I am progressing with the sale of my ground floor flat in Cefn Mawr and the estate agent has just telephoned to say that the buyers are appointing a new conveyancer. I am told that this is due to the fact that the lender will only work with property lawyers on their approved list. On what basis would a major mortgage company only deal with certain solicitors rather the firm that they want to select for their conveyancing in Cefn Mawr ?
UK lenders have always had panels of law firms that can represent them, but in recent years big names such as Yorkshire Building Society, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for more than 15 years.
Lenders point to the increase in fraud as the reason for the pruning – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to monitor. Banks tend not to reveal how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Some are unaware that they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. The purchasers are not going to have any sway in the decision.
Some advice if I may. My Cefn Mawr solicitor is assuring me that he is legally obliged toapply for Cefn Mawr conveyancing searches stemming from the fact thatthe firm are on the Virgin Moneyapproved lawyer panel. Do I not have any options here?
You have limited options available to you. As you are taking a mortgage with a bank your solicitor has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your property lawyer would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of your bank’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to comply with the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook requirements . Even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out Cefn Mawr conveyancing searches.
Will my conveyancing lawyers need to check that the building insurance when buying a house in Cefn Mawr. My lender is Accord Mortgages
Accord Mortgages have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 30/10/2025, the requirements read as follows :
Do I choose a Licenced Conveyancer or Solicitor for conveyancing in Cefn Mawr?
There are many registered licenced Conveyancers in Cefn Mawr and Solicitor practices in Cefn Mawr to choose from We would stress that the two are supervised by regulatory bodies with both specialising in the legal work in the home buying process. The two can deal with other property legal work such as remortgage conveyancing, enfranchisement and transfer of equity conveyancing.
We were going to get a OIP from Skipton this week so we know how much we could potentially offer as otherwise we only have online calculators to go by (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Skipton recommend any Cefn Mawr solicitors on the Skipton conveyancing panel, or is it better to find our own lawyer?
You will need to appoint Cefn Mawr solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Skipton conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Skipton through the process.
I have paid off my mortgage with Nationwide. I assume I don't need a Cefn Mawr conveyancing practitioner on the Nationwide panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?
If you have finished paying off your Nationwide 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 Nationwide mortgage from the register. Nationwide, 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:
- but are not moving to another property
- where Nationwide has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- Nationwide has instructed the Land Registry to do so
I have been on the look out for a flat up to £195,000 and found one round the corner in Cefn Mawr I like with a park and railway links in the vicinity, however it's only got 49 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Cefn Mawr in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error acquiring a lease with such few years left?
If you require a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term may be problematic. Discount the price by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current proprietor has owned the property for a minimum of twenty four months you can request that they start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer concerning this.
How does one as executor remove a departed person's name from the title register for a house in Cefn Mawr?
If a Cefn Mawr property is jointly owned and one of the proprietors dies, the name will not immediately be removed from the title deeds. It is not necessary to amend the title as when it comes to a disposal your lawyer would just be required to supply proof why the joint proprietor is missing from the transfer, typically this takes the form of a grant of probate.
With a view to making things more straight forward in the future you can apply to have the deceased party erased from the title register by applying to HM Land Registry with evidence of the death. There is no land registry fee payable.