My husband and I are buying a 2 bedroom apartment in Elmers End with a mortgage. We like our Elmers End solicitor, however the lender says he's not on their "panel". It seems we have little choice but to appoint one of the bank panel solicitors or keep our Elmers End property lawyer and pay for one of their panel ones to represent them. This seems very unfair; can we not demand that the lender use our Elmers End conveyancer ?
Unfortunately,no. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the bank’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose 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 Elmers End conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
Is there a reason why leasehold purchase conveyancing in Elmers End costs more?
The conveyancing fees for a leasehold premises in Elmers End is frequently more expensive when contrasted to a freehold property. This is due to the extra investigations required in dealing with the landlord and managing agents to obtain evidence about whether the rent and service fee have been cleared and whether there are any significant expenditure in the near future on repairs or maintenance of the building.
We previously instructed conveyancing lawyers locally in Elmers End on the Clydesdale solicitor approved list. They have just billed me a supplemental amount for handling the Clydesdale mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee specified by Clydesdale?
As unfair as it may seem, as long as it’s in their Terms and Conditions or estimate then yes your solicitor is entitled to charge a fee for this. This fee is not set by Clydesdale but by your Elmers End solicitor. Plenty of firms on the Clydesdale panel will levy an ‘acting for lender’ fee but plenty of practices incorporate it on their overall fee.
My offer was accepted on a property in Elmers End on 10/3/2026, valuation was booked five days later, received a clean bill of health. Solicitor retained, so the only thing outstanding was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to HSBC and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the HSBC conveyancing panel. Can the lender hold off the offer?
A lender would not issue an offer until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for HSBC to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the HSBC conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
Having digested plenty of mortgage guides, I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Elmers End solicitor - who is on the Principality conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?
Principality will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Principality will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your conveyancer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Elmers End postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Principality, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Elmers End.
I am close to exchanging contracts on the sale of our property in Elmers End and according to the buyers it appears that there is a possibility that the property was constructed on contaminated land. Any local lawyer would know this is not the case. It does beg the question why the purchasers instructed a web based conveyancing outfit rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Elmers End. We have lived in Elmers End for many years we know of no issue. Do we contact our local Authority to get clarification that the buyers are looking for.
It would appear that you have a conveyancing firm already. What do they say? You should 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 ailment)
I used Arc property Solicitors several years ago for my conveyancing in Elmers End. I now require my file but the law firm has closed. What do I do?
You should call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Elmers End of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously used, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
How does conveyancing in Elmers End differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build property in Elmers End approach us having been asked by the seller to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the residence is finished. This is because builders in Elmers End tend to purchase the real estate, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancing solicitors as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are used to new build conveyancing in Elmers End or who has acted in the same development.