I am selling my ground floor flat in Carmarthen and the estate agent has just called to warn that the buyers are swapping law firm. The reason given is that the lender will only work with property lawyers on their approved list. On what basis would a major lender only deal with specific solicitors rather the firm that they want to appoint for their conveyancing in Carmarthen ?

UK lenders have always had panels of law firms they are willing to work with, but in recent years big names such as Santander, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have acted for them for many years.

Lending institutions point to the increase in fraud as the reason for the reduction – criteria have been tightened as a smaller panel is easier to keep an eye on. No lender will say how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that it is being contacted daily by practices 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 unlikely to have any impact on this.

I have given 8 weeks notice to my current landlord and must leave my rented property in Carmarthen by the end of next month. Conveyancing for my house purchase is underway. How realistic is it to complete in three weeks as I wish to avoid having to find short term accommodation?

The normal practice is not to provide notice on a rental unless exchange of contracts has taken place. Assuming that you have not already done so, notify to your solicitor and ask them to they cajole the owners lawyers, try to get a realistic time scale from them that all parties will look to achieve

My wife and I are buying a property in Carmarthen. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a conveyancer? At some point we have to put funds into their account. What is the protection we have from them run away with our deposit?

Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.

I have been told by my lawyer that chancel insurance is required on my purchase. What is the typical level of cover needed for conveyancing in Carmarthen?

The appropriate level of chancel indemnity insurance should be dictated by who your lender. It would differ for example between Lloyds TSB Bank and Virgin Money. Conveyancing solicitors as opposed to borrowers take out such policies.

Having read lots of mortgage guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Carmarthen solicitor - who is on the Barclays conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?

Barclays will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Barclays will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own Carmarthen surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.

I am looking for a ground for flat up to £195,000 and found one round the corner in Carmarthen I like with a park and transport links in the vicinity, however it only has 51 years on the lease. There is not much else in Carmarthen in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a short lease?

If you require a home loan the remaining unexpired lease term may be a potential deal breaker. Discount the price by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current proprietor has owned the premises for a minimum of twenty four months you may request that they start the process of the extension and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer about this matter.

To what extent are Carmarthen conveyancing solicitors duty bound by the Law Society to issue clear conveyancing figures?

Inbuilt into the Solicitors Code of Conduct are specific rules and regulations as to how the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) allow solicitors to publicise their fees to clients.The Law Society have a practice note giving advice on how to publicise transparent charges to avoid breaching any such rule. Practice notes are not legal advice issued by the Law Society and is not intended as the only standard of good practice a conveyancing solicitor should adhere to. The Practice Note does, however, represent the Law Society’s view of acceptable practice for publicising conveyancing charges, and accordingly it’s a recommended read for any solicitor or conveyancer in Carmarthen or further afield.