I am one month into the sale of my house in Frant and the estate agent has just called to warn that the purchasers are swapping conveyancer. The reason given is that the mortgage company will only work with property lawyers on their approved list. Why would a big named mortgage company only work with certain lawyers rather the firm that they want to choose to handle their conveyancing in Frant ?
Banks have always had panels of law firms that can represent them, but in the past few years big names such as Santander, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have acted for them for many years.
Lending institutions point to the increase in fraud by way of justification for the reduction – criteria have been tightened as a smaller panel is easier to keep an eye on. Banks tend not to disclose how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that it is being contacted daily by practices that have been removed from panels. Plenty of firms do not even realise 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 impact on this.
This question may be naive but I am wet behind the ears as a 1st time purchaser of a ground floor flat in Frant. Do I pick up the keys to the premises on completion from my lawyer? If so, I will instruct a local conveyancing solicitor in Frant?
On the day of completion you do not need to attend the conveyancers office in Frant. Conveyancing lawyers for you will electronically transfer the purchase money to the seller's solicitors, and shortly after the monies have arrived, you will be called to collect the keys from the Estate Agents and start moving into the property. This tends to happen early afternoon.
We were going to get a DIP from Clydesdale this week so we can work out what to offer on a property we like as otherwise we only have online calculators to go by (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Clydesdale recommend any Frant solicitors on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel, or is it better to go independently?
You will need to appoint Frant solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Clydesdale through the process.
I had an offer accepted on a property in Frant on 20/5/2025, valuation was booked five days after, all came back fine. Conveyancer retained, so the only thing outstanding was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Principality and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Principality conveyancing panel. Are Principality 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 Principality to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Principality conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
Will commercial conveyancing searches reveal planned roadworks that may impact a commercial site in Frant?
Its becoming the norm that commercial conveyancing solicitors in Frant will order a SiteSolutions Highways report as it reduces the time that conveyancers spend in sourcing accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in Frant. The search result provides definitive information on the adoption status of roads, footpaths and verges, as well as the implication of traffic schemes and the rights of way surrounding a commercial development sites in Frant.
For every commercial conveyancing transaction in Frant it is critical to investigate the adoption status of roads surrounding a site. Failure to identify developments where adoption procedures have not been addressed adequately can result in delays to Frant commercial conveyancing transactions as well as pose a risk to future intentions for the site. These searches are not carried out for domestic conveyancing in Frant.
Is it simple use the search facility to find a conveyancing practitioner in Frant on the panel for my lender?
1st pick a mortgage company such as Yorkshire Building Society, Leeds Building Society or Platform Home Loans Ltd then specify your location e.g. Frant. Conveyancing organisations in Frant and further afield should be shown.
Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Frant from the point of view of expediting the sale process?
- Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Frant can be reduced if you appoint lawyers as soon as your agents start advertising the property and ask them to collate the leasehold documentation which will be required by the buyers’ lawyers. If there is a history of conflict with your freeholder or managing agents it is very important that these are resolved before the property is marketed. The purchasers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a flat where there is a current dispute. You will have to accept that you will have to discharge any arrears of service charge or resolve the dispute prior to completion of the sale. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled prior to the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You are still duty bound to disclose details of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is clearly preferable to present the dispute as historic as opposed to unresolved. Many freeholders or Management Companies in Frant charge for providing management packs for a leasehold home. You or your lawyers should find out the fee that they propose to charge. The management information sought as soon as you have a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The typical amount of time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most usual cause of delay in leasehold conveyancing in Frant. You believe that you know the number of years left on your lease but it would be wise to verify this via your lawyers. A purchaser's conveyancer will not be happy to advise their client to where the lease term is below 80 years. It is therefore essential at an as soon as possible that you consider whether the lease requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your home on the market for sale. If you have the benefit of shareholding in the freehold, you should make sure that you are holding the original share document. Arranging a new share certificate is often a lengthy process and slows down many a Frant conveyancing transaction. If a reissued share certificate is required, you should approach the company officers or managing agents (if relevant) for this as soon as possible.
I inherited a 2 bed flat in Frant, conveyancing formalities finalised in 1995. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Equivalent properties in Frant with a long lease are worth £179,000. The ground rent is £65 invoiced annually. The lease ends on 21st October 2082
With only 57 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to range between £26,600 and £30,800 as well as costs.
The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to provide the actual costs in the absence of detailed investigations. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other issues that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.
I need to find a bank panel solicitor in Frant. Could you help me?
Unfortunately it’s not apparent why you need a Frant panel solicitor but in any event, if you can not find one on our search tool you will need to speak directly to the bank to find out which solicitors in Frant are on their panel . If you do find such a firm in Frant not listed please direct them to our site to list. After all the cost is only one £1 a month