My husband and I are looking to buy a flat in Hotwells and have appointed a Hotwells conveyancing firm. Within the past 48 hours our conveyancer has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report with the expectation that exchange is imminent. Aldermore have this evening contacted us to inform me that they have now hit a problem as our Hotwells conveyancer is not on their conveyancing panel. What do we do from here?
When purchasing a property with the benefit of a mortgage it is conventional for the purchasers' lawyers to also act for the purchaser's lender. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Accreditation Scheme. Your solicitor should contact your bank and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Hotwells lawyers, in which case it will likely add costs, and it will likely delay the transaction as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.
I am told that my conveyancing solicitors will need to check that the building insurance for my purchase of a house in Hotwells. My lender is Bank of Ireland
Bank of Ireland have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 26/1/2026, the requirements read as follows :
My father pointed out to me me that in buying a property in Hotwells there could be a number of restrictions limiting what one can do in terms of external alterations to a property. Is this right?
There are a number of properties in Hotwells which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to carry out external variations. Part of the conveyancing in Hotwells should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.
Can I be sure that the Hotwells conveyancing solicitor on the Yorkshire BS panel is any good?
When it comes to conveyancing in Hotwells obtaining 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.
Completion of my purchase has taken place for my property in Hotwells. Conveyancing was satisfactory but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. How do I make a complaint?
Most banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Team at head office. In most cases complaints to a lender are resolved very quickly. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR who will take matters further.
I am looking for a ground for flat up to £195,000 and found one close by in Hotwells I like with a park and transport links in the vicinity, however it's only got 52 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Hotwells suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error acquiring a short lease?
Should you require a home loan the shortness of the lease will likely be an issue. Discount the price by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current owner has owned the premises for at least twenty four months you can ask them to start the process of the extension and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor concerning this matter.
I'm converting the mortgage on my current house to a buy to let loan with Bank of Ireland and intend to use the remaining equity as a down payment on further house. The area we are talking about is Hotwells. Will your solicitors be able to act for both sets of mortgage companies and tie in the transactions?
Do use our search tool on this site to ensure that the solicitors are on the appropriate lender panels. Assuming that they are your solicitor should be able to connect the two deals but you should talk with you solicitor and make apparent your desired outcome and requirements.
Please can you suggest a solicitor for purchasing a house? Ideally someone in the Hotwells area, who will contact me via email - not someone who insists on slow mail or fax.
LenderPanel.com is restricted to being a directory service for lawyers who wish to be listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for Kent Reliance in certain areas for example Hotwells . Our intention is not to recommend any particular conveyancer.