My wife and I have recently appointed a conveyancing solicitor in Fforestfach. I I am struggling to find out whether they are accepted on the approved list of lawyers. Can you help?

You should phone the solicitor and enquire whether they can act for the bank. Alternatively please call who may be able to confirm.

I am buying a 4 bedroom semi-detached house in Fforestfach. Our aim is to carry out an extension to the side at the property.Will legal due diligence on the property involve enquiries to determine if these works were previously refused?

Your solicitor should check the deeds as conveyancing in Fforestfach will occasionally identify restrictions in the title documents which prohibit categories of alterations or require the permission of another owner. Certain extensions need local authority planning consent and approval in accordance building regulations. Certain locations are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which frequently prevent or affect extensions. You should check these things with a surveyor ahead of any purchase.

Is it the case that all Fforestfach solicitor practices on the conveyancing panel are regulated by the SRA?

As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the conveyancing panel they would need to be governed by the SRA. The majority of mortgage companies do list licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such practice would be regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.

My sealed bid on a property in Fforestfach has been agreed to, but there is a chain. The sellers have placed an offer on somewhere, however it’s not yet agreed to, and are looking at other flats in the pipeline. I have chosen a local conveyancing solicitor in Fforestfach. What do I do now? At what stage do I apply for the mortgage with ?

It is understandable to have apprehensions where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket prematurely (mortgage application is approx £1k, then valuation, Fforestfach conveyancing search charges, etc). The first thing to do is check that your is on the approved list. As to the next stages this very much depends on the circumstances of your transaction, desire for the property and on the state of the market. In a hot market many purchasers would apply for the mortgage with and pay for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they pay their to proceed with searches.

Do commercial conveyancing searches reveal planned roadworks that may affect a commercial premises in Fforestfach?

Its becoming the norm that commercial conveyancing solicitors in Fforestfach will carry out a SiteSolutions Highways report as it dramatically cuts the time that conveyancers spend in researching accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in Fforestfach. The search result provides definitive data on the adoption status of roads, footpaths and verges, as well as the implication of traffic schemes and the rights of way surrounding a commercial development sites in Fforestfach.

For each commercial conveyancing transaction in Fforestfach it is crucial to investigate the adoption status of roads surrounding a site. Failure to identify developments where adoption procedures have not been dealt with adequately can cause delays to Fforestfach commercial conveyancing transactions as well as present a risk to future plans for the site. These searches are not conducted for domestic conveyancing in Fforestfach.

Due to the input of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a property in Fforestfach ahead of instructing conveyancers. I have been told that there is a flying freehold aspect to the house. Our surveyor has said that some mortgage companies will refuse to give a loan on this type of property.

It depends who your proposed lender is. HSBC has different instructions from Halifax. Should you wish to telephone us we can look into this further with the appropriate mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Fforestfach. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.

My son is embarking on her first house purchase, the home loan was agreed last week in principle. One the seller agreed the offer on the house we rang the mortgage institution to progress the mortgage application. I was disappointed to learn that banks do not accept all , they have to be on a list, is this correct?

Banks normally imposes restrictions either the type or the number of conveyancing firms on their panel. Typical examples of such restriction(s) being that a firm must have two or more partners. In addition to restricting the type of firm, some have decided to limit the number of firms they use to represent them. You should note that lenders have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any Fforestfach on their panel. Mortgage fraud was a key driver in the rationalisation of conveyancing panels a few years ago and whilst there are differing views about the extent of solicitor involvement in some of that fraud. Statistics from the Land Registry reveal that thousands of law firms only carry out one or two conveyances a year. Those supporting conveyancing panel cuts ask why law firms should have the right to be on a Lender panel when clearly, conveyancing is not their speciality. To put it another way; would you want a conveyancing solicitor to represent you if you were charged with a crime? Presumably not.