I was told yesterday by my broker that my Freshford solicitor is not on the lender Conveyancing panel. What can I do to be certain if this is indeed the case?
The first thing you need to do is to contact your Freshford lawyer directly. It is reasonable to expect your lawyer to advise you of the situation. If they are not on the panel they may be able to suggest a Freshford conveyancing practice that is on the conveyancing panel for your bank.
As a novice what is the most important piece of guidance you can give me concerning purchase conveyancing in Freshford?
Not many law firms shout this from the rooftops but conveyancing in Freshford and elsewhere in North Somerset is often a confrontational process. Put another way, when it comes to conveyancing there is plenty of room for confrontation between you and others involved in the home moving process. E.g., the seller, property agent and on occasion your lender. Selecting a lawyer for your conveyancing in Freshford an important selection as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the ONE person in the legal process whose interest is to look after your legal interests and to keep you safe.
There is a distinct increase in the "blame" culture- someone has to be at fault for the process taking so long. You your first instinct should be to trust your solicitor ahead of the other parties in the conveyancing process.
About to place an offer on a leasehold apartment in Freshford. The selling agents tell me that it is the norm for flats in Freshford to have less than 75 years left on the lease. I am obtaining a mortgage with Platform. Will the property be mortgageable given that the lease has 70 years left.
Most leasehold conveyancing experts should be able to deal with a lease extension. if you are securing a mortgage then your lender may insist that the lease be extended before competition. Platform have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook in relation to minimum unexpired lease terms. As of 27/4/2025 the requirements read as follows :
My friend recommended that if I am buying in Freshford I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?
This is a search is sometimes included in the estimate for your Freshford conveyancing searches. It is a large document of more than thirty pages, listing and setting out important information about Freshford around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Freshford Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime details, Freshford Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information about Freshford.
How do I use the search tool to find a conveyancing solicitor in Freshford on the authorised to act for my mortgage?
First select a lender such as Barclays , Coventry Building Society or Clydesdale then choose your location a common one being Freshford. Conveyancing organisations in Freshford and across England and Wales will then be shown.
In my capacity as executor for the will of my grandmother I am disposing of a property in Swansea but reside in Freshford. My lawyer (approximately 260 kilometers awayneeds me to sign a stat dec prior to the transaction finalising. Could you suggest a conveyancing practitioner in Freshford to witness and place their company stamp on the document?
Technically speaking you should not need to have the documents witnessed by a conveyancing solicitor. Normally or notary public or solicitor will be fine regardless of whether they are Freshford based