I am in the process of selling my maisonette in Hedge End and the EA has just telephoned to warn that the buyers are switching law firm. The excuse is that the bank will only engage with solicitors on their conveyancing panel. Why would a major lender only engage with specific solicitors rather the firm that they want to select for their conveyancing in Hedge End ?
UK lenders have always had an approved set of law firms that can represent them, but in the last few years big names such as HSBC, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have represented them for more than 15 years.
Mortgage companies blame a rise in fraud by way of justification for the cull – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to oversee. 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 being contacted daily by practices that have been removed from panels. Plenty of firms 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. The buyers are unlikely to have any impact on this.
The Hedge End conveyancing lawyers that just started acting on my purchase in Hedge End have suddenly closed. They were on acting for me because I had to have a firm on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel and my family Hedge End lawyer was not. I paid them 275 plus VAT in advance. What are my options?
If you have an estate agent involved then inform them immediately so that they advise the vendors that there may be a slight delay due to the problems encountered. Hopefully they will be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You should appoint new lawyers that are on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money, it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new solicitors should be in a position to help.
I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with Virgin Money. I assume I don't need a Hedge End lawyer on the Virgin Money panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?
If you have finished paying off your Virgin Money mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Virgin Money mortgage from the register. Virgin Money, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:
- but are not moving to another property
- where Virgin Money has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- Virgin Money has instructed the Land Registry to do so
I am due to exchange contracts on my apartment. I had a double glazing fitted in July 2007, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's mortgage company, Kent Reliance are being difficult. The Hedge End solicitor who is on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel is happy to accept ‘lack of building regulation’ insurance but Kent Reliance are requiring a building regulation certificate. Why do Kent Reliance have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?
It is probably the case that Kent Reliance have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Kent Reliance may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.
I had an offer accepted on a house in Hedge End on 22/7/2025, valuation was booked 2 days after, all came back fine. Solicitor appointed, so the only thing outstanding was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Nationwide and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Nationwide conveyancing panel. Are Nationwide entitled to hold back the Mortgage pending the lawyer being on the approved list?
Mortgage companies tend not to not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Nationwide to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Nationwide conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to our home can not be found. The conveyancers who conducted the conveyancing in Hedge End 5 years ago have long since closed. What do I do?
As long as the title is registered the details of your ownership will be held by the Land Registry under a Title Number. It is possible to execute a search at the Land Registry, locate your house and obtain current copies of the Registered Entries for less than a fiver. Where the property is Leasehold then the Land Registry will also normally hold a certified duplicate of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be ordered for a small fee.
I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold element on a house I have offered on a fortnight ago in what was supposed to be a quick, no chain conveyancing. Hedge End is where the house is located. What do you suggest?
Flying freeholds in Hedge End are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Hedge End you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds thoroughly. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Hedge End may decide that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold residence.
At what point do I pay stamp duty due for my Hedge End flat purchase?
The majority of lawyers tend to fill out a Land Transaction Return Form on your behalf during your Hedge End conveyancing transaction for you to sign. After completion your property lawyer will submit your Land Transaction application to the Inland Revenue and - assuming they have the money - pay any Stamp Duty due for you.