I am selling my maisonette in Wellington and the estate agent has just called to advise that the buyers are swapping law firm. I am told that this is due to the fact that the bank will only deal with solicitors on their conveyancing panel. Why would a big named lender only deal with certain lawyers rather the firm that they want to select for their conveyancing in Wellington ?
Mortgage companies have always had panels of law firms they are willing to work with, but in the last few years big names such as Yorkshire Building Society, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have acted for them for more than 15 years.
Lenders point to the increase in fraud as the reason for the cull – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to oversee. Banks tend not to reveal 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 do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. The buyers are not going to have any sway in the decision.
Why do I have to pay up front when it comes to conveyancing in Wellington?
Where you are retaining lawyers for conveyancing in Wellington your solicitor will ask you put them with funds to cover the search fees. Ordinarily this is called for to cover the fees of the conveyancing searches. If any down payment is payable against the total price then this will be required shortly before contracts are exchanged. The final balance that is needed should be sent to your lawyer a couple of days ahead of the completion date.
I am told that my conveyancing solicitors will need to check that the building insurance for my purchase of a house in Wellington. My lender is Accord Mortgages
Accord Mortgages have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 20/3/2026, the requirements read as follows :
I need some quick conveyancing in Wellington as I am faced with a deadline to sign on the dotted line inside 2 weeks. A mortgage is not required. Is it possible to avoid the conveyancing searches to save money and time?
As you are not obtaining a mortgage you are at liberty not to do searches although no conveyancer would advise that you don't. With lots of history conveyancing in Wellington the following are examples of what can crop up and therefore affect market value: Enforcement Notices, Overdue Fees, Overdue Grants, Road Schemes,...
I'm buying a new build house in Wellington with the aid of help to buy. The sellers would not reduce the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of extras instead. The property agent advised me not inform my lawyer about the deal as it would jeopardize my loan with The Mortgage Works. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.
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.
After what seems like an age I have had an offer on an maisonette in Wellington accepted, but there is a chain. The owners have submitted an offer on a flat, however it’s not yet agreed to, and has viewings of other apartments in the pipeline. I have instructed a nearby conveyancing lawyer in Wellington. What do I do now? When do I get the mortgage application with Clydesdale going with Clydesdale?
It is understandable to have concerns where there is an associated chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket prematurely (mortgage application is approx one thousand pounds, then survey, Wellington conveyancing search fees, etc). First, you must ensure that your solicitor is on the Clydesdale approved list. As to the subsequent steps this very much depends on the specifics of your transaction, desire for this property and on the state of the market. During a hot market the majority of home buyers would apply for a home loan with Clydesdale and pay for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they request their solicitor to move forward with the conveyancing in Wellington.