How up to date is your database of Hawarden solicitors on the Nationwide conveyancing panel? Do Nationwide send you an updated list?

Hawarden conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Nationwide conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Nationwide directly.

I'm the sole recipient of my late mum's will and I have everything in my name now, including the house in Hawarden. The Hawarden property was put into my name in December. I now wish to sell up. I understand that there is a Mortgage Lenders six month 'rule', which means that my proprietorship could be considered the same way as if I'd bought the house in December. Will no one buy the property for half a year?

The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ handbook requires conveyancers to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." Technically you might be caught by that. Some mortgage companies would take a pragmatic view as this obligation primarily exists to pick up on the purchase and immediately sell or the flipping of properties.

I am due to exchange contracts on my apartment. I had a double glazing fitted in January 2007, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's lender, HSBC are being difficult. The Hawarden solicitor who is on the HSBC conveyancing panel is saying indemnity insurance will be fine but HSBC are requiring a building regulation certificate. Why do HSBC have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that HSBC have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why HSBC may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.

Planning on purchasing a apartment in Hawarden. I have received an online quote from a licenced conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Lender if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the Barclays conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.

They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that the Hawarden property lawyer is on the Barclays conveyancing panel.

I have been told that property searches are the primary cause of stalling in Hawarden house deals. Is that correct?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) published findings of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure amongst the common causes of hindrances during the legal transfer of property. Local searches are not likely to be the root cause of holding up conveyancing in Hawarden.

I'm purchasing my first flat in Hawarden with a mortgage from Aldermore. The builders would not budge the price so I negotiated £7000 of fixtures and fittings instead. The house builders rep suggested that I not to tell my solicitor about this deal as it will adversely affect my mortgage 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.

My nephew is embarking on her first house purchase, he had his mortgage in principle. After the offer was accepted on house we telephoned the mortgage institution to issue the formal offer. We were shocked to learn that mortgage lenders do not accept all lawyer, they need to be on their approved list, is this correct?

Lenders ordinarily restrict either the type or the number of conveyancing firms on their approved list of lawyers. A common example of such restriction(s) being that a firm must have two or more partners. In addition to restricting the type of firm, some have decided to limit the number of firms they use to represent them. You should note that banks have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any Hawarden property lawyer on their panel. Mortgage fraud was a key driver in the rationalisation of conveyancing panels a few years ago and whilst there are differing views about the extent of solicitor involvement in some of that fraud. Statistics from the Land Registry reveal that thousands of law firms only carry out one or two conveyances a year. Those supporting conveyancing panel cuts ask why law firms should have the right to be on a Lender panel when clearly, conveyancing is not their speciality. To put it another way; would you want a conveyancing solicitor to represent you if you were charged with a crime? Presumably not.