All was ready to complete my purchase in Borth next Tuesday. I have now been asked to send a copy of my building insurance schedule by my solicitor as he says that he has to check this in his capacity as lawyer for the mortgage company. What risks does the lender expect the insurance to cover?

Any lawyer on acting for mortgage companies would need to check that the following risks are covered fire; lightning; aircraft; explosion; earthquake; storm; flood; escape of water or oil; riot; malicious damage; theft or attempted theft; falling trees and branches and aerials; subsidence; heave;landslip;collision;accidental damage to underground services;professional fees, demolition and site clearance costs; and public liability to anyone else. There are some other issues such as the level of excess that are set out in a lender’s Part 2 conditions. These requirements are not limited to conveyancing in Borth.

In what way does my ID and proof of funds have anything to do with my conveyancing in Borth? Why is this being asked of me?

You are right in the requirement set out by your solicitor has nothing to do with conveyancing in Borth. However these days you can not complete any conveyancing deal if you have not handing over proof of your identity. Ordinarily this takes the form of a either your passport or driving licence plus a council tax bill. Please note that if you are providing your driving licence as proof of ID it needs to be both the paper part as well as the photo card part, one is not acceptable in the absence of the other.

Proof of the origin of funds is necessary under Money Laundering Regulations. You should not be offended when you are asked to produce this as your conveyancing solicitor must have this information on file. Your Borth conveyancing solicitor will require evidence of proof of funds prior to accepting any money from you into their client account and they will also ask further queries regarding the origin of funds.

I had intended to instruct a conveyancing solicitor in Borth for our house move. Our financial adviser informed us that our mortgage company Leeds Building Society won't deal with them. Surely this is unfair competition?

Banks normally restrict either the category or the number of conveyancing firms on their member panel. A common example of such criteria being that a firm must not be a sole practitioner. In addition to restricting the profile of firm, a few lenders have decided to limit the number of firms they allow to represent them. Be aware that Leeds Building Society have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any member of Leeds Building Society Conveyancer Panel. Mortgage fraud was a key driver in the reduction of solicitor panels a few years ago even though there remains mixed opinions about the level of solicitor involvement in some of that fraud. Statistics from the Land Registry reveal that plenty of law firms, including some in or near Borth only conduct one or two conveyances per annum.

Taking into account that I am about to spend £400,000 on 3 bedroom house in Borth I wish to talk to a lawyer concerning thetransaction prior to instructing the firm. Can this be arranged?

We could not agree more - it is our preference to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you first talking to the solicitor due to be conducting your conveyancing in Borth.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - every client is unique person, not a file reference. The law firms that we put you in touch with believe that the fees you are provided with for your conveyancing in Borth should be the figure that you are charged.

Am I better off to go with a Borth conveyancing lawyer who is local to the property I am hoping to buy? I have an old university friend who can execute the conveyancing but they are based a couple of hundredkilometers drive away.

The primary upside of using a high street Borth conveyancing practice is that you can visit the firm to sign paperwork, hand in your identification documents and apply pressure on them if necessary. They will also have local knowledge which is a benefit. That being said nothing is more important than finding someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If if people you trust instructed your friend and in the main were happy that should surpass using an unknown Borth conveyancing solicitor solely due to them being Borth based.