I was advised recently by my mortgage broker that my Highnam solicitor is not on the lender Solicitor panel. How can I be sure that this is correct?
The best course of action for you to take is to contact your Highnam lawyer directly. You lawyer should notify you of the situation. Where they are not on the panel they could put your in touch with solicitors on the conveyancing panel for your mortgage company.
My wife and I intend to remortgage our apartment in Highnam with Nottingham. We have a son 18 who lives at home. Our solicitor requested us to identify any adults other than ourselves who lives in the flat. The solicitor has now sent a form for our son to sign, waiving any legal rights in the event that the apartment is forfeited by the lender. I have two questions (1) Is this document specific to the Nottingham conveyancing panel as he never had to sign this form when we bought 5 years ago (2) Does our son by signing this compromise his entitlement to inherit the property?
On the face of it your lawyer has done nothing wrong as it is established procedure for any occupier who is aged 17 or over to sign the necessary Consent Form, which is purely to state that any rights he has in the property are postponed and secondary to Nottingham. This is solely used to protect Nottingham if the property were re-possessed so that in such circumstances, your son would be legally obliged to leave. It does not impact your son’s right to inherit the apartment. Please note that if your son were to inherit and the mortgage in favour of Nottingham had not been discharged, he would be liable to take over the loan or pay it off, but other than that, there is nothing stopping him from keeping the property in accordance with your will or the rules of intestacy.
How can we tell if a Highnam conveyancing solicitor on the Clydesdale panel is any good?
When it comes to conveyancing in Highnam seeking recommendations is a sensible start. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one which is cheap as chips. We would always suggest that you speak with the lawyer handling your conveyancing.
My offer was accepted on a house in Highnam on 17/8/2026, valuation was booked 4 days later, received a clean bill of health. Solicitor retained, so the only thing outstanding was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Bank of Ireland and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel. Are Bank of Ireland entitled to hold back the Mortgage pending the lawyer being on the approved list?
A lender would not issue an offer until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Bank of Ireland to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
I've read lots of house buying guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Highnam solicitor - who is on the HSBC conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?
HSBC will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually HSBC 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 lawyer 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 Highnam postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with HSBC, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Highnam.
How can the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 impact my business offices in Highnam and how can you help?
The particular law that you refer to gives security of tenure to commercial lessees, giving them the right to apply to court for a continuation of occupancy at the end of an expired lease. There are certain specified grounds that a landlord can refrain from granting a lease renewal and the rules are involved. We are happy to direct you to commercial conveyancing firms who use the act for protection and assist with commercial conveyancing in Highnam
My partner has recommend that I instruct his conveyancers in Highnam. Should I choose my own property lawyer?
There are no two ways about it it’s preferable to find a conveyancing practitioner is to get feedback from friends or relatives who have actually experience in using the firm you're contemplating using.
Back In 2009, I bought a leasehold house in Highnam. Conveyancing and Norwich and Peterborough Building Society mortgage went though with no issue. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the freehold. Attached was a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1996. The conveyancing practitioner in Highnam who acted for me is not around. Any advice?
First contact the Land Registry to be sure that the individual purporting to own the freehold is indeed the registered owner of the freehold reversion. It is not necessary to incur the fees of a Highnam conveyancing firm to do this as it can be done on-line for £3. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the rightful landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.
Leasehold Conveyancing in Highnam - A selection of Queries before buying
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What is the name of the managing agents? How long is the Lease? How is the lease structured?