Just contacted my conveyancing solicitor in Barry who conducted the legals 18 months ago and wanted a conveyancing costs illustration based on the same type of house move (a leasehold residence and a freehold property) of almost identical values with a home loan from National Westminster Bank. It looks as though am now being quoted double. Am I right to be tempted to shop around for an alternative property lawyer?

The quote is slightly on the expensive side. Where you are prepared to invest time comparing charges you may be able to shave off some of the expense by as much as £125. On the other hand, if you were satisfied with the assistance the firm offered you couldlive to rue choosing an an untested conveyancer. Remember to enquire that the firm can represent National Westminster Bank. You can utilise our search tool to select a Barry conveyancing firm on the National Westminster Bank approved list of lawyers, which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Barry.

What happens if my lawyer’s firm is expelled from the Bank of Ireland Conveyancing panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in Barry?

First, this is a very rare occurrence. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have to instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by a regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit for a fee.

If you had a top tip for choosing a conveyancing solicitor in Barry what would it be?

We would encourage you not to base your choice on the cheapest Barry 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 go into the conveyancing with your eyes wide open.

How can we tell if a Barry conveyancing solicitor on the Principality panel is any good?

When it comes to conveyancing in Barry obtaining recommendations is a sensible starting point. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one which is cheap as chips. We would always suggest that you speak with the solicitor carrying out your transaction.

We are getting the release of further monies on our mortgage from Clydesdale as we wish to carry out renovations to our home in Barry. Are we obliged to choose a local Barry solicitor on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel to deal with the paperwork?

Clydesdale would not normally instruct a member of their conveyancing panel to handle such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel.

My wife and I have a renovated Edwardian property in Barry. Conveyancing practitioner acted for me and Alliance & Leicester . I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw two entries: the first freehold, another for leasehold with the matching property. Is it worth asking Alliance & Leicester to clarify?

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

I'm buying a new build house in Barry with a mortgage from National Westminster Bank. The builders refused to reduce the amount so I negotiated 6k of additionals instead. The sale representative told me not disclose to my conveyancer about this extras as it could put at risk my loan with the bank. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

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.