I am one month into the sale of my home in Trelogan and the EA has just e-mailed to warn that the purchasers are changing their solicitor. The excuse is that the bank will only deal with property lawyers on their approved list. On what basis would a major lender only work with certain lawyers rather the firm that they want to select to handle their conveyancing in Trelogan ?

Lenders have always had an approved set of law firms that can represent them, but in recent years big names such as Santander, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for over 25 years.

Mortgage companies blame a rise in fraud as the reason for the reduction – criteria have been stiffened as a smaller panel is easier to keep an eye on. Banks tend not to disclose how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that it is being contacted daily by practices that have been removed from panels. Some are unaware that they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. The buyers are unlikely to have any impact on this.

My fiancee and I are buying our first home. Our solicitor has texted usto ask if we want to take out supplemental conveyancing searches. As novices we have no idea as to what's recommended for conveyancing in Trelogan

The type of Trelogan conveyancing searches should be dictated entirely on the property, the location, the likelihood of any of these risks, your knowledge of the region and risks, your overall appetite to risk. What matters is that you properly understand what information each search could provide. You may then make a decision if you consider that you need that search. If unclear, ask the property lawyer to advise.

Will our lawyer be making enquiries about flooding during the conveyancing in Trelogan.

The risk of flooding is if increasing concern for solicitors dealing with homes in Trelogan. Plenty of people will acquire a house in Trelogan, completely aware that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, aside from the physical destruction, where a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, satisfactory insurance cover, or sell the property. There are steps that can be taken as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the purchaser.

Conveyancers are not qualified to offer advice on flood risk, however there are a various checks that can be carried out by the purchaser or by their conveyancers which should figure out the risks in Trelogan. The standard completed inquiry forms given to a buyer’s lawyer (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) includes a standard question of the seller to find out if the property has suffered from flooding. If flooding has previously occurred which is not notified by the owner, then a purchaser may commence a legal claim for losses as a result of such an incorrect reply. A purchaser’s conveyancers may also conduct an environmental search. This should higlight whether there is a recorded flood risk. If so, more detailed inquiries should be made.

My wife and I have a renovated Edwardian property in Trelogan. Conveyancing lawyer acted for me and Godiva Mortgages Ltd. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw two entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold with the exact same property. I'd like to know for sure, how can I find out??

You need to assess the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Trelogan and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they sell they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with purchasers. You can also question the position with the conveyancing lawyer who conducted the work.

I have just appointed agents to market my 2 bed apartment in Trelogan.Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed but I have just had a quarterly service charge demand – Do I pay up?

The sensible thing to do is discharge the maintenance contribution as normal as all ground rent and maintenance invoices will be allottedon completion, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the purchaser for the period running from after the completion date to the subsequent invoice date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer unless the service charges have been paid and are up to date so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially