Am I correct in assuming that the fact that my solicitor in Saundersfoot is not on my mortgage company's solicitor panel that there is a problem with the standard of her conveyancing?

It would not be wise to jump to that conclusion. There are all sorts of perfectly plausible explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator indicated 76% of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The top 5 reasons are as follows: (1) low volume of transactions (2) the lawyer is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. Should you be concerned you should simply call the Saundersfoot conveyancing practice and enquire why they are no longer on the approved list for your lender.

The formalities of my remortgage has taken place for my property in Saundersfoot. Conveyancing was of an acceptable standard but I would like to complain about the lender. How do I make a complaint?

Almost all lenders have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Department at head office. In most cases complaints to a lender are sorted out very quickly. If you feel 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.

I recently had an offer agreed on a house in Saundersfoot. My financial adviser recommended their conveyancers. I paid an on account payment of £175. A few days later, the conveyancer called me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Principality 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 Principality 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.

I am due to exchange contracts on my flat. I had a double glazing fitted in November 2007, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's lender, TSB are being difficult. The Saundersfoot solicitor who is on the TSB conveyancing panel is happy to accept ‘lack of building regulation’ insurance but TSB are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do TSB have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that TSB have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why TSB 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.

Am I right to be suspicious about 3rd parties that I am dealing with are encouraging me to use an online conveyancing firm rather than a High Street Saundersfoot conveyancing company?

As is the case with many service providers, often referrals from family and friends can be extremely useful or valuable. Yet there are lots of players in a conveyancing matter; estate agents, financial adviser and banks may suggest solicitors to select. Sometimes these lawyers might be known to one of the organisations as one of the best in their field, but sometimes there behind the scenes financial incentive behind the endorsement. You have the discretion to select your own conveyancer. Don't forget that some lenders specify a panel list of law firms you must use for the mortgage aspect of your house move.

I am employed by a busy estate agent office in Saundersfoot where we have witnessed a number of leasehold sales derailed due to short leases. I have been given conflicting advice from local Saundersfoot conveyancing solicitors. Can you shed some light as to whether the seller of a flat can commence the lease extension process for the purchaser on completion of the sale?

Provided that the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the buyer can avoid having to sit tight for 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done prior to, or simultaneously with completion of the disposal of the property.

An alternative approach is to agree the lease extension with the freeholder either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the buyer.

I purchased a leasehold flat in Saundersfoot, conveyancing formalities finalised in 2007. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Similar properties in Saundersfoot with a long lease are worth £216,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 invoiced annually. The lease terminates on 21st October 2094

With just 69 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £9,500 and £11,000 as well as costs.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to provide the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive investigations. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.

I have just had an offer accepted on an apartment in Saundersfoot and the mortgage adviser that we are using recommended his lawyer. She quoted nine hundred pounds excluding VAT and disbursements. Does this sound steep?

Don't just go on 1 estimate. One should seek like-for-like quotes for your conveyancing in Saundersfoot. Then select one that you trust and just as important, is on the approved panel of the bank that you are sourcing your mortgage from.