I am obtaining a offer of a home loan from Lloyds. I hope to retain the legal services of a Licensed Conveyancer in Queensbury. Does the Lloyds Solicitor panel allow for conveyancers regulated by the CLC?

The Lloyds approved solicitor list is, like many other lenders, represented by the CML or BSA, open to Licensed Conveyancers regulated by the CLC.

The owners have very assertive sellers who has suggested a preliminary contract with a down payment two thousand pounds. Are such arrangements promoted for Queensbury conveyancing transactions?

Lock out contracts are agreements binding a home seller and purchaser giving the buyer a ‘clear field’ to the sale of the property for a certain period of time. For all intents and purposes, a lock out agreement is a contract stating that you will have a contract at a later date which is the main conveyancing contract. It tends to be used for buyer confidence though in many situations, the proprietor may stand to benefit from such agreements as well. There are various pros and cons to having them but you need to check with your lawyer but beware that it may result in costing you more in conveyancing fees. In light of these reasons these agreements are rare in relation to conveyancing in Queensbury.

I happen to be the single recipient of my late mum's will with all property in now in my sole name, including the my former home in Queensbury. Conveyancing formalities meant that the Land Registry date was in December. I now wish to sell up. I understand that there is a CML 6 month 'rule', which means that my property ownership will be regarded the same way as if I'd bought the property in December. Will no one buy the property for half a year?

The CML handbook obliges conveyancers to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." Technically you might be affected by that. Some mortgage companies would take a practical view as this obligation is principally there to identify the purchase and immediately sell or the flipping of properties.

How can we tell if a Queensbury conveyancing solicitor on the Virgin Money panel is any good?

When it comes to conveyancing in Queensbury getting recommendations is a sensible starting point. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one which is cheap as chips. We would always advise that you speak with the lawyer carrying out your transaction.

I have paid off my mortgage with RBS. I assume I don't need a Queensbury lawyer on the RBS panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.

If you have finished paying off your RBS mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the RBS mortgage from the register. RBS, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:

1. but are not moving to another property
2. where RBS has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. RBS has instructed the Land Registry to do so

Should our conveyancer be raising enquiries concerning flooding as part of the conveyancing in Queensbury.

Flooding is a growing risk for conveyancers dealing with homes in Queensbury. There are those who purchase a property in Queensbury, fully expectant that at some time, it may be flooded. However, aside from the physical destruction, if a house is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, adequate insurance cover, or sell the premises. There are steps that can be taken as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the buyer.

Lawyers are not best placed to offer advice on flood risk, however there are a various searches that can be undertaken by the purchaser or by their conveyancers which can figure out the risks in Queensbury. The conventional set of property information forms given to a purchaser’s lawyer (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) contains a standard inquiry of the owner to discover whether the property has suffered from flooding. In the event that the property has been flooded in past which is not disclosed by the vendor, then a buyer could bring a claim for damages as a result of such an incorrect response. The purchaser’s lawyers will also order an environmental report. This will indicate if there is any known flood risk. If so, further investigations should be initiated.

A licensed conveyancer handled my conveyancing in Queensbury seven years past and was holding my deeds but has since been shut down – how do I get hold of these?

Deeds, as such, no longer exist as the majority of homes in Queensbury are archived electronically at Land Registry. Where you need to show ownership or are disposing of or re-mortgaging your conveyancing practitioner can obtain up to date copies of the register from the Land Registry in any case.

If you feel there may be other documents or you have any other queries please e-mail your request with details of the transaction and documents you need to filerequest@clc-uk.org. The CLC will let you know what information they have and any additional information they may need before they are in a position to identify and send the documents to you. Following an intervention it may take some time for the CLC to access archived files and documents, but your request will be actioned as quickly as possible.