I am nearing exchange of contracts for my flat in Kendal and the EA has just called to say that the purchasers are appointing a new solicitor. I am told that this is due to the fact that the bank will only engage with solicitors on their approved list. On what basis would a big named mortgage company only deal with certain solicitors rather the firm that they want to select to handle their conveyancing in Kendal ?
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 Lloyds Banking Group, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for more than 15 years.
Mortgage companies point to the increase in fraud as the reason for the pruning – criteria have been stiffened as a smaller panel is easier to oversee. No lender will say how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is hearing daily from firms 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 purchasers are unlikely to have any impact on this.
Me and my partner are soon to complete on the purchase of a house in Kendal but as a consequence of wreckage from the recent storms I have was able negotiate reparation from the current proprietors in the sum of three thousand pounds in the form of a reduction in the price. This was going to be dealt with as part of the conveyancing process however Aldermore are not allowing this. Should they have been involved?
The conveyancer being on a Aldermore conveyancing panel is required to disclose to Aldermore of any amendments to the sale price. If you prohibit your property lawyer to report the price change to Aldermore then they would have to discontinue acting for you. In addition, Aldermore and you would have to appoint a new conveyancing practitioner for your conveyancing in Kendal.
Is it the case that all Kendal solicitors on the Skipton conveyancing panel are overseen by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?
As solicitors, in order to be on the Skipton approved list of solicitors they would need to be regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. The majority of banks do list licenced conveyancers on their panel and in that case the firms would be regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.
Planning on purchasing a apartment in Kendal. I have received an online quote from a licenced conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Building Society if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the HSBC conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.
They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that the Kendal conveyancing practitioner is on the HSBC conveyancing panel.
I had an offer accepted on a property in Kendal on 17/4/2026, valuation was booked five days after, received a clean bill of health. Property lawyer appointed, so all that was missing was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Barclays and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Barclays conveyancing panel. Can the lender hold off the offer?
A lender would not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Barclays to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Barclays conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
Should commercial conveyancing searches reveal impending roadworks that may affect a commercial property in Kendal?
Its becoming the norm that commercial conveyancing solicitors in Kendal will carry out a SiteSolutions Highways report as it dramatically cuts the time that conveyancers invest in sourcing accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in Kendal. The report 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 Kendal.
For each commercial conveyancing transaction in Kendal it is crucial to investigate the adoption status of roads surrounding a site. Failure to identify developments where adoption procedures have not been dealt with adequately may result in delays to Kendal commercial conveyancing deals as well as pose a risk to future intentions for the site. These searches are not ordered for domestic conveyancing in Kendal.
I decided to have a survey done on a house in Kendal in advance of instructing lawyers. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold element to the property. The surveyor has said that some banks may not grant a mortgage on this type of premises.
It depends who your proposed lender is. Bank of Scotland has different instructions for example to Nationwide. If you contact us we can look into this further via the appropriate lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Kendal. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Kendal to see if the conveyancing costs will increase in light of this.
We are 17 days into a freehold purchase having been directed to conveyancers by the estate agent to handle our conveyancing in Kendal. I am not happy. Could you you assist me in finding new conveyancers?
They would need to be very poor in order to consider changing them. Has the mortgage offer been generated? If so you need to inform them of the new lawyer and get the offer are re-sent. Your new solicitor ideally needs to be on the lenders panel to avoid added fees and delays. So that should be your first question of the new conveyancers. The search tool will help you find a bank approved solicitor for your conveyancing in Kendal