Are the St Albans conveyancing solicitors identified as being on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel, together with their details provided by Virgin Money?
St Albans conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Virgin Money directly.
I am told that my conveyancing solicitors will need to check that the building insurance for my purchase of a house in St Albans. My lender is Accord Mortgages
Accord Mortgages have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 19/2/2026, the requirements read as follows :
What is your number one tip for choosing a conveyancing solicitor in St Albans
It would be unwise to be swayed by the cheapest St Albans conveyancing fees. You really do get what you pay for when it comes to conveyancing solicitors. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you go into the conveyancing with your eyes wide open.
I am purchasing a property in St Albans. An unusual aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Solicitors conducting should look into this right? Will my lender Co-operative be concerned?
As you are obtaining a mortgage with Co-operative your lawyer must check the conveyancing instructions contained in Part two of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Co-operative. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook sets out minimum provisions for solar panel roof-space leases, and solicitors are required to report to Co-operative where a lease fails to meet these specifications. The provisions relate to the installation of panels on properties countrywide and is not restricted to St Albans.
Having digested plenty of house buying guides, I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local St Albans solicitor - who is on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?
Clydesdale will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Clydesdale 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. Your solicitor will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your St Albans postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Clydesdale, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in St Albans.
Should commercial conveyancing searches disclose planned roadworks that could impact a commercial land in St Albans?
Many commercial conveyancing solicitors in St Albans will carry out a SiteSolutions Highways report as it reduces the time that conveyancers invest in researching accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in St Albans. The report provides definitive information on the adoption status of roads, footpaths and verges, as well as the implication of traffic schemes and the rights of way surrounding a commercial development sites in St Albans.
For every commercial conveyancing transaction in St Albans it is crucial to investigate the adoption status of roads surrounding a site. The absence of identifying developments where adoption procedures have not been addressed adequately can cause delays to St Albans commercial conveyancing deals as well as present a risk to future intentions for the site. These searches are not carried out for domestic conveyancing in St Albans.
Due to the input of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a house in St Albans before instructing solicitors. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold overhang to the property. My surveyor advised that some banks may refuse to grant a mortgage on this type of premises.
It depends who your proposed lender is. HSBC has different instructions for example to Nationwide. Should you wish to call us we can check with the appropriate lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in St Albans. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in St Albans to see if the conveyancing will be more expensive.
A conveyancing firm dealt with my conveyancing in St Albans half a dozen years ago and was holding my deeds but has since been shut down – What steps do I now take to retreive them?
Title deeds, as such, are no longer appropriate for most homes in St Albans are recorded electronically at Land Registry. Where you need to prove ownership or are selling or refinancing your conveyancing practitioner should obtain up to date copies of the register from the Land Registry in any case.
If you feel there may be other documents or you have any other queries please e-mail your request with details of the transaction and documents you need to filerequest@clc-uk.org. The CLC will let you know what information they have and any additional information they may need before they are in a position to identify and send the documents to you. Following an intervention it may take some time for the CLC to access archived files and documents, but your request will be actioned with reasonable haste.