Am I correct in assuming that the fact that my conveyancer in Colwall is not on my lender's conveyancing panel that there is a problem with the standard of the firm’s work?
It would not be wise to jump to that conclusion. There are plenty of reasonable explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator revealed that over three quarters of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The most common reasons for removal are: (1) low volume of transactions (2) the solicitor is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. If you are concerned you should contact the Colwall conveyancing practice and ask them why they are no longer on the approved list for your bank.
Are the Colwall conveyancing solicitors identified as being on the Santander conveyancing panel, together with their details provided by Santander?
Colwall conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Santander conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Santander directly.
Will my conveyancing lawyers need to check that the building insurance when buying a house in Colwall. My lender is Platform
Platform have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 3/8/2025, the requirements read as follows :
I am assisting my mother sell her house in Colwall. Does the conveyancing solicitor order the energy performance certificate or should I organise this?
After the abolition of HIPs, energy assessments was left as a compulsory element of moving house. An EPC needs to be commissioned prior to the property being advertised. This is not as aspect of the sale process that lawyers normally organise. If you are using a Colwall conveyancing practitioner they may be willing to arrange EPC’s given their contacts with reputable Colwall energy assessors
I'm the single beneficiary of my late mum's will and I have everything in my name now, including the my former home in Colwall. The Colwall property was put into my name in July. I want to move. I understand that there is a Mortgage Lenders 6 month 'rule', which means that my property ownership could be treated the same way as though I had purchased the property in July. Is the property unsalable for six months?
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 may be affected by that. Some lenders would take a pragmatic view as this provision is primarily there to identify the purchase and immediately sell or the flipping of properties.
When it comes to mortgage companies such as Leeds Building Society, do Colwall conveyancers face an annual charge to be on the list of approved solicitors?
We are unaware of any bank fees to be on their panel, although some do charge an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel submission.
A colleague recommended that where I am purchasing in Colwall I should ask my conveyancer to perform a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?
This is a search is sometimes included in the estimate for your Colwall conveyancing searches. It is not a small document of more than thirty pages, listing and detailing significant information about Colwall around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Colwall Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime statistics, Colwall Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data concerning Colwall.
My wife and I purchased a leasehold house in Colwall. Conveyancing and Godiva Mortgages Ltd mortgage organised. A letter has just been received from someone claiming to own the freehold. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1997. The conveyancing solicitor in Colwall who previously acted has long since retired. Any advice?
First contact HMLR to make sure that the individual claiming to own the freehold is indeed the new freeholder. There is no need to incur the fees of a Colwall conveyancing solicitor to do this as it can be done on-line for less than a fiver. Rest assured that regardless, even if this is the legitimate landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.
I purchased a 1 bedroom flat in Colwall, conveyancing having been completed January 1996. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Equivalent flats in Colwall with a long lease are worth £186,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £55 per annum. The lease finishes on 21st October 2077
With just 52 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to range between £29,500 and £34,000 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.
The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more comprehensive due diligence. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt additional concerns that need to be taken into account and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward based on this information without first getting professional advice.