I am in the process of selling my flat in Bardsley and the estate agent has just called to say that the buyers are swapping solicitor. The reason given is that the bank will only deal with property lawyers on their conveyancing panel. Why would a major lender only engage with specific law firms rather the firm that they want to appoint to handle their conveyancing in Bardsley ?
Mortgage companies have always had an approved set of law firms they are content to work with, but in recent years big names such as Lloyds Banking Group, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have represented them for more than 15 years.
Lending institutions attribute this action to a rise in fraud by way of justification for the pruning – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to keep an eye on. No lender will say how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is hearing daily from firms 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. Your buyers are not going to have any sway in the decision.
Last March we completed a house move in Bardsley. We have noticed several problems with the house which we believe were overlooked in the conveyancing searches. What action can we take? Can you clarify the nature of searches that needed to have been ordered for conveyancing in Bardsley?
It is not clear from the question as to the nature of the problems and if they are relate to conveyancing in Bardsley. Conveyancing searches and investigations undertaken as part of the legal transfer of property are supposed to help avoid problems. As part of the process, the vendor completes a questionnaire called a Seller’s Property Information Form. If the information ends up being inaccurate, then you may have a claim against the owner for any losses that you have suffered. The survey should have identified any problems with the structure of the property. Assuming a detailed survey was carried out and the issues were not identified, you may have a claim against the surveyor. However, if you did not have a full survey, you may be responsible for fixing any defects that have now been noted. We would always encourage buyers to take every possible step to ensure they are completely aware of the condition of a property before purchase regardless of whether they are buying in Bardsley.
We just had an offer accepted to purchase with Loughborough BS. I went into a couple of high street firms yet am unable to find a Bardsley conveyancing firm on the Loughborough BS panel. Can you help?
Feel free to take advantage of the find a lender approved solicitor tool on this page. Pick the lender and type Bardsley or your location and you will discover a number of lawyer offices in Bardsley or by proximity to you.
I have recentlybeen informed that Stirling Law have been shut down. They conducted my conveyancing in Bardsley for a purchase of a freehold house 10 months ago. How can I be sure that the property is not still registered in the name of the former proprietor?
The easiest way to check if the property is registered to you, you can carry out a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Bardsley conveyancing specialists.
I have been pointed in your direction by a few property agents in Bardsley to select a conveyancer using your seach tool. What’s the financial advantage for Estate Agents to promote your site over alternative conveyancing organisations?
We refuse to make any commission for pointing buyers and sellers our way. We found it would be just too difficult to pay a commission because home movers will think, ‘Why is the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not receiving any benefit too?’ So we decided to step away from that.
I have just found out that one of the partners of the conveyancing practice handling the purchase conveyancing in Bardsley is related to the vendor. Is this acceptable?
Provided no conflict arises this is permitted. If you are needing a home loan then the mortgage company may have a say as many lenders have specific requirements on this. For example for HSBC as of 10/5/2025, the requirements read as follows :