Me and my partner are buying a 1 bedroom apartment in Laleham with a mortgage. We have a Laleham solicitor, but the mortgage company advise he's not on their "panel". It seems we have no choice but to use one of the lender panel conveyancing practices or continue with our Laleham solicitor as well as pay for one of their panel lawyers to act for them. We feel that this is inequitable; is there anything we can do?
No, not really. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the lender’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. A further alternative is for your Laleham conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
When it comes to lenders such as Lloyds, do Laleham lawyers face a fee to be on the list of approved solicitors?
We are not aware of any lender fees to register on their list of approved firms, although some do charge an administration fee to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.
Can you point me to a directory of Co-operative panel conveyancers in Laleham on the Building Society Association’s Website?
Unfortunately not yet. There is no such facility on the CML or Building Society Association websites. Very few lenders make their panel listings available on the web. If you are in need of a Laleham solicitor on the Co-operative please make the most of our tool.
My offer on a detached house in Laleham has been agreed to, the sellers do however have a dependent purchase. The owners have put an offer on on an apartment, however it’s not yet agreed to, and are looking at other flats booked. I have instructed a high street conveyancing solicitor in Laleham. What do I do now? At what stage do I apply for the mortgage with Santander?
It is normal to have anxieties where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket prematurely (mortgage application is in the region of £1k, then survey, Laleham conveyancing search charges, etc). First, you must check that your conveyancing practitioner is on the Santander approved list. Regarding the subsequent phase this very much depends on the uniqueness of your transaction, desire for this property and on the state of the market. In a hot market some purchasers would apply for the mortgage with Santander and arrange for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they ask their property lawyer to press on with searches.
What does a local search inform me about the house we're purchasing in Laleham?
Laleham conveyancing often commences with the applying for local authority searches directly from your local Authority or through a personal search company for example Onsearch The local search plays a central part in many a Laleham conveyancing purchase; that is if you wish to avoid any nasty surprises after you move into your new home. The search will provide information on, amongst other things, details on planning applications relevant to the property (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of thirteen topic sections.
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified as part of conveyancing in Laleham?
Covenants that are restrictive in nature can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Laleham. 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…’
How do I use your search app to choose a conveyancing lawyer in Laleham on the approved list for my mortgage?
Step one is to choose a lender such as Santander, The Royal Bank of Scotland or Nottingham Building Society then specify your preferred area such as Laleham. Conveyancing practices in Laleham and across England and Wales will then be shown.
We have just discovered that one of the partners of the law firm undertaking the purchase conveyancing in Laleham is related to the owners that we are buying from. Is this allowed?
Provided no conflict arises this is permitted. Where you are obtaining mortgage finance then the mortgage company may have a say as many banks have specific requirements concerning this. For example for HSBC as of 2/9/2025, the requirements read as follows :