I am one month into the sale of my home in Rufford and the EA has just e-mailed to warn that the buyers are swapping solicitor. I am told that this is due to the fact that the bank will only work with property lawyers on their conveyancing panel. On what basis would a major lender only engage with certain solicitors rather the firm that they want to choose for their conveyancing in Rufford ?
Lenders have always had an approved set of law firms they are willing to work with, but in the last few years big names such as Nationwide, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have acted for them for more than 15 years.
Lending institutions point to the increase in fraud as the reason for the cull – criteria have been tightened as a smaller panel is easier to oversee. Banks tend not to disclose how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is being contacted daily by practices that have been removed from panels. Plenty of firms are unaware that they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. Your purchasers are not going to have any sway in the decision.
Will my conveyancing lawyers need to check that the building insurance for my purchase of a house in Rufford. My lender is The Mortgage Works
The Mortgage Works have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 27/7/2025, the requirements read as follows :
Does a directory service exist listing Lloyds panel solicitors in Rufford on the Council of Mortgage Lender’s Website?
No. There is no such facility on the Council of Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association sites. A small selection of lending institutions make their panel listings viewable on the web. If you are seeking to appoint a Rufford conveyancer on the Lloyds please use our facility.
We had selected solicitors with offices in Rufford on the Clydesdale solicitor panel. They are now charging me a separate charge for dealing with the Clydesdale mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee specified by Clydesdale?
Provided it is contained in their Terms of Engagement or Quote then yes your lawyer may levy a fee for this. This fee is not dictated by Clydesdale but by your Rufford lawyer. Plenty of firms on the Clydesdale panel will charge ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but plenty of practices incorporate it on their overall fee.
About to purchase flat in Rufford. I have received an online quote from a licenced conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Building Society if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the Barclays conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.
They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that the Rufford solicitor is on the Barclays conveyancing panel.
What can a local search inform me concerning the property I am buying in Rufford?
Rufford conveyancing often starts with the applying for local authority searches directly from your local Authority or via a personal search company for example PSG The local search is essential in every Rufford conveyancing purchase; as long as you don’t want any nasty once you have moved into your property. The search should provide data on, amongst other things, details on planning applications applicable to the property (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of 13 subject areas.
I completed on my flat on 5 March and the transaction details is not yet on the land registry website. Any reason for this? My conveyancing solicitor in Rufford advises it would be registered in less than a month. Are titles in Rufford particularly slow to register?
As far as conveyancing in Rufford registration is no quicker or slower than anywhere else in the country. As opposed to being determined by geographic area, timescales can differ depending on who lodges the application, whether it is in order and whether the Land registry must send notices to any interested persons or bodies. As of today in the region of 80% of submission are fully addressed in less than three weeks but occasionally there can be longer delays. Historically registration is effected after the purchaser has moved in to the premises so post completion formalities is not typically top priority yet where there is a degree of urgency associated with the registration then you or your lawyers must speak with the land registry and explain the circumstances.
I am looking for a flat up to £245,000 and found one close by in Rufford I like with open areas and station nearby, however it only has 49 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Rufford in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a lease with such few years left?
If you require a home loan the shortness of the lease may be problematic. Discount the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing owner has owned the premises for a minimum of twenty four months you can request that they commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor about this matter.