My husband and I are purchasing a 1 bedroom apartment in Aylesford with a mortgage. We have a Aylesford solicitor, but the mortgage company says she’s not on their "panel". It seems we have little option but to select one of the bank panel solicitors or keep our Aylesford lawyer and pay for one of their panel firms to act for them. This feels very unfair; can we not demand that the mortgage company use our Aylesford 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 lender’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 Aylesford conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
About to place a bid on a leasehold property in Aylesford. The selling agents say that it is the norm for flats in Aylesford to have less than 75 years left on the lease. I am expecting a mortgage with Platform. Is this going to be a problem if the lease has Seventy One years unexpired.
Most leasehold conveyancing experts should be able to deal with a lease extension. if you are obtaining a mortgage then your lender may insist that the lease be extended before competition. Platform have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook in relation to minimum unexpired lease terms. As of 7/4/2026 the requirements read as follows :
This question may be naive but I am unexperienced as a 1st time buyer of a garden flat in Aylesford. Do I collect the keys to the house on completion from my solicitor? If this is the case, I will use a High Street conveyancing solicitor in Aylesford?
There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Your solicitors will arrange to send the purchase money to the owner’s lawyers, and once they have received this, you should be invited to receive the keys from the Estate Agents and move into your new home. This tends to happen early afternoon.
Is it the case that all Aylesford solicitor practices on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel are overseen by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?
As solicitors, in order to be on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel they would need to be governed by the SRA. Some mortgage companies do allow licenced conveyancers on their panel and in such a situation the firms would be regulated by the CLC.
I am selling my house. I had a double glazing fitted in January 2006, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's lender, Yorkshire BS are being problematic. The Aylesford solicitor who is on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel is happy to accept ‘lack of building regulation’ insurance but Yorkshire BS are requiring a building regulation certificate. Why do Yorkshire BS have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?
It is probably the case that Yorkshire BS have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Yorkshire BS may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.
What does a local search reveal regarding the property we're buying in Aylesford?
Aylesford conveyancing often commences with the submitting local authority searches directly from your local Authority or through a personal search organisations such as Searchflow The local search is essential in every Aylesford conveyancing purchase; that is if you don’t want any unpleasant once you have moved into your new home. The search will provide information 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 thirteen subject headings.
Me and my brother have a renovated Georgian house in Aylesford. Conveyancing practitioner acted for me and Accord Mortgages Ltd. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are two entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold with the exact same property. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?
You need to assess the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Aylesford and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they buy they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also enquire as to the position with the conveyancing practitioner who carried out the work.
What is the difference between surveying and conveyancing in Aylesford?
Conveyancing - in Aylesford or elsewhere - is the process of legally transferring legal title of property from one person to another. It therefore includes the investigation of the title. Whether buying or selling, you should be aware of anything affecting the property such as proposals by government departments, illegal buildings, or outstanding rates. The conveyancer should conduct the appropriate searches and inquiries on the property. Surveying relates to the structure of a property itself. A surveyor will look at a house, flat and any outbuildings you’re buying and will help you find out about the condition of the building and, if there are problems, give you a powerful reason for reducing the price down or asking the seller to fix the defects prior to you complete your move.