Am I correct in assuming that the fact that my solicitor in Castleford is not identified on my lender's conveyancing panel that there is a problem with the standard of his conveyancing?
It would be unwise to jump to that conclusion. There are all sorts of perfectly reasonable explanations. Just recently a report by the solicitors regulator indicated that over three quarters of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The most common reasons for removal are: (1) lack of transactions (2) the solicitor is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. Where you are concerned you should contact the Castleford conveyancing firm and enquire why they are no longer on the approved list for your bank.
How up to date is your search tool for Castleford conveyancing solicitors on the Principality conveyancing panel? Do Principality send you an updated list?
Castleford conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Principality conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Principality directly.
My husband and I intend to purchase a purpose built apartment in Castleford with a mortgage from Nationwide Building Society.We like our Castleford conveyancing lawyer but Nationwide Building Society informed us he's not listed on their "panel". It seems we have no choice but to instruct a Nationwide Building Society panel solicitor or keep our preferred solicitor and fork out for one of their panel ones to represent them. We feel as though this is unjust; is there anything we can do?
Unfortunately,no. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, a common one being that conveyancers must be on the Nationwide Building Society approved list. Until recently, most mortgage companies had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could find 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. Another option that might be available is for your solicitors to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for Nationwide Building Society
When it comes to mortgage companies such as Principality, do Castleford solicitors face an annual charge to be on the list of approved solicitors?
We are unaware of any lender fees to register on their panel, although some do levy an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.
I can not fathom if my bank obliges me to make sure the lease term for the flat is extended prior to the completion date. I have called my Castleford building society branch on a couple of occasions and was told it does not affect the mortgage offer and they will lend. My Castleford conveyancing solicitor - who is on the mortgage company conveyancing panel- telephoned and was told they will not lend based on their published requirements. I simply don't know who is right.
As long as the solicitor is on the bank panel, she or he must adhere to the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook conditions for the lender. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the bank will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the lender to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years remaining.
I had an offer accepted on an apartment in Castleford on 24/10/2025, valuation was booked 2 days later, all came back fine. Conveyancer retained, so the only thing outstanding was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Skipton and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Skipton conveyancing panel. Are Skipton entitled to hold back the Mortgage pending the lawyer being on the approved list?
A lender would not issue an offer until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Skipton to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Skipton conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
My friend suggested that where I am purchasing in Castleford I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?
A search of this type is usually quoted for as part of the standard Castleford conveyancing searches. It is not a small report of about 40 pages, listing and detailing important information about Castleford around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime details, Local Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information regarding Castleford.
Due to the encouragement of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a house in Castleford ahead of appointing conveyancers. I have been told that there is a flying freehold element to the house. The surveyor has said that some banks tend refuse to give a loan on such a property.
It depends who your proposed lender is. Lloyds has different requirements for example to Halifax. If you e-mail us we can look into this further via the appropriate mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Castleford. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Castleford to see if the conveyancing costs will increase in light of this.