Will my conveyancing lawyers need to check that the building insurance when buying a house in London Colney. My lender is Nationwide Building Society
Nationwide Building Society have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 19/6/2025, the requirements read as follows :
Are all London Colney Conveyancing Quality Solicitors on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel?
Some major lenders now utilise the accreditation scheme as the starting point for Panel approval such as HSBC and Santander. CQS accreditation however is no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. That being said,the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for solicitors wishing to join their approved list of conveyancing solicitors.
We previously instructed conveyancing lawyers based in London Colney on the Lloyds solicitor approved list. They are now charging me a supplemental fee for handling the Lloyds mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee set by Lloyds?
As unfair as it may seem, as long as it’s in their Terms of Engagement or Quote then yes your property lawyer is entitled to charge a fee for this. This charge is not dictated by Lloyds but by your London Colney property lawyer. Numerous firms on the Lloyds panel will quote an ‘acting for lender’ fee but many firms include it on their overall fee.
I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in London Colney. I have a mortgage offer with Coventry BS. 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 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 Coventry BS, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel.
I opted to have a survey carried out on a house in London Colney in advance of appointing conveyancers. I have been told that there is a flying freehold element to the property. My surveyor advised that some banks may not give a loan on such a home.
It depends who your proposed lender is. Bank of Scotland has different instructions from Nationwide. Should you wish to call us we can check with the relevant mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in London Colney. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.
We are a fortnight into a leasehold purchase having been directed to solicitors by the estate agent to perform conveyancing in London Colney. I am am very disappointed with the level of service. Can you help me find new conveyancers?
A lawyer would need to be very bad to suggest replacing them. Has your loan offer been sent? In the event that it has you must inform them of the new contact details and get the mortgage documents are re-issued. Your new conveyancer needs to be on the lenders approved list to avoid escalating expenses and complications. That should be your starting point. The find a solicitor tool should help you find a lender approved solicitor for your home move in London Colney
I would like to let out my leasehold flat in London Colney. Conveyancing solicitor who did the purchase is retired - so can't ask him. Do I need to ask my freeholder for permission?
Your lease dictates relations between the landlord and you the leaseholder; in particular, it will set out if subletting is prohibited, or permitted but only subject to certain conditions. The rule is that if the lease contains no specific ban or restriction, subletting is allowed. The majority of leases in London Colney do not contain subletting altogether – such a clause would adversely affect the market value the flat. Instead, there is usually simply a requirement that the owner notifies the freeholder, possibly sending a copy of the tenancy agreement.
I own a 2 bed flat in London Colney, conveyancing formalities finalised November 2001. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Similar flats in London Colney with an extended lease are worth £185,000. The ground rent is £65 charged once a year. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2085
With 60 years remaining on your lease we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £20,000 and £23,000 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.
The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to advice on the actual costs in the absence of detailed due diligence. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action based on this information without first getting professional advice.
Builders have put forward a solicitor and I've sought an estimate from them. It's almost two hundred pounds cheaper than my preferred London Colney solicitor. What's the catch?
Housebuilders normally have panels of conveyancing practitioners who are quick and who know the seller’s contract and lawyer. As many developers offer an incentive to choose their approved lawyer for this reason, any increased fees can be avoided and a builder won't recommend a conveyancing factory and run the risk of having the transaction delayed when they want exchange in 28 days. A counter-argument for not opting for the recommended lawyer is that they may be hesitant to fight for your interests at the risk of upsetting the housebuilder. Where you have concerns that this may be the case you should stick with your high street London Colney lawyer.