My mortgage broker has requested my Leatherhead solicitor’s panel member for the Santander conveyancing panel. What is the best way to obtain this. I have e-mailed my local Leatherhead office but they cant find it on their system.
The sensible thing to do is ask for this information from your Leatherhead conveyancing practitioner . Most Leatherhead conveyancing firms will retain a file or database of lender panel information which would include, if applicable, their conveyancing panel details for each bank.
The Leatherhead conveyancing solicitors that I recently instructed on my purchase in Leatherhead have suddenly closed. I chose them because I needed a firm on the Principality conveyancing panel and my previous Leatherhead lawyer was not. I issued them a cheque for two hundred pounds in advance. What should be my next steps?
If you have an estate agent involved then let them know immediately so that they advise the vendors that there may be a slight delay due to reasons beyond your control. Hopefully they will 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 Principality 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 should be in a position to assist.
is it true that all Leatherhead solicitors on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel are regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?
As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the Leeds Building Society approved list of solicitors they would need to be governed by the SRA. The majority of banks do permit licenced conveyancers on their panel and in such a situation the practice would be regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.
We had chosen conveyancers with offices in Leatherhead on the Coventry BS solicitor panel. They are now charging me a separate amount for the legal aspects of the Coventry BS mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee set by Coventry BS?
Unfortunately, as long as it is in their Terms of Engagement or Quote then yes your solicitor can levy a fee for this. The charge is not dictated by Coventry BS but by your Leatherhead conveyancer. Numerous firms on the Coventry BS panel will quote an ‘acting for lender’ fee and others do not.
I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Leatherhead. I have a mortgage offer with RBS. Conveyancing is not something I have any knowledge of. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have 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 RBS, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the RBS conveyancing panel.
I'm buying my first flat in Leatherhead with a loan from Chelsea Building Society. The sellers refused to budge the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of extras instead. The property agent suggested that I not reveal to my solicitor about this extras as it could put at risk my mortgage with Chelsea Building Society. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.
All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer 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 busy estate agency in Leatherhead where we see a few leasehold sales put at risk due to leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have received inconsistent advice from local Leatherhead conveyancing firms. Please can you confirm whether the seller of a flat can initiate the lease extension formalities for the buyer?
As long as the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the proposed purchaser need not have to wait 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed before, or at the same time as completion of the sale.
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 buyer.
I am the registered owner of a garden flat in Leatherhead, conveyancing formalities finalised 6 years ago. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Comparable flats in Leatherhead with an extended lease are worth £191,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £55 levied per year. The lease ceases on 21st October 2080
With just 54 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £32,300 and £37,400 as well as professional fees.
The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of detailed due diligence. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other concerns that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action based on this information without first getting professional advice.
My wife and I recently become aware that one of the directors of the solicitors handling the purchase conveyancing in Leatherhead is an aunty of the seller. Is this permitted?
As long as no conflict arises this is allowable. Where you are obtaining mortgage finance then the bank may have a say as many lenders have specific instructions on this. For example for Chelsea Building Society as of 31/7/2026, the requirements read as follows :