My husband and I wish to acquire a newly converted flat in Luton with a mortgage from Alliance & Leicester .We would like to retain our Luton conveyancing solicitor but Alliance & Leicester informed us her practice is not listed on their approved list of firms. We have to appoint a Alliance & Leicester panel solicitor or retain our local solicitor and fork out for a Alliance & Leicester panel lawyer to represent them. This seems very unfair; is there anything we can do?
Unfortunately,no. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its various provisions, a common one being that lawyers must be on the Alliance & Leicester approved list. in the past, most banks had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could find 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. Another option that might be available is for your solicitors to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for Alliance & Leicester
When it comes to mortgage companies such as Bank of Ireland, do Luton conveyancing practitioners have to pay a yearly amount to be on the list of approved solicitors?
We are unaware of any lender fees to register on their list of approved firms, although some do charge an administration fee to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel submission.
I had an offer accepted on an apartment in Luton on 25/6/2025, valuation was booked five days after, received a clean bill of health. Solicitor retained, so the only thing outstanding was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Barclays and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Barclays conveyancing panel. Are Barclays entitled to hold back the Mortgage pending the lawyer being on the approved list?
Mortgage companies tend not to not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Barclays to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Barclays conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
My sealed bid on a property in Luton has been agreed to, but there is a chain. The vendors have offered on on an apartment, but it’s not yet agreed to, and have viewings of other apartments booked. I have instructed a local conveyancing solicitor in Luton. What should be my next step? When should I get the mortgage application with Nottingham going?
It is normal to have apprehensions where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket too early (mortgage application is approx one thousand pounds, then valuation, Luton conveyancing search fees, etc). First, you should check that your conveyancing practitioner is on the Nottingham conveyancing panel. As to the next phase this very much depends on the circumstances of your transaction, attraction to this property and on the state of the market. In a buoyant market some home buyers would apply for a home loan with Nottingham and arrange for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they pay their property lawyer to move forward with searches.
My wife and I are downsizing from our house in Luton and according to the buyers it appears that there is a risk of it being built on contaminated land. A local conveyancer would know this is not the case. It does beg the question why the purchasers instructed an online conveyancing firm rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Luton. Having lived in Luton for 5 years we know that this is a non issue. Do we contact our local Authority to get confirmation need.
It would appear that you have a conveyancing firm currently acting for you. Are they able to advise? You must enquire of your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out life insurance to cover that same sickness)
Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to our home can not be found. The lawyers who dealt with the conveyancing in Luton 5 years ago have long since closed. What are my next steps?
Nowadays there are copies made of almost everything, and your lawyer should be aware precisely where to look for all the relevant documentation so you can buy or dispose of your house without a hitch. Where duplicates are not available, your lawyer can put in place insurance or indemnities against possible claims on the property.
I'm remortgaging my primary property to a buy to let loan with Nationwide Building Society and I will use the rest of the raised equity as a deposit on another house. The location we are looking at is Luton. Will your lawyers be able to act for both sets of lenders and link together the transactions?
Do use our search tool on this site to be sure that the lawyers are on the relevant lender panels. Having checked that they are your lawyer will be able to connect the two conveyancing matters but you should have a chat with you conveyancer and specify your desired outcome and requirements.
I see that you have a post code search directory identifying law firms on the bank conveyancing panel. Do Luton conveyancing firms pay you a commission if I instruct them for my house purchase?
We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the mortgage company conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to the any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in Luton.