I am nearing exchange of contracts for my home in Glan Conwy and the estate agent has just telephoned to advise that the buyers are changing their conveyancer. The reason given is that the lender will only engage with solicitors on their conveyancing panel. On what basis would a major lender only deal with certain law firms rather the firm that they want to appoint for their conveyancing in Glan Conwy ?

UK lenders have always had panels of law firms that can represent them, but in the last few years big names such as Santander, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for many years.

Mortgage companies attribute this action to a rise in fraud by way of justification for the pruning – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to monitor. Banks tend not to disclose how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Some do not even realise 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 not going to have any sway in the decision.

We note that you have a search directory identifying law firms on the Lloyds conveyancing panel. Do firms pay you a referral fee if I retain them for our own conveyancing in Glan Conwy?

We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the Lloyds conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in Glan Conwy.

I got the keys to my flat on 11 November and my personal details are still not registered. Should I be concerned? My conveyancing solicitor in Glan Conwy advises it will be concluded in less than a month. Are properties in Glan Conwy uniquely lengthy to register?

There is nothing unique when it comes to conveyancing in Glan Conwy registration formalities. Rather than based on location, timescales can vary depending on the party submitting the application, whether it is in order and whether the Land registry communicate with any third persons or bodies. Currently approximately 80% of such applications are fully dealt with in less than three weeks but some can be subject to protracted delays. Registration occurs once the new owner has moved in to the property therefore registration formalities is not usually top priority but where there is a degree of urgency associated with the registration then you or your solicitor can communicate with the Registry to express the reasoning for the application to be prioritised.

I decided to have a survey carried out on a house in Glan Conwy ahead of retaining conveyancers. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold element to the property. The surveyor advised that some banks tend refuse to give a loan on this type of house.

It depends who your proposed lender is. HSBC has different requirements for example to Nationwide. If you contact us we can check with the relevant lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Glan Conwy. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Glan Conwy to see if the conveyancing will be more expensive.

I need to instruct a conveyancing practitioner in Glan Conwy for my house move. Can I see a solicitor's record with the profession’s regulator?

You can see presented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions resulting from investigations from 2008 onwards. Visit Check a solicitor's record. For records about the period before 1 January 2008, or to check a firm's history, call 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. For non-uk callers, call +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA sometimes monitor call for training purposes.