I am progressing with the sale of my maisonette in East Harling and the EA has just text me to say that the buyers are switching solicitor. The excuse is that the bank will only deal with solicitors on their conveyancing panel. Why would a leading lender only engage with certain lawyers rather the firm that they want to choose for their conveyancing in East Harling ?
UK lenders have always had an approved set of law firms they are willing to work with, 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 represented them for more than 15 years.
Lenders attribute this action to a rise in fraud as the reason for the reduction – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to maintain. Banks tend not to disclose how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is being contacted daily by practices 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. Your buyers are not going to have any sway in the decision.
We were just about to exchange contracts for a property in East Harling. We have hit a stumbling block. Our loan offer with Godiva Mortgages Ltd runs out on 25/3/2026 but the owners are suggesting a completion date of 27/3/2026. Is it possible to prolong the mortgage expiry date?
The person best placed to deal with your question is your conveyancer who will hopefully calculate whether they corresponding with the lender, seller’s representatives, selling agents or conceivably all three taking into account what has happend in your house move as of today.
We see that you have a search directory identifying firms on the Skipton conveyancing panel. Do firms pay you a commission if I retain them for our own conveyancing in East Harling?
We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the Skipton conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in East Harling.
Will my conveyancing lawyers need to check that the building insurance for my purchase of a house in East Harling. My lender is Chelsea Building Society
Chelsea Building Society have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 25/1/2026, the requirements read as follows :
I need to find a conveyancing solicitor for remortgage conveyancing in East Harling. I've stumble upon a site which appears to be the ideal offering If it is possible to get all formalities done via phone that would be preferable. Do I need to be concerned? What should out be looking out for?
As usual with these online conveyancers you need to read ALL the small print - did you notice the extra charge for dealing with the mortgage?
I am employed by a reputable estate agent office in East Harling where we have experienced a few leasehold sales jeopardised due to leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have been given contradictory information from local East Harling conveyancing firms. Could you shed some light as to whether the owner of a flat can instigate the lease extension process for the purchaser on completion of the sale?
Provided that the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to commence the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the buyer can avoid having to sit tight for 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done before, or at the same time as completion of the disposal of the property.
Alternatively, it may be possible to extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the purchaser.
Leasehold Conveyancing in East Harling - A selection of Questions you should consider Prior to Purchasing
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How many years are left on the lease? Are any of leasehold owners in arrears of their service charge liability? The majority of East Harling leasehold properties will incur a service charge for maintenance of the building invoiced on behalf of the freeholder. If you buy the flat you will have to meet this charge, normally in instalments accross the year. This may vary from several hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for bigger purpose-built buildings. There will also be a ground rent to be met yearly, this is usually not a significant figure, say around £25-£75 but you should to enquire as occasionally it could be surprisingly expensive.