My fiance and I are planning to acquire a house in Lansbury and are in fact using a Lansbury conveyancing firm. Within the last couple of days our lawyer has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through in anticipation of exchanging contracts shortly. Chelsea Building Society have this morning contacted us to advise us that there is now an issue as our Lansbury solicitor is not on their approved list of lawyers. Please explain?
If you are buying a property with the assistance of a mortgage it is usual for the purchasers' lawyers to also act for the mortgage company. 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 Quality Scheme. Your property lawyer should contact your mortgage company 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 don't have to instruct a firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Lansbury solicitors, in which case it will likely add costs, and it may delay matters as you have another set of people involved.
We are about to exchange buying a house in Lansbury but as a consequence of wreckage from a small fire at the property I have managed to agree recompense from the vendor in the sum of £3k taking the form of a reduction in the price. This was going to be addressed as part of a side agreement however Virgin Money will not permit this. Why were they approached?
Any lawyer being on a Virgin Money approved list is obliged to advise Virgin Money of any changes to the sale price. If you were to refuse your lawyer to notify the reduction to Virgin Money then they would have to discontinue acting for you. In addition, Virgin Money and you would have to appoint a new conveyancer for your conveyancing in Lansbury.
Why is leasehold purchase conveyancing in Lansbury is more expensive?
The conveyancing charges for a leasehold property in Lansbury is often more expensive as compared to a freehold property. This is due to the extra time necessary in liaising with the freeholder and management company to collate the evidence about whether the rent and service charges have been cleared and whether there are any major works due in the near future on repairs or maintenance of the building.
I am told that my conveyancing solicitors will need to check that the building insurance when buying a house in Lansbury. My lender is The Mortgage Works
The Mortgage Works have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 21/11/2025, the requirements read as follows :
If you had a top tip for choosing a conveyancing solicitor in Lansbury what would it be?
Do not opt for the cheapest Lansbury conveyancing costs illustration. You really do get what you’re paying for when it comes to property lawyers. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you go into the conveyancing with your eyes wide open.
We have agreed to purchase a house in Lansbury. A rare aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Solicitors conducting should look into this right? Will my lender RBS be concerned?
As your lender is RBS your lawyer must comply with the conveyancing instructions set out in Section two of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for RBS. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook contains minimum provisions for solar panel roof-space leases, and property lawyers are required to report to RBS where a lease fails to comply with these requirements. The conditions relate to the installation of panels on properties countrywide and is not limited to Lansbury.
I was told three weeks ago that my mortgage has been agreed to by Kent Reliance. Is it usual for Kent Reliance to only issue the offer once my solicitor in Lansbury is approved on their conveyancing panel? Kent Reliance have asked my solicitor to see a copy of their PI Insurance.
A lender would not issue an offer until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Kent Reliance to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
I am looking for a conveyancing practitioner in Lansbury for my home move. Is there any facility to review a solicitor's record with the legal regulator?
One can read presented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) determinations resulting from inquisitions from 2008 onwards. Go to Check a solicitor's record. To find information about the period before 1 January 2008, or to check a solicitors record, ring 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. For non-uk callers, use +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA may recorded call for training reasons.