My fiance and I are looking to buy a flat in Newall Green and are in fact using a Newall Green conveyancing practice. Within the last couple of days our solicitor has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through with a view to exchanging next week. National Westminster Bank have this evening contacted us to inform me that there is now an issue as our Newall Green lawyer is not on their approved list of lawyers. Is this a problem?
If you are buying a property requiring a mortgage it is conventional for the purchasers' solicitors to also act for the purchaser's lender. 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 Quality 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 solicitors to act. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Newall Green lawyers, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it may delay matters as you have another set of people involved.
Various web forums that I have frequented warn that are the primary reason for obstruction in Newall Green conveyancing transactions. Is this right?
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) published findings of research by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not feature amongst the top 10 causes of hindrances during the legal transfer of property. Local searches are not likely to feature in any holding up conveyancing in Newall Green.
My wife and I purchased a semi-detached Edwardian house in Newall Green. Conveyancing practitioner represented me and Norwich and Peterborough Building Society. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw two entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold with the exact same property. Is it worth asking Norwich and Peterborough Building Society to clarify?
You should read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Newall Green and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they remortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with mortgage companies. You can also enquire as to the position with the conveyancing lawyer who conducted the purchase.
Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold issue on a house I have offered on last month in what was supposed to be a straight forward, no chain conveyancing. Newall Green is where the house is located. Can you shed any light on this issue?
Flying freeholds in Newall Green are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Newall Green you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds diligently. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Newall Green may determine that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold premises.
I have been sourcing a conveyancing solicitor in Newall Green for my home move. Is it possible to review a solicitor's record with the profession’s regulator?
Anyone may read documented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) determinations arising from inquisitions from 2008 onwards. Visit Check a solicitor's record. For records Pre 2008, or to check a firm's record, telephone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. International callers, dial +44 (0)121 329 6800. The regulator sometimes recorded call for training reasons.
My fiance and I today discovered that one of the partners of the law firm handling the purchase conveyancing in Newall Green is an aunty of the owners that we are purchasing from. Is this allowed?
On the basis that no conflict arises this is permitted. Where you are needing a mortgage then the lender may have a say as many banks have specific instructions concerning this. For example for Coventry Building Society as of 14/12/2025, the requirements read as follows :