I plan on purchasing a leasehold flat in Buntingford. My Conveyancer is not on the lender conveyancing panel. Is it possible for me to appoint my Buntingford conveyancing solicitor notwithstanding that they are not on the mortgage company panel?
You will need to use a lawyer to complete the formalities when you require a mortgage to buy your property. The property lawyer will conduct all the necessary due diligence on the property, make sure that you will be properly registered as the owner and ensure that all the necessary mortgage paperwork is in order. One can appoint a Buntingford conveyancing practitioner of your choice. However, where the conveyancing practitioner selected is not a member of the mortgage company approved list additional costs will be levied as separate legal representation will be need by the bank. Lender panel applications can be submitted, so provided your solicitor has not historically applied for membership they can do so.
I am purchasing a house for cash in Buntingford. I have lived for the previous 20 years in Buntingford. Conveyancing searches are exorbitant. Given that I know the area and road very well must I have all the conveyancing searches?
If you not getting a home loan, then the vast majority of the Buntingford conveyancing searches are at your discretion. Your lawyer will 'advise', no-doubt strongly, that you should have searches carried out, but he has a professional duty to take that path of guidance. One thing to take into account; if you are going to sell the house one day, it will likely be be of importance to your future buyer what the searches disclose. Sometimes houses with apparent issues can still throw up unfavourable search results. A competent conveyancing solicitor in Buntingford will provide you some sensible advice in this regard.
My aunt passed away six months ago and as sole heir and executor I was left the house in Buntingford. The house had a small mortgage left on it of around £4500. I want to transfer the title deeds into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Virgin Money, pay off the mortgage. Is this possible?
Where you plan to re-mortgage then Virgin Money will require that you use a conveyancer on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your Virgin Money conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the Virgin Money mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.
I used Arc property Solicitors a few years ago for my conveyancing in Buntingford. I now require my papers but cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?
You should contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracing your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Buntingford of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously instructed, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
I'm purchasing my first flat in Buntingford with the aid of help to buy. The developers would not reduce the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of additionals instead. The house builders rep told me not reveal to my solicitor about this extras as it would affect my mortgage with Barclays Direct. Is this normal?.
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 UK Finance website. UK Finance 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.
We have just discovered that one of the directors of the law firm handling the purchase conveyancing in Buntingford is an aunty of the owners that we are purchasing from. Is this allowed?
On the basis that no conflict arises this should be fine. Where you are needing mortgage finance then the mortgage company may have a say as many banks have specific instructions concerning this. For example for Halifax as of 3/11/2026, the requirements read as follows :