We are purchasing a 3 bedroom apartment in Totnes with a mortgage. We have a Totnes lawyer, however the lender advise he's not on their "panel". It seems we have no option but to select one of the lender panel solicitors or continue with our Totnes conveyancer and pay for one of their panel ones to act for them. This seems very unfair; are we not able to demand that the mortgage company use our Totnes lawyer ?
No, not really. The mortgage offered to you 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. A further alternative is for your Totnes conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
Will my conveyancing lawyers need to check that the building insurance for my purchase of a house in Totnes. My lender is Bank of Ireland
Bank of Ireland have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 8/2/2026, the requirements read as follows :
This question may be naive but I am unexperienced as FTB of a garden flat in Totnes. Do I collect the keys to the property on completion from my lawyer? If this is the case, I will instruct a local conveyancing solicitor in Totnes?
There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Conveyancing lawyers for you will arrange to send the purchase money to the seller's conveyancers, and once they have received this, you will be called to collect the keys from the property Agents and move into your new home. Usually this happens between 1 and 3pm.
is it true that all Totnes solicitor practices on the Principality conveyancing panel are regulated by the SRA?
As solicitors, in order to be on the Principality approved list of solicitors they would need to be governed by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. Many banks do list licenced conveyancers on their panel and in such a situation the practice would be overseen by the CLC.
Can I be sure that the Totnes conveyancing solicitor on the HSBC panel is any good?
When it comes to conveyancing in Totnes seeking recommendations is a sensible starting point. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one which is cheap as chips. We would always recommend that you speak with the solicitor carrying out your transaction.
I am purchasing a new build house in Totnes with a mortgage from Lloyds TSB Bank. The builders would not budge the amount so I negotiated 6k of fixtures and fittings instead. The property agent suggested that I not inform my solicitor about this side-deal as it would impact my loan with the bank. Should I keep quiet?.
All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder 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 have been on the look out for a leasehold apartment up to £245,000 and identified one round the corner in Totnes I like with amenity areas and station nearby, however it's only got 51 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Totnes in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error acquiring a short lease?
Should you need a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term will likely be problematic. Discount the price by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current proprietor has owned the property for a minimum of 2 years you could request that they start the process of the extension and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer about this matter.
How difficult is it to transfer to a new conveyancer as I need to find a firm on the HSBC Bank conveyancing panel. I hired a local conveyancing solicitor in Totnes five minutes from me but the firm is not accepted by HSBC Bank
We will our best to assist in finding you a conveyancing solicitor in Totnes on the HSBC Bank panel. Please note that the property lawyers that we work with do not pay us commission if you instruct them and are registered with the Solicitors Regulation Authority who regulate all conveyancing solicitors in Totnes. In utilising the find a conveyancing solicitor tool on this site, you can compare and instruct different solicitors and conveyancers both nationally and in Totnes.