I am nearing exchange of contracts for my ground floor flat in Hassocks and the EA has just called to say that the purchasers are appointing a new solicitor. The excuse is that the bank will only engage with property lawyers on their conveyancing panel. On what basis would a big named lender only work with specific lawyers rather the firm that they want to appoint to handle their conveyancing in Hassocks ?
Mortgage companies have always had panels of law firms they are content to work with, but in the past few years big names such as Santander, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for many years.
Mortgage companies blame a rise in fraud as the reason for the cull – criteria have been tightened as a smaller panel is easier to monitor. No lender will say 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 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 unlikely to have any sway in the decision.
My wife and I buying a 4 bedroom semi-detached house in Hassocks. Our aim is to convert the garage to a playroom at the property.Will the conveyancing process involve investigations to ascertain if these works were previously refused?
Your property lawyer will check the registered title as conveyancing in Hassocks can on occasion reveal restrictions in the title deeds which prohibit certain alterations or need the permission of another owner. Some works call for local authority planning permissions and approval in compliance with building regulations. Many locations are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which frequently prevent or affect extensions. You should check these things with a surveyor before you commit yourself to a purchase.
We had chosen conveyancers locally in Hassocks on the Aldermore solicitor approved list. They are now charging me a separate fee for the legal aspects of the Aldermore mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee specified by Aldermore?
As unfair as it may appear, as long as it’s in their Terms of Engagement or Quote then yes your property lawyer can levy a fee for this. This charge is not dictated by Aldermore but by your Hassocks conveyancing practitioner. Some firms on the Aldermore panel will levy an ‘acting for lender’ fee but some firms incorporate it on their overall fee.
My offer was accepted on a property in Hassocks on 2/4/2025, valuation was booked 3 days after, all came back fine. Conveyancer instructed, 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?
Mortgage companies tend not to 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.
Should commercial conveyancing searches disclose impending roadworks that could affect a commercial site in Hassocks?
Many commercial conveyancing solicitors in Hassocks will carry out a SiteSolutions Highways report as it dramatically cuts the time that conveyancers invest in investigating accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in Hassocks. The search result sets out definitive information on the adoption status of roads, footpaths and verges, as well as the implication of traffic schemes and the rights of way surrounding a commercial development sites in Hassocks.
For every commercial conveyancing transaction in Hassocks it is crucial to investigate the adoption status of roads surrounding a site. The absence of identifying developments where adoption procedures have not been dealt with adequately could cause delays to Hassocks commercial conveyancing deals as well as present a risk to future plans for the site. These searches are not carried out for domestic conveyancing in Hassocks.
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified as part of conveyancing in Hassocks?
Covenants that are restrictive in nature can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Hassocks. 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…’
In my capacity as executor for the estate of my grandmother I am selling a residence in Neath but reside in Hassocks. My solicitor (based 250 kilometers from merequires that I sign a stat dec before completion. Could you suggest a conveyancing solicitor in Hassocks to attest and place their company stamp on the document?
strictly speaking you are unlikely to need to have the documents attested by a conveyancing solicitor. Ordinarily or notary public or qualified solicitor will do regardless of whether they are located in Hassocks
My husband and I are buying a studio flat in Hassocks. At the time of instructing our conveyancing practitioner, we were told they were on all mainstream bank panels. The financial adviser emailed yesterday to advise that they don't appear to be on the Coventry BS approved list. If it turns out to be true, what should we do? Do we just choose a different property lawyer that is on their approved list or do we cover the costs for separate representation, with Coventry BS appointing their own approved solicitor.
If you are acquiring a property with the assistance of a mortgage it is normal for the buyer’s lawyers to also represent the purchaser's lender. In order to act for a bank or building society a conveyancing practitioner has to be on that lender's list of approved lawyers. An application has to be made by the conveyancer to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the property lawyer has to fulfill. Some banks now insist their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Accreditation Scheme. Your conveyancer should contact Coventry BS and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own solicitors to act. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on Coventry BS's conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Hassocks lawyers, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it may delay matters as you are adding another property lawyer into the equation.