I am not well enough to travel far from Mortlake. Is there a reason why all Mortlake conveyancing practitioners aren't included on all mortgage company panels?
As inequitable as it may appear for banks to limit who can act for them, from the public’s or lawyer’s standpoint, the the contrary view is that mortgage companies are increasingly anxious and consider it necessary to protect them from mortgage fraud. As a consequence of this concern mortgage companies are limiting their conveyancing panel to a manageable size.
I am assisting my step-mother sell her flat in Mortlake. Will the conveyancing solicitor commission an EPC or should I organise this?
Following the abolition of Home Information Packs, EPC’s became a mandatory component of selling a house. An energy performance certificate needs to be to hand prior to the property being advertised. It is not a task that law firms normally organise. If you are using a Mortlake conveyancing practitioner they might help arrange energy performance certificates given their contacts with long established Mortlake accredited person
We have agreed to purchase a house in Mortlake. A rare aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Solicitors conducting should look into this right? Will my lender HSBC be concerned?
Given that your lender is HSBC your lawyer must comply with the conveyancing instructions contained in Part two of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for HSBC. The CML Handbook includes minimum conditions for solar panel roof-space leases, and solicitors are required to report to HSBC where a lease does not satisfy these specifications. The conditions relate to the installation of panels on properties countrywide and is not isolated to Mortlake.
My offer was accepted on a house in Mortlake on 13/1/2026, valuation was booked 2 days later, all came back fine. Property lawyer instructed, 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?
A lender would 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.
Will my solicitor be making enquiries about flooding as part of the conveyancing in Mortlake.
Flooding is a growing risk for lawyers dealing with homes in Mortlake. Plenty of people will buy a property in Mortlake, fully aware that at some time, it may be flooded. However, leaving to one side the physical destruction, if a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, adequate building insurance, or sell the premises. There are steps that can be taken during the course of a property purchase to forewarn the buyer.
Solicitors are not qualified to offer advice on flood risk, but there are a number of searches that can be initiated by the buyer or on a buyer’s behalf which can give them a better appreciation of the risks in Mortlake. The conventional set of information given to a buyer’s conveyancer (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) includes a standard inquiry of the seller to determine if the premises has suffered from flooding. If flooding has previously occurred and is not notified by the vendor, then a purchaser may issue a claim for damages stemming from an inaccurate response. A purchaser’s solicitors may also carry out an enviro report. This will reveal whether there is a recorded flood risk. If so, additional inquiries will need to be initiated.
I have justfound out that Wolstenholmes have closed. They conducted my conveyancing in Mortlake for a purchase of a leasehold flat 12 months ago. How can I be sure that my home is not still registered in the name of the previous owner?
The quickest way to check if the premises is in your name, you can make a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Mortlake conveyancing specialists.
Due to the guidance of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a house in Mortlake before instructing lawyers. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold element to the house. The surveyor advised that some banks will refuse to grant a loan on this type of home.
It varies from the lender to lender. Lloyds has different requirements for example to Birmingham Midshires. If you call us we can check with the relevant lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Mortlake. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Mortlake to see if the conveyancing costs will increase in light of this.
Do I need to be concerned about brokers that I am dealing with are suggesting a nationwide conveyancing firm rather than a local Mortlake conveyancing practice?
As with many service providers, often suggestions from family and friends can be worth their weight in gold. Nevertheless there are many people with a keen interest in a conveyancing transaction; estate agents, financial adviser and mortgage companies may suggest lawyers to choose. Sometimes the solicitors might be known to one of the organisations as one of the best in their field, but sometimes there is an underlying commercial relationship behind the recommendation. You are at liberty to select your own conveyancer. Don't forget that many lenders operate an approved list of conveyancers you have to use for the mortgage related work in your home move.