planning to take a mortgage with Nottingham.

It would be prudent to start your search sooner rather than later. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their details on to the estate agent. Given that you are taking out a mortgage with Nottingham, make sure you remember to check that your lawyer is on the Nottingham conveyancing panel.

After much negotiation I have agreed a price on an apartment in Rumney. My mortgage broker recommended their conveyancers. I paid an upfront payment of £200. Soon after, the lawyer called me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Coventry BS panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

I am purchasing a new build house in Rumney with the aid of help to buy. The developers would not reduce the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of extras instead. The property agent told me not inform my solicitor about this deal as it will affect my loan with Yorkshire Building Society. Is this normal?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

As co-executor for the estate of my aunt I am selling a house in Swansea but reside in Rumney. My lawyer (who is 300 kilometers from merequires that I execute a stat dec before the transaction finalising. Can you recommend a conveyancing lawyer in Rumney who can attest this legal document for me?

strictly speaking you should not be required to have the documents witnessed by a conveyancing solicitor. Ordinarily any notary public or qualified solicitor will suffice regardless of whether they are based in Rumney