Me and my partner are buying a 3 bedroom apartment in Longford with a mortgage. We wish to retain our Longford solicitor, but the bank says he's not on their "panel". It seems we have little option but to appoint one of the lender panel conveyancing practices or keep our Longford lawyer as well as pay for one of their panel lawyers to represent them. This feels very unfair; is there anything we can do?
Unfortunately,no. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the bank’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 Longford conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
I have just over seventy years remaining on my lease and require a lease extension for my apartment in Longford. Conveyancing solicitors on the Chelsea Building Society panel can deal with such extensions correct?
Most leasehold conveyancing experts should be able to deal with a lease extension. if you are getting a mortgage then your lender may insist that the lease be extended before competition. Chelsea Building Society have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook in relation to minimum unexpired lease terms. As of 26/2/2026 the requirements read as follows :
Last month we had a mortgage agreed in principle with Kent Reliance. Longford conveyancing lawyers are appointed. How long does it take for Kent Reliance to forward the offer to the lawyer?
Some lenders take longer than others. Have Kent Reliance conducted the valuation? Have you informed Kent Reliance as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel? It is not unusual for a mortgage offer to take a month to come through.
I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with Santander. I assume I don't need a Longford conveyancing practitioner on the Santander panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?
If you have finished paying off your Santander mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Santander mortgage from the register. Santander, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:
- but are not moving to another property
- where Santander has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- Santander has instructed the Land Registry to do so
The mortgage over my property is with Yorkshire BS for my property in Longford. Conveyancing was finalised a year ago. If I am intending to rent out my property and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform Yorkshire BS?
You must advise Yorkshire BS prior to letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of Yorkshire BS’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will allow you to rent out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Yorkshire BS directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel solicitor.
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified as part of conveyancing in Longford?
Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the process of conveyancing in Longford. 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…’
I decided to have a survey carried out on a house in Longford prior to instructing solicitors. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold aspect to the property. My surveyor advised that some mortgage companies will not give a mortgage on this type of home.
It depends who your proposed lender is. HSBC has different requirements for example to Nationwide. If you e-mail us we can investigate further with the appropriate bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Longford. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Longford to see if the conveyancing costs will increase in light of this.
We're novice buyers - had an offer accepted, but the selling agent advised that the owners will only go ahead if we appoint the agent's recommended solicitors as they are insisting on a ‘quick sale’. We would rather use a local conveyancer with experience of conveyancing in Longford
We suspect that the owner is unaware of this demand. Should the seller require ‘a quick sale', alienating a genuine buyer is is going to put the whole deal at risk. Speak to the vendors direct and make the point that (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are ready to go, with finances in place © you have nothing to sell (d) you wish to move quickly (e)however you will continue to use your own,trusted Longford conveyancing lawyers - rather thanthe ones that will give their negotiator at the agency a kickback or hit his conveyancing targets set by senior management.