I am progressing with the sale of my ground floor flat in Wenvoe and the EA has just e-mailed to say that the purchasers are swapping conveyancer. I am told that this is due to the fact that the bank will only deal with solicitors on their approved list. On what basis would a leading mortgage company only deal with certain lawyers rather the firm that they want to select to handle their conveyancing in Wenvoe ?

Banks have always had panels of law firms they are willing to work with, but in the past few years big names such as Nationwide, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have represented them for many years.

Banks point to the increase in fraud by way of justification for the reduction – criteria have been stiffened as a smaller panel is easier to monitor. No lender will say how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that it is hearing daily from firms 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 sway in the decision.

We decided to purchase a newly converted flat in Wenvoe with a loan from .We use our Wenvoe conveyancing lawyer but advised that her practice is not listed on their approved list of member firms. We have to appoint a panel lawyer or retain our preferred solicitor and fork out for one of their panel ones to act for them. We feel as though this is unjust; Can we not simply insist that use our lawyer?

Unfortunately,no. The loan offered to you contains terms and conditions, a common one being that lawyers must be on the approved list. in the past, most mortgage companies had large numbers of solicitors on their panels: a borrower could find one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. A further alternative is for your solicitors to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for

How does conveyancing in Wenvoe differ for newly converted properties?

Most buyers of new build residence in Wenvoe come to us having been asked by the housebuilder to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is completed. This is because house builders in Wenvoe typically purchase the land, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancing solicitors as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are accustomed to new build conveyancing in Wenvoe or who has acted in the same development.

Due to the input of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a house in Wenvoe ahead of appointing conveyancers. I have been told that there is a flying freehold overhang to the property. Our surveyor advised that some banks will not grant a mortgage on a flying freehold house.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Bank of Scotland has different instructions from Nationwide. Should you wish to telephone us we can check with the relevant bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Wenvoe. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Wenvoe especially if they regularly deal with such properties in Wenvoe.

Estate agents have just been given the go-ahead to market my 2 bed apartment in Wenvoe. Conveyancing has not commenced, however I have recently had a quarterly maintenance charge invoice – what should I do?

The sensible thing to do is discharge the invoice as usual given that all ground rent and maintenance invoices will be allotted as part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the buyer 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. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

Wenvoe Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Questions you should ask Prior to buying

Its a good idea to find out as much as possible concerning the company managing the building as they will either make your living at the property much easier or uncomfortable. Being a leasehold owner you will be in the clutches of the managing agents from a financial perspective and when it comes to day to day matters such as the tidiness of the common parts. Enquire of other people if they are happy with them. In conclusion, be sure you discover the dates that the service charges are due to the appropriate party and precisely what it includes. Is the freehold owned collectively by the tenants? Where a Wenvoe lease has no more than 80 years it will affect the salability of the apartment. It is worth checking with your lender that they are willing to go ahead with the loan given the lease term. A short lease means that you will probably require a lease extension sooner rather than later and it is worth finding out how much this will be. For most Wenvoelease extensions you will be be obliged to have been the owner of the residence for two years before you are eligible to extend the lease.