My partner and I are hoping to purchase a home in Eccleston and have instructed a Eccleston conveyancing practice. Within the last couple of days our conveyancer has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through with a view to exchanging next week. Lloyds TSB Bank have this afternoon contacted us to advise us that there is now an issue as our Eccleston conveyancer is not on their approved list of lawyers. Is this a problem?
When purchasing a property with the benefit of a mortgage it is usual for the purchasers' solicitors to also act for the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Accreditation Scheme. Your property lawyer should contact your lender and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on the bank's conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Eccleston solicitors, in which case it will likely add costs, and it may delay matters as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.
I am told that my conveyancing solicitors will need to check that the building insurance for my purchase of a house in Eccleston. My lender is Chelsea Building Society
Chelsea Building Society have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 26/3/2026, the requirements read as follows :
I am the sole beneficiary of my late father’s estate and I have everything in my name now, including the house in Eccleston. Conveyancing formalities meant that the Land Registry date was in February. I plan to dispose of the house. I understand that there is a CML six month 'rule', which means that my property ownership could be considered the same way as though I had purchased the house in February. Do I have to wait half a year to sell?
The CML handbook obliges solicitors to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." By the strict wording you may be caught by that. Most banks would take a practical view as this clause primarily exists to pick up on subsales or the quick reselling of properties.
I am selling my house. I had a double glazing fitted in April 2007, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My purchaser’s mortgage company, Skipton are being a right pain. The Eccleston solicitor who is on the Skipton conveyancing panel is happy to accept ‘lack of building regulation’ insurance but Skipton are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do Skipton have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?
It is probably the case that Skipton have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Skipton may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.
My offer was accepted on an apartment in Eccleston on 6/2/2026, valuation was booked five days later, received a clean bill of health. Conveyancer retained, so the only thing outstanding was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Aldermore and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Aldermore conveyancing panel. Are Aldermore entitled to hold back the Mortgage pending the lawyer being on the approved list?
Mortgage companies tend not to not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Aldermore to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Aldermore conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified as part of conveyancing in Eccleston?
Covenants that are restrictive in nature can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the process of conveyancing in Eccleston. 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…’
Due to the input of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a property in Eccleston in advance of appointing lawyers. I have been told that there is a flying freehold overhang to the property. The surveyor has said that some banks may not issue a loan on this type of premises.
It varies from the lender to lender. Santander has different requirements from Birmingham Midshires. If you contact us we can investigate further via the appropriate lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Eccleston. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Eccleston especially if they are accustomed to such properties in Eccleston.
I've recently bought a leasehold property in Eccleston. Do I have any liability for service charges for periods before my ownership?
In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to ensure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.
If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).
Eccleston Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Queries Prior to Purchasing
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Is there a share of the freehold? How long is the Lease? You will want to find out as much as you can regarding the company managing the block as they can either make your life much simpler or problematic. As the owner of a leasehold property you will be at the mercy of the managing agents from a financial perspective and when it comes to every day matters like the cleanliness of the communal areas. Ask other people if they are happy with them. In conclusion, find out the dates that you are obliged pay the maintenance charge to the appropriate party and specifically how they are spending that money.