Can you help? My Cwmbran lawyer is advising me that she is duty bound toapply for Cwmbran conveyancing searches asthe firm are on the Santanderapproved lawyer panel. These Cwmbran checks cost a lot of money can this be avoided?

Unfortunately both you and your lawyer have little choice here. Given that you are taking out a loan with a mortgage company your lawyer has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your solicitor would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of your bank’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to comply with the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook provisions . Even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out Cwmbran conveyancing searches.

We expect to receive a DIP from Coventry BS this week so we can work out what to offer on a property we like as otherwise we are dependent on web based calculators (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Coventry BS recommend any Cwmbran solicitors on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel, or is it better to go independently?

You will need to appoint Cwmbran solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Coventry BS through the process.

My fiancee and I are in the process of looking at houses in Cwmbran and I am now considering a potential offer. Should I already have a property lawyer in place at this point? I am planning to take a mortgage with Nationwide.

You should start requesting conveyancing estimates from solicitors ASAP. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and forward their details on to the EA. As you are taking out a mortgage with Nationwide, make sure you remember to check that your lawyer is on the Nationwide conveyancing panel.

After shopping around on the internet I have found a Cwmbran solicitor having made sure that they are on the Principality conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?

Principality will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Principality will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your conveyancer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Cwmbran postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Principality, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Cwmbran.

I have been told that property searches are the primary reason for hinderance in Cwmbran house deals. Is this right?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) has noted the determinations of research by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure within the common causes of delays in the conveyancing process. Local searches are not likely to be the root cause of slowing down conveyancing in Cwmbran.

Taking into account that I am about to part with £400,000 on 3 bedroom house in Cwmbran I would like to talk to a solicitor about myhouse move before giving the go ahead to the firm. Is this something that you can arrange?

Absolutely - it is our preference to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you liaising with the solicitor due to be conducting your conveyancing in Cwmbran.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - each client is unique person, not a matter reference. The practices that we put you in touch with believe that the figure you are calculated and presented to you for residential conveyancing in Cwmbran should be the amount on the final invoice that you end up paying.

How easy is it to change a solicitor as I need to find a Cwmbran based one who is on the bank conveyancing panel. How simple is it to change conveyancer?

In the event that you have not formally appointed a solicitor to start work and at this stage simply received an estimate as to costs, you're perfectly free to choose a different solicitor to carry out your work for you. The best way is to get recommendations from friends or family who have actually used the solicitor or conveyancer in Cwmbran that you're considering.