My partner and I are hoping to buy a property in Riddlesdown and have instructed a Riddlesdown 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. Alliance & Leicester have this morning contacted us to advise us that there is now an issue as our Riddlesdown lawyer is not on their conveyancing panel. Is this a problem?
When purchasing a property with the benefit of a mortgage it is standard for the purchasers' solicitors to also represent 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 Quality Scheme. Your property lawyer should contact your bank 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 don't have to instruct a firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Riddlesdown lawyers, in which case it will likely add costs, and it will likely delay the transaction as you have another set of people involved.
I am told that my conveyancing solicitors will need to check that the building insurance for my purchase of a house in Riddlesdown. My lender is Accord Mortgages
Accord Mortgages have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 1/5/2026, the requirements read as follows :
I used Arc property Solicitors several years ago for my conveyancing in Riddlesdown. Now, I need my documents however the law firm is no longer operating. What do I do?
You should call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracking down your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Riddlesdown of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously retained, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
Just had an offer accepted on a new build flat in Riddlesdown. Conveyancing is daunting at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. What sort of enquires would be asked in new build legal work.
Set out below is a sample of a few leasehold new build enquiries that you should expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Riddlesdown
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Please confirm the Lease plans are architect prepared. Will control of the Management Company (if any) be handed over to purchasers on completion of the last sale or earlier? Investor purchasers must be able to freely grant unsecured tenancies at market rents without requiring any consents. Please supply evidence that the form of Lease proposed has been approved by the Land Registry. If there are lifts in the building, please confirm that the owners of flats on the ground and basement floors will not be required to contribute towards the cost of maintenance and renewal.
Is it simple use your search tool to locate a conveyancing practitioner in Riddlesdown on the panel for my mortgage?
First pick a mortgage company such as Yorkshire Building Society, Virgin Money or Godiva Mortgages Ltd then type in your location a common one being Riddlesdown. Conveyancing organisations in Riddlesdown and nationally will then be identified.
Should I use a Riddlesdown conveyancing solicitor in close proximity to the house I am purchasing? We have a good friend who can deal with the legal formalities but her office is 200kilometers drive away.
The benefit of a local Riddlesdown conveyancing firm is that you can drop in to execute documents, deliver your identification documents and pester them if necessary. They will also have local intelligence which is a benefit. However it's more important to get someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If you know people who used your friend and in the main were impressed that must surpass using an unknown Riddlesdown conveyancing lawyer solely due to them being Riddlesdown based.