My financial adviser says he needs my Leatherhead solicitor’s panel member for the Santander conveyancing panel. What is the best way to obtain this. I have contacted my local Leatherhead office but they don't know it.
The sensible thing to do is ask for this information from your Leatherhead solicitor . They keep a central record lender panel numbers.
The Leatherhead conveyancing lawyers that just started acting on my house acquisition in Leatherhead have without warning closed. They were on acting for me because I needed a firm on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel and my preferred Leatherhead lawyer was not. I issued them a cheque for two hundred pounds in advance. What are my options?
Assuming that you have an Estate Agent in the equation then inform them straight away so that they can let the sellers know that there may be a slight delay due to reasons beyond your control. Most sellers would be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You should appoint new lawyers that are on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money, it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new lawyers may be able to help.
Is it the case that all Leatherhead solicitors on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel are governed by the SRA?
As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel they would need to be governed by the SRA. Some lenders do list licenced conveyancers on their panel and in that case the firms would be overseen by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.
We previously appointed conveyancers located in Leatherhead on the RBS solicitor panel. They are now charging me a further amount for the legal aspects of the RBS mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee specified by RBS?
As unfair as it may seem, as long as it’s in their Terms of Engagement or Quote then yes your property lawyer may levy a fee for this. This fee is not set by RBS but by your Leatherhead lawyer. Plenty of firms on the RBS panel will levy ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but many firms include it on their overall fee.
I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in Leatherhead off the council. I have a mortgage offer with Santander. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should use one. Any advice?
It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Santander, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Santander conveyancing panel.
I'm purchasing my first flat in Leatherhead with a loan from Nationwide Building Society. The builders would not budge the price so I negotiated £7000 of fixtures and fittings instead. The estate agent told me not to tell my lawyer about the extras as it could impact my loan with the bank. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.
All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.
Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.
Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.
I am a negotiator for a reputable estate agency in Leatherhead where we see a few leasehold sales jeopardised as a result of leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have been given conflicting advice from local Leatherhead conveyancing solicitors. Please can you confirm whether the seller of a flat can start the lease extension process for the buyer?
Provided that the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to kick-start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the proposed purchaser can avoid having to wait 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done before, or at the same time as completion of the disposal of the property.
An alternative approach is to agree the lease extension with the freeholder either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the purchaser.
I bought a split level flat in Leatherhead, conveyancing having been completed in 1997. How much will my lease extension cost? Comparable flats in Leatherhead with over 90 years remaining are worth £191,000. The ground rent is £55 invoiced annually. The lease ceases on 21st October 2080
With just 54 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to range between £32,300 and £37,400 as well as costs.
The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more detailed investigations. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.
My fiance and I today discovered that one of the partners of the conveyancing practice undertaking the purchase conveyancing in Leatherhead is an aunty of the vendor. Is this permitted?
Provided no conflict arises this should be fine. If you are needing a mortgage then the mortgage company may have a say as many banks have specific instructions concerning this. For example for Chelsea Building Society as of 31/7/2026, the requirements read as follows :