I am in the process of selling my home in Rhiwbina and the estate agent has just text me to say that the purchasers are switching property lawyer. I am told that this is due to the fact that the bank will only work with solicitors on their approved list. On what basis would a major mortgage company only engage with specific solicitors rather the firm that they want to select for their conveyancing in Rhiwbina ?

Mortgage companies have always had an approved set of law firms they are content to work with, but in recent years big names such as Lloyds Banking Group, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for more than 25 years.

Lenders point to the increase in fraud by way of justification for the cull – criteria have been narrowed 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 says it is hearing daily from firms 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 currently have a mortgage with Nationwide for my property in Rhiwbina. Conveyancing was finalised months ago. If I am intending to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a BTL mortgage or inform Nationwide?

You must advise Nationwide before letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of Nationwide’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will permit you to let out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Nationwide directly. You need not do this via a Nationwide conveyancing panel firm.

The formalities of my purchase has taken place for my property in Rhiwbina. Conveyancing was a necessary evil but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. How does one go about formally complaining?

Almost all banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Team at head office. In most cases complaints to a lender are sorted out effectively and efficiently. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR who will take matters further.

My offer on a house in Rhiwbina has been agreed to, but there is a chain. The sellers have offered on a property, however it’s not yet agreed to, and are looking at other flats booked. I have chosen a local conveyancing solicitor in Rhiwbina. What do I do now? When do I get the mortgage application with Barclays going?

It is understandable to have concerns where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur expenses prematurely (mortgage application is approx one thousand pounds, then survey, Rhiwbina conveyancing search costs, etc). The first course of action is to ensure that your solicitor is on the Barclays approved list. As to the next stages this very much dictated by the circumstances of your case, desire for this property and on the state of the market. During a rising market the majority of home buyers would apply for a home loan with Barclays and arrange for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they pay their property lawyer to move forward with the conveyancing in Rhiwbina.

We are close to exchanging contracts on the sale of our property in Rhiwbina and according to the buyers it appears that there is a risk of it being built land that was not decontaminated. Any high street Rhiwbina conveyancer would know this is not the case. For the life of me I don't know why the purchasers are using an internet conveyancing outfit rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Rhiwbina. We have lived in Rhiwbina for many years we know of no issue. Is it a good idea to contact our local Authority to seek clarification need.

It would appear that you have a conveyancing firm already. What do they say? You must enquire of your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out life insurance to cover that same sickness)

I have a semi-detached Edwardian house in Rhiwbina. Conveyancing solicitor represented me and Leeds Building Society. I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are a couple of entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold with the exact same address. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?

You should review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Rhiwbina and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they sell they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with purchasers. You can also question the position with your conveyancing practitioner who carried out the work.

My husband and I are new to the buying process - agreed a price, but the estate agent has warned us that the vendor will only go ahead if we instruct the agent's preferred conveyancers as they are insisting on an ‘expedited deal’. My instinct tells me that we should use a high street solicitor with experience of conveyancing in Rhiwbina

We suspect that the seller is unaware of this ultimatum. If they desire ‘a quick sale', alienating a serious purchaser is not the way to achieve this. Avoid the agents and go straight to the sellers and explain that (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are excited to move forward, with finances in place © you have nothing to sell (d) you intend to proceed fast (e)but you will continue to use your preferred Rhiwbina conveyancing solicitors - rather thanthose that will earn their negotiator at the agency a commission or meet his conveyancing figures set by senior management.