I am one month into the sale of my apartment in Brislington and the EA has just called to say that the buyers are switching property lawyer. 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 leading lender only work with certain law firms rather the firm that they want to appoint for their conveyancing in Brislington ?
UK lenders have always had panels of law firms they are willing to work with, but in the past few years big names such as Lloyds Banking Group, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have acted for them for many years.
Mortgage companies point to the increase in fraud as the reason for the reduction – criteria have been tightened as a smaller panel is easier to keep an eye on. Banks tend not to reveal 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 are unaware that they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. The purchasers are not going to have any sway in the decision.
Will my conveyancing lawyers need to check that the building insurance when buying a house in Brislington. My lender is Chelsea Building Society
Chelsea Building Society have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 18/12/2025, the requirements read as follows :
is it true that all Brislington solicitor firms on the Principality conveyancing panel are regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?
As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the Principality conveyancing panel they would need to be governed by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. Some mortgage companies do list licenced conveyancers on their panel and in that case the firms would be overseen by the CLC.
We had selected conveyancers based in Brislington on the Kent Reliance solicitor approved list. They are now charging me a further sum for dealing with the Kent Reliance mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by Kent Reliance?
Provided it is contained in their Terms of Engagement or estimate then yes your property lawyer may charge a fee for this. This charge is not set by Kent Reliance but by your Brislington conveyancing practitioner. Some firms on the Kent Reliance panel will quote ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but many practices include it on their overall fee.
We were going to get a AIP from Virgin Money this week so we know how much we could potentially offer as otherwise we only have online calculators to go by (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Virgin Money recommend any Brislington solicitors on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel, or is it better to go independently?
You will need to appoint Brislington solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Virgin Money through the process.
Do I need to pay for insurance to cover chancel repairs when buying a house in Brislington?
Unless a prior purchase of the house took place post 12 October 2013 you may assume that solicitors handling conveyancing in Brislington to continue to propose a a chancel search and or insurance against a claim.
I need to retain a conveyancing solicitor for residential conveyancing in Brislington. I have discover a site which appears to be the ideal offering If it is possible to get all this stuff done via phone that would be preferable. Should I be concerned? What are the potential pitfalls?
As usual with these online conveyancers you need to read ALL the small print - did you notice the extra charge for dealing with the mortgage?
What makes a Brislington lease defective?
There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Brislington. All leases are unique and drafting errors can sometimes mean that certain provisions are missing. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:
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A provision for the recovery of money spent for the benefit of another party.
A defective lease can cause issues when trying to sell a property as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. Santander, Skipton Building Society, and Alliance & Leicester all have express conveyancing instructions when it comes to what is expected in a lease. Where a lender has been advised by their lawyers that the lease is defective they may refuse to grant the mortgage, forcing the buyer to withdraw.
Leasehold Conveyancing in Brislington - Sample of Queries before Purchasing
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You should want to discover as much as you can about the managing agents as they will impact your use and enjoyment of the property. As the owner of a leasehold property you are often in the clutches of the managing agents from a financial perspective and when it comes to day to day matters such as the tidiness of the communal areas. Ask other people if they are happy with their management. On a final note, investigate as to the dates that you are obliged pay the service charge to the appropriate party and precisely how they are spending the funds. The prefered form of lease structure is where the freehold title is owned by the leaseholders. In this arrangement the lessees enjoy being in charge if their destiny and although a managing agent is often retained where it is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent acts for the leaseholders themselves.