Me and my partner are hoping to purchase a 1 bedroom apartment in Fulham with a mortgage. We like our Fulham lawyer, but the bank says he's not on their "panel". It seems we have little option but to instruct one of the lender panel solicitors or retain our Fulham conveyancer and pay for one of their panel ones to act for them. We regard this is unjust; is there anything we can do?
Unfortunately,no. Your mortgage offer 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 Fulham conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
I have given 8 weeks notice to my existing landlord and have to leave my rented flat in Fulham by 9/1/2026. Conveyancing for my house purchase is progressing. How realistic is it to complete in 4 weeks as I wish to avoid having to move into short term accommodation?
The normal practice is not to provide notice for your tenancy unless exchange of contracts has taken place. Assuming that you have not already done so, contact to your solicitor and request that they chase the other side, try to get a realistic time scale from them that everyone will work to achieve
When it comes to lenders such as HSBC, do Fulham property lawyers face an annual charge to be on the conveyancing panel?
We are unaware of any mortgage company fees to register on their list of approved firms, although some do levy an administration fee to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel submission.
We had appointed conveyancing lawyers with offices in Fulham on the Skipton solicitor approved list. They are now charging me an additional amount for handling the Skipton mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee specified by Skipton?
Provided it is contained in their Terms and Conditions or estimate then yes your conveyancing practitioner can charge a fee for this. The fee is not dictated by Skipton but by your Fulham conveyancer. Numerous firms on the Skipton panel will levy an ‘acting for lender’ fee and others do not.
I have instructed a Fulham property lawyer having made sure that they are on the HSBC conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?
HSBC will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually HSBC will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own Fulham surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up as part of conveyancing in Fulham?
Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Fulham. 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…’
I'm buying my first flat in Fulham with a loan from Barnsley Building Society. The builders refused to move on the price so I negotiated £7000 of fixtures and fittings instead. The house builders rep suggested that I not disclose to my conveyancer about the extras as it could jeopardize my loan with the lender. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.
All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer 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 previously informed by my lender that their panel conveyancers work on no completion no fee basis for conveyancing in Fulham. Our purchase fell through nevertheless the conveyancers have invoiced for search fees! They are stating that the fees are independent!
Fulham conveyancing search costs are separate expenses not solicitors costs as these are paid to independent parties.