I am progressing with the sale of my ground floor flat in Downham and the EA has just telephoned to say that the buyers are swapping conveyancer. The reason given is that the lender will only work with solicitors on their conveyancing panel. On what basis would a leading mortgage company only engage with specific solicitors rather the firm that they want to appoint to handle their conveyancing in Downham ?
UK lenders have always had panels of law firms that can represent them, but in the past few years big names such as Nationwide, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have acted for them for decades.
Lenders point to the increase in fraud by way of justification for the pruning – criteria have been stiffened 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 says it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Some do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. The buyers are unlikely to have any impact on this.
It is a dozen years since I purchased my home in Downham. Conveyancing solicitors have now been retained on the sale but I can't track down my title documents. Is this a problem?
You need not be too concerned. First the deeds may be retained by your mortgage company or they may be in the possession of the lawyers who handled your purchase. Secondly in most cases the land will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to establish that you are the registered owner by your conveyancing lawyers acquiring up to date copy of the land registers. Almost all conveyancing in Downham involves registered property but in the unlikely event that your property is unregistered it is more of a problem but is not insurmountable.
Will my conveyancing lawyers need to check that the building insurance for my purchase of a house in Downham. My lender is Virgin
Virgin have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 22/4/2025, the requirements read as follows :
A relative advised me that where I am buying in Downham I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?
This is a search is sometimes quoted for as part of the standard Downham conveyancing searches. It is not a small report of about 40 pages, listing and detailing significant information about Downham around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Downham Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime statistics, Downham Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information concerning Downham.
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up during conveyancing in Downham?
Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the process of conveyancing in Downham. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’
We expect to complete the sale of our £375,000 garden flat in Downham in six days. The freeholder has quoted £372 for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and previous years service charge statements. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge such fees for a leasehold conveyance in Downham?
Downham conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes more often than not necessitates the purchaser’s conveyancer submitting enquiries for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is not legally bound to address such questions the majority will be content to assist. They may levy a reasonable charge for responding to questions or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average fee for the paperwork that you are referring to is £350, in some cases it is in excess of £800. The administration charge required by the landlord must be sent together with a summary of entitlements and obligations in respect of administration charges, otherwise the charge is technically not due. In reality one has no choice but to pay whatever is requested of you should you wish to exchange contracts with the buyer.
Following months of correspondence we are unable to agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Downham. Can we issue an application to the Residential Property Tribunal Service?
Where there is a missing landlord or where there is dispute about the premium for a lease extension, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 it is possible to make an application to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to make a decision on the price.
An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement case for a Downham premises is Ravensbourne Lodge 4 Highland Road in February 2013. the Tribunal held that the amount payable for the freehold was £22,268