Me and my partner are purchasing a 1 bedroom apartment in Clydach with a mortgage. We wish to retain our Clydach conveyancer, however the bank advise he's not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the lender panel firms or keep our Clydach lawyer as well as pay for one of their panel lawyers to act for them. This feels very unfair; is there anything we can do?
No, not really. Your mortgage offer is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the lender’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. A further alternative is for your Clydach conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
I am told that my conveyancing solicitors will need to check that the building insurance for my purchase of a house in Clydach. My lender is The Mortgage Works
The Mortgage Works have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 1/5/2025, the requirements read as follows :
A friend advised me that if I am buying in Clydach I should ask my conveyancer to execute a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?
This is a search is usually quoted for as part of the standard Clydach conveyancing searches. It is a large document of about 40 pages, listing and setting out important information about Clydach around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime statistics, Clydach Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information concerning Clydach.
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified during conveyancing in Clydach?
Covenants that are restrictive in nature can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Clydach. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’
I'm purchasing a new build house in Clydach benefiting from help to buy. The sellers refused to move on the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of fixtures and fittings instead. The sale representative suggested that I not to tell my lawyer about the deal as it may 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 husband and I are first time buyers - agreed a price, but the agent advised that the owners will only move forward if we appoint their chosen lawyers as they are insisting on an ‘expedited deal’. Our preferred option is to instruct a local conveyancer accustomed to conveyancing in Clydach
We suspect that the seller is not behind this requirement. Should the owner desire ‘a quick sale', alienating a genuine buyer is counter productive. Avoid the agents and go straight to the sellers and make the point that (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are excited to move forward, with finances arranged © you are unencumbered (d) you wish to move quickly (e)but you intend to appoint your own,trusted Clydach conveyancing firm - not the ones that will provide the estate agent a referral fee or hit his conveyancing thresholds demanded by senior management.