It is 10 years ago since I acquired my property in Usk. Conveyancing solicitors have recently been retained on the sale but I can't find the deeds. Is this a problem?

You need not be too concerned. Firstly the deeds may be with the mortgage company or they could still be with the solicitor who handled the purchase. Secondly the chances are that the title will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to prove you are the registered owner by your conveyancing solicitors acquiring up to date copy of the land registers. The vast majority of conveyancing in Usk relates to registered property but in the unlikely event that your property is unregistered it is more problematic but is not insurmountable.

We're in Usk, First time buyers purchasing with a mortgage (lender is Clydesdale , and our solicitor is on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?

The fact that your lawyer is on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no property lawyer should guarantee a timeframe for your conveyancing, due to third parties outside of your control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain.

The deeds to our property are lost. The lawyers who did the conveyancing in Usk 5 years ago have long since closed. What are my options?

In today’s world there are duplicates made of almost everything, and your solicitor will be aware precisely where to locate all the suitable paperwork so you may buy or sell your property without a hitch. If duplicates are not available, your lawyer may be able to put in place insurance or indemnities protecting you against future claims on your property.

I'm purchasing a new build house in Usk with a mortgage from Chelsea Building Society. The sellers would not budge the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of extras instead. The sale representative told me not to tell my conveyancer about this deal as it would put at risk my loan with the lender. Is this normal?.

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.

Am I best advised to go with a Usk conveyancing practitioner who is local to the property I am purchasing? An old friend can execute the conveyancing but they are based 300kilometers drive away.

The primary upside of using a local Usk conveyancing firm is that you can attend the office to execute paperwork, hand in your identification documents and pester them where appropriate. Having local Usk know how is a benefit. That being said nothing is more important than finding someone that will do a good and efficient job. If you know people who instructed your friend and in the main were content that should outweigh using an unfamiliar Usk conveyancing solicitor solely due to them being round the corner.