Can you clarify what the consequences are if my lawyer’s firm is expelled from the Kent Reliance Conveyancing panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in Knaresborough?

First, this is very unlikely to happen. 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 at a cost.

This question may be naive but I am new to the home moving as FTB of a garden flat in Knaresborough. Do I receive the keys to the property on the completion date from my solicitor? If this is the case, I will find a High Street conveyancing solicitor in Knaresborough?

There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Your solicitors will electronically transfer the purchase money to the seller's conveyancers, and once they have received this, you should be called to pick up the keys from the property Agents and start moving into the property. This tends to happen early afternoon.

I'm the sole recipient of my late father’s estate with all property in now in my sole name, including the my former home in Knaresborough. Conveyancing formalities meant that the Land Registry date was in June. I want to move. I do know about the Mortgage Lenders 6 month 'rule', meaning my proprietorship could be treated the same way as if I'd bought the house in June. Will no one buy the property for half a year?

The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ handbook instructs conveyancers to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." Technically you may be impacted by that. How practical a view mortgage companies take of it, depend on the lender as this requirement is primarily there to pick up on the purchase and immediately sell or the wholesaling and assigning of properties.

After much negotiation I have agreed a price on an apartment in Knaresborough. My financial adviser suggested a conveyancer. I paid an advanced payment of £175. A couple of days later, the conveyancing practitioner contacted me sheepishly admitting 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.

Will our conveyancer be raising enquiries concerning flooding as part of the conveyancing in Knaresborough.

Flooding is a growing risk for conveyancers dealing with homes in Knaresborough. Plenty of people will buy a property in Knaresborough, completely aware that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, aside from the physical damage, where a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, adequate building insurance, or sell the premises. There are steps that can be taken during the course of a house purchase to forewarn the purchaser.

Solicitors are not qualified to offer advice on flood risk, but there are a number of searches that may be undertaken by the purchaser or by their conveyancers which should give them a better appreciation of the risks in Knaresborough. The standard property information forms supplied to a buyer’s solicitor (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) includes a standard inquiry of the owner to find out if the property has suffered from flooding. If flooding has previously occurred which is not disclosed by the vendor, then a buyer could issue a compensation claim resulting from an incorrect reply. A buyer’s conveyancers will also conduct an environmental report. This should higlight whether there is any known flood risk. If so, more detailed inquiries will need to be carried out.

Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to our home are lost. The solicitors who handled the conveyancing in Knaresborough 5 years ago no longer exist. What do I do?

Gone are the days when you need to have the physical deeds to establish that you are the owner of your registered land or property, given that the Land Registry have everything they need in a digital format.

Is it best to instruct a Knaresborough conveyancing practitioner in close proximity to the house I am buying? We have a good friend who can execute the conveyancing but they are based approximately 350miles drive away.

The benefit of a high street Knaresborough conveyancing practice is that you can visit the firm to sign paperwork, deliver your ID and pester them if necessary. Having local Knaresborough know how is a bonus. However it's more important to get someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If if people you trust used your friend and they were content that should trump using an unfamiliar Knaresborough conveyancing solicitor just because they are based in the area.