My wife and I are buying a 2 bedroom apartment in Criccieth with a mortgage. We have a Criccieth lawyer, but the lender says she’s not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the lender panel solicitors or keep our Criccieth conveyancing practitioner and pay for one of their panel lawyers to act for them. This seems very unfair; can we not insist that the lender use our Criccieth conveyancer ?
No, not really. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the bank’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. Another option that might be available is for your Criccieth conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
I am told that my conveyancing solicitors will need to check that the building insurance when buying a house in Criccieth. My lender is Platform
Platform have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 19/6/2025, the requirements read as follows :
My wife and I purchasing a end of terrace house in Criccieth. We would like to carry out an extension to the side at the house.Will the conveyancing process include investigations to ascertain if these works are allowed?
Your conveyancer will review the registered title as conveyancing in Criccieth can occasionally identify restrictions in the title documents which prohibit certain changes or require the consent of another owner. Certain works require local authority planning permissions and approval in compliance with building regulations. Some areas are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which frequently prevent or impact extensions. You should check these issues with a surveyor ahead of any purchase.
We are getting the release of further monies on our home loan from Leeds Building Society as we want to conduct a loft conversion to our home in Criccieth. Do we need to select a high street Criccieth solicitor on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel to deal with the legals?
Leeds Building Society don't usually require firms on their conveyancing panel to handle such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel.
I am expecting a DIP from Nottingham this week so we can work out what to offer on a property we like as otherwise we are dependent on web based calculators (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Nottingham recommend any Criccieth solicitors on the Nottingham conveyancing panel, or is it better to go independently?
You will need to appoint Criccieth solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Nottingham conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Nottingham through the process.
My colleague advised me that if I am purchasing in Criccieth I should ask my conveyancer to execute a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?
This is a search is usually included in the estimate for your Criccieth conveyancing searches. It is a large document of more than thirty pages, listing and setting out important information about Criccieth around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Criccieth Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime details, Local Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information concerning Criccieth.
I'm buying my first flat in Criccieth with a mortgage from Clydesdale. The sellers would not move on the amount so I negotiated 6k of additionals instead. The estate agent suggested that I not to tell my solicitor about the side-deal as it would impact my loan 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.
I have been sourcing a conveyancing lawyer in Criccieth for my house move. Is it possible to see a firm’s record with the profession’s regulator?
Members of the public can search for documented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) determinations arising from inquisitions started on or after Jan 2008. Visit Check a solicitor's record. To find information Pre 2008, or to check a solicitors record, call 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 any week day save for Tuesday when lines open at 9.30am. International callers, call +44 (0)121 329 6800. The regulator sometimes recorded call for training purposes.