My husband and I have arranged a further advance on our home loan from Principality as we want to conduct a loft conversion to our house in Denham. Do we need to select a bricks and mortar Denham solicitor on the Principality conveyancing panel to handle the legals?

Principality don't usually instruct firms on their conveyancing panel to deal with the formalities. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Principality list.

Last month we had a mortgage agreed in principle with Barclays. Denham conveyancing solicitors were chosen. What is the average time that one could expect to receive a mortgage offer from Barclays?

There is no definitive answer here. Have Barclays done the valuation? Have you informed Barclays as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Barclays conveyancing panel? It is not unusual for a mortgage offer to take a month to come through.

I recently had an offer agreed on an apartment in Denham. My mortgage broker pressured me to appoint their solicitor. I paid an on account payment of £175. Soon after, the property lawyer contacted me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Lloyds conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Lloyds panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

My partner and I are selling our home in Denham and according to the buyers it appears that there is a risk of it being built land that was not decontaminated. A high street Denham lawyer would know this is not the case. It does beg the question why the purchasers used a factory type conveyancing outfit as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Denham. We have lived in Denham for six years we know of no issue. Should we contact our local Authority to obtain clarification that there is no issue.

It would appear that you have a conveyancing lawyer already. Are they able to advise? You must enquire of your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out life insurance to cover that same ailment)

How does conveyancing in Denham differ for newly converted properties?

Most buyers of new build residence in Denham contact us having been asked by the builder to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is ready to move into. This is because house builders in Denham typically purchase the site, 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 used to new build conveyancing in Denham or who has acted in the same development.

I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold issue on a house I put an offer in a fortnight ago in what should have been a quick, no chain conveyancing. Denham is the location of the property. Can you shed any light on this issue?

Flying freeholds in Denham are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Denham you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds diligently. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Denham may ascertain that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold property.

My friend mentioned that before selecting a conveyancing firm they must be approved by your lender. I am novice purchaser but I have an AIP with Santander and I already have a high street conveyancing solicitor in Denham at the ready. Will Nat West Bank need an approved lawyer to be selected? If so, where can I find that list for my conveyancing in Denham?

You need to use a solicitor that is on the Nat West Bank panel. Simply call your chosen Denham conveyancing lawyer to check if they are on the Nat West Bank panel. If they are not on the panel you have numerous options open to you here:

• Proceed with your preferred Denham solicitor but Nat West Bank will undoubtedly appoint a lawyer from their approved panel. This will result in additional cost and likely frustration.
• Get a fresh lawyer to conduct the conveyancing, obviously checking they are on the Nat West Bank conveyancing panel.
• Convince your lawyer to do everything possible to get listed on the Nat West Bank panel of solicitors.