My husband and I are hoping to buy a house in Burnley and have instructed a Burnley conveyancing practice. Within the last couple of days our property lawyer has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report with the expectation that exchange is imminent. Virgin Money have this evening contacted us to inform me that there is now an issue as our Burnley solicitor is not on their conveyancing panel. What do we do from here?
Where you are buying a property requiring a mortgage it is standard for the purchasers' lawyers to also act for the purchaser's lender. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Accreditation Scheme. Your solicitor should contact your mortgage company and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on the bank's conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Burnley solicitors, in which case it will likely add costs, and it will likely delay the transaction as you have another set of people involved.
Will my conveyancing lawyers need to check that the building insurance when buying a house in Burnley. My lender is Virgin
Virgin have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 6/9/2025, the requirements read as follows :
How can we tell if a Burnley conveyancing solicitor on the HSBC panel is any good?
When it comes to conveyancing in Burnley obtaining recommendations is a good starting point. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one advertising the lowest fees. We would always recommend that you speak with the lawyer carrying out your transaction.
I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in Burnley off the council. I have a mortgage agreed with UBS. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have one. Any advice?
It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with UBS, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the UBS conveyancing panel.
After what seems like an age I have had an offer on an apartment in Burnley accepted, but there is a chain. The owners have offered on a property, but it’s not yet tied up, and have viewings of other properties booked. I have selected a local conveyancing solicitor in Burnley. What do I do now? At what stage should I apply for the mortgage with Aldermore?
It is normal to have concerns where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket prematurely (mortgage application is approx one thousand pounds, then survey, Burnley conveyancing search costs, etc). The first course of action is to ensure that your conveyancer is on the Aldermore approved list. Concerning the subsequent phase this very much depends on the specifics of your case, motivation for the property and on the state of the market. In a buoyant market many buyers will apply for a home loan with Aldermore and pay for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they request their lawyer to press on with the conveyancing in Burnley.
I am downsizing from our property in Burnley and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a possibility that the property was built land that was not decontaminated. A high street Burnley conveyancer would know that there is no such problem. It does beg the question why the purchasers are using a factory type conveyancing outfit as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Burnley. Having lived in Burnley for many years we know of no issue. Should we contact our local Authority to obtain clarification need.
It would appear that you have a conveyancing lawyer currently acting for you. Are they able to advise? You must enquire of your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out health insurance to cover that same sickness)
I am buying a new build apartment in Burnley. Conveyancing is daunting at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build legal work.
Here are examples of a few leasehold new build questions that you can expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Burnley
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Please confirm the Lease plans are surveyor prepared. The Lease must contain a provision on behalf of the Vendor to pay the service charges in respect of unoccupied units in order to ensure that all services can be provided. The Landlord must covenant to assume the management if the Management Company goes into liquidation or otherwise defaults in running the management scheme. Will the freehold then be transferred for a nominal consideration (not exceeding £100) to the Management Company? The Vendor must covenant to keep unsold units in good repair until long leases are granted therefore.
I am looking at a two maisonettes in Burnley both have approximately forty five years unexpired on the leases. should I be concerned?
There is no doubt about it. A leasehold apartment in Burnley is a deteriorating asset as a result of the shortening lease. The closer the lease gets to zero years unexpired, the more it reduces the salability of the property. For most purchasers and mortgage companies, leases with under eighty years become less and less attractive. On a more upbeat note, leaseholders can extend their leases by serving a Section 42 Notice. One stipulation is that they must have owned the premises for two years (unlike a Section 13 notice for purchasing the freehold, when leaseholders can participate from day one of ownership). When successful, they will have the right to an extension of 90 years to the current term and ground rent is effectively reduced to zero. Before moving forward with a purchase of a property with a short lease term remaining you should talk to a solicitor specialising in lease extensions and leasehold enfranchisement. We are are happy to put you in touch with Burnley conveyancing experts who will explain the options available to you during an initial telephone conversation free of charge. More often than not it is possible to negotiate informally with the freeholder to extend the lease. You may find he or she is happy to negotiate informally and willing to consider your offer straight off, without having to involve anyone else. This will save you time and money and it could help you reach a lower price on the lease. You need to ensure that the agreed terms represent good long-term value compared with the standard benefits of the Section 42 Notice and that onerous clauses are not inserted into any redrafting of the lease.
I bought a 2 bed flat in Burnley, conveyancing was carried out February 2004. How much will my lease extension cost? Similar flats in Burnley with a long lease are worth £216,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 charged once a year. The lease expires on 21st October 2094
With 69 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £9,500 and £11,000 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.
The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to advice on the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive investigations. Do not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward based on this information before getting professional advice.