We're in Winchester, FTBs buying with a mortgage (lender is Coventry BS , and our lawyer is on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?

The fact that your lawyer is on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no solicitor 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.

I am helping my step-mother sell her house in Winchester. Will the conveyancing solicitor commission an energy assessment or it is for me to coordinate?

Following the abolition of Home Packs, energy assessments was maintained a required part of selling a property. An energy performance certificate should be to hand before the property is advertised. It is not something that conveyancers ordinarily organise. If you are using a Winchester conveyancing practitioner they might be willing to arrange EPC’s due to their relationships with reputable local providers

Can you help - my lawyer advises that flying freehold insurance is necessary on my purchase. What is the typical level of cover needed for conveyancing in Winchester?

The right level of flying freehold indemnity insurance depends on who your lender is. It would differ for example between Accord Mortgages Ltd and The Royal Bank of Scotland. Conveyancing lawyers as opposed to members of the public take out such insurances.

I recently had an offer accepted on an apartment in Winchester. My financial adviser recommended their conveyancers. I paid an on account payment of £225. A few days later, the conveyancing practitioner contacted me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the HSBC 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 HSBC 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.

Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to our property are lost. The solicitors who conducted the conveyancing in Winchester 4 years ago no longer exist. What are my options?

Assuming the title is registered the information relating to your proprietorship will be held by the Land Registry under a Title Number. It is easy to carry out a search at the Land Registry, identify your property and secure current copies of the property title for less than a fiver. If the title is Leasehold then the Land Registry will in most cases hold a file copy of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be obtained for £20 inclusive of VAT.

Is it best to go with a Winchester conveyancing solicitor based in the area that I am buying? We have a good friend who can execute the legal work but they are based approximately 350miles away.

The primary upside of using a local Winchester conveyancing practice is that you can pop in to execute documents, hand in your ID and pester them where appropriate. They will also have local insight which is a plus. However nothing is more important than finding someone that will do a good and efficient job. If if people you trust instructed your friend and they were impressed that must outweigh using an unfamiliar Winchester conveyancing lawyer just because they are based in the area.

I have instructed a Winchester conveyancing solicitor for our home move (first time buyers) and have picked up in the terms and conditions that they are not covered by the Financial Conduct Authority. Need I be worried or is that the norm with property lawyer?

We can't see why they should be. Most property lawyer don't lend money. You should check that they are governed by the SRA, who dictate specific laws in place on amounts held in their bank.