I am in the process of selling my house in Colne and the estate agent has just text me to say that the purchasers are switching property lawyer. The reason given is that the bank will only work with property lawyers on their conveyancing panel. On what basis would a big named lender only deal with certain solicitors rather the firm that they want to appoint to handle their conveyancing in Colne ?
Lenders have always had an approved set of law firms that can act for them, but in recent years big names such as Lloyds Banking Group, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for decades.
Mortgage companies blame a rise in fraud by way of justification for the pruning – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to monitor. Banks tend not to disclose how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Some 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. Your purchasers are unlikely to have any impact on this.
The Colne conveyancing firm handling our Colne conveyancing has discovered an inconsistency between the surveyor’s assumptions in the home valuation survey and what is revealed within the conveyancing documents. My solicitor informs me that he is duty bound to ensure that the lender is OK with this discrepancy and is still content to lend. Is my conveyancer’s course or action correct?
Your lawyer must comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements which do require that your lawyer disclose any incorrect assumptions in the lender’s valuation report and the legal papers. Should you refuse to allow your lawyer to make the appropriate notification then your lawyer will have no choice but to discontinue acting for you.
Are the BSA intent on creating a online directory to to identify law firms on the Melton Mowbray Building Society conveyancing panel for instance in Colne?
Lexsure has not been advised of any intention on the part of the BSA to promote such a search facility.
Can you help - my lawyer advises that restrictive coveneant insurance is necessary on my purchase. What is the level of cover for Colne conveyancing?
The appropriate level of restrictive coveneant indemnity insurance should be dictated by who your lender. It would differ for example between Barclays and Virgin Money. Conveyancing lawyers as opposed to members of the public take out such policies.
We were going to get a AIP from Santander this week so we know how much we could potentially offer as otherwise we are dependent on web based calculators (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Santander recommend any Colne solicitors on the Santander conveyancing panel, or is it better to find our own lawyer?
You will need to appoint Colne solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Santander conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Santander through the process.
I had an offer accepted on a house in Colne on 17/3/2026, valuation was booked 2 days later, received a clean bill of health. Conveyancer instructed, so the only thing outstanding was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to RBS and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the RBS conveyancing panel. Are RBS entitled to hold back the Mortgage pending the lawyer being on the approved list?
A lender would not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for RBS to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the RBS conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
I have a terraced Victorian property in Colne. Conveyancing lawyer acted for me and Bank of Scotland. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw two entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold with the matching property. Is it worth asking Bank of Scotland to clarify?
You should read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Colne and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they mortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also check the position with the conveyancing practitioner who conducted the work.
My business partner and I are hoping to lease a unit on a shopping parade. Can you recommend solicitors offering competitive costs for non-domestic conveyancing in Colne for below £2000?
We can recommend firms who have an in-depth of experience of commercial conveyancing in Colne, including the sale and purchase of businesses as well as simply premises. Whether you are hoping to buy or sell a shop, pub, restaurant, office, retail premises or a complete business we can put you in touch with the right firm. As for the fees this will depend on the structure and terms of the deal. Please provide us with your details or email us so that we can supply you with comprehensive commercial conveyancing quote.