I plan on acquiring a ground floor flat in Marlborough. My property lawyer is not on the bank solicitor panel. Is it possible for me to appoint my Marlborough conveyancing solicitor notwithstanding that they are excluded from the mortgage company panel?
Various options include
- Proceed with your existing Marlborough lawyer but your bank will no doubt instruct a property lawyer from their conveyancing panel. This will result in additional charges together with potential delay.
- Choose a new solicitor to act in the purchase, obviously checking they are on the mortgage company conveyancing panel.
- Convince your lawyer to do everything within their powers to get accepted on the mortgage company panel of solicitors
AssumingI were to purchase a straightforward homein Marlborough mortgage fee and dispense with a survey and no local authority searches how much should I expect to have to pay for conveyancing in Marlborough?
Any savings you would gain will be isolated to the Marlborough conveyancing searches. Your conveyancer still be obliged to do everything else - money laundering, liaising with your vendors property lawyer, SDLT submission, register the ownership etc. A slight saving might be made by not having to register a mortgage however it will not be meaningful.
What does my ID and proof of funds have anything to do with my conveyancing in Marlborough? Why is this being asked of me?
Marlborough conveyancing solicitors as well as nationwide property lawyers accross the UK have a duty under Anti-terror and anti-money-laundering rules to verify the identity of any client with a view to ensure that clients are who they say they are.
Conveyancing clients are required to supply two forms of certified identification; proof of identity (typically a Passport or Driving Licence) and evidence of address (typically a Bank Statement no older than three months).
Evidence of the origin of funds is also required under the money laundering statutes as lawyers are duty bound to ensure that the money you are using to buy a property (be it the exchange deposit or the total purchase monies where you are a cash purchaser) has come from legitimate source (such as an inheritance) as opposed to the proceeds of illegitimate activity.
I am told that my conveyancing solicitors will need to check that the building insurance for my purchase of a house in Marlborough. My lender is Platform
Platform have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 16/1/2025, the requirements read as follows :
What advice can you give us when it comes to finding a Marlborough conveyancing firm to deal with our lease extension?
When appointing a property lawyer for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Marlborough conveyancing firm) it is imperative that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We advise that you speak with two or three firms including non Marlborough conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. The following questions might be helpful:
-
How familiar is the practice with lease extension legislation? Can they put you in touch with clients in Marlborough who can give a testimonial?
Marlborough Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Questions you should consider before buying
-
What is the yearly service fee and ground rent? Are there any major works anticipated that could add a premium to the service costs? The best form of lease structure is where the freehold title is in the ownership of the leaseholders. In this situation the leaseholders benefit from being in charge if their destiny and notwithstanding that a managing agent is frequently employed if the building is larger than a house conversion, the managing agent retained by the leaseholders.
Is it true that a Marlborough conveyancing solicitor has court proceedings brought against them by a client for failing to conduct comprehensive conveyancing investigations?
We are not aware of such a Marlborough conveyancing claim but it has been reported that, a couple purchasing a house in Cumbria successfully sued their conveyancing practitioner as a consequence of development permission to erect a wind farm failing to be identified in conveyancing searches.
Where you are thinking of buying a home in Marlborough It is important that your property lawyer carry out all Marlborough conveyancing searches necessary making sure that you have accurate and current information ahead of acquiring a home in Marlborough.