My fiance and I are planning to acquire a property in Pontefract and have appointed a Pontefract conveyancing firm. Within the past 48 hours our lawyer has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through with the expectation that exchange is imminent. Platform Home Loans Ltd have this evening contacted us to inform me that they have now hit a problem as our Pontefract lawyer is not on their conveyancing panel. Please explain?
When purchasing a property with the benefit of a mortgage it is normal for the purchasers' lawyers to also represent the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your solicitor should contact your bank and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You don't have to instruct a firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Pontefract solicitors, in which case it will likely add costs, and it may delay matters as you have another set of people involved.
I am told that my conveyancing solicitors will need to check that the building insurance when buying a house in Pontefract. My lender is Virgin
Virgin have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 25/5/2026, the requirements read as follows :
A colleague suggested that where I am buying in Pontefract I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?
A search of this type is sometimes included in the estimate for your Pontefract conveyancing searches. It is a large document of about 40 pages, listing and detailing significant information about Pontefract around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Pontefract Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime statistics, Pontefract Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data regarding Pontefract.
I am buying my first flat in Pontefract with the aid of help to buy. The sellers would not move on the price so I negotiated £7000 of extras instead. The sale representative suggested that I not inform my lawyer about the deal as it would put at risk my loan with the lender. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.
All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.
Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.
Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.
I am thinking of appointing a conveyancing practitioner in Pontefract for my house move. Can I check a solicitor's complaints history with the profession’s regulator?
One may search for presented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions resulting from inquisitions from 2008 onwards. Go to Check a solicitor's record. For records Pre 2008, or to check a firm's record, telephone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. International callers, call +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA could monitor call for training purposes.
What is the best way to find the right lawyer for my conveyancing in Pontefract ?
Option 1 is to ask your friends and family they would would seek assistance from. Option 2 is to look on the web for conveyancing in Pontefract. Telephone a couple or more firms from the list and ask them to email you their conveyancing estimate and speak to the lawyer who will conduct your conveyancing before you commit. Third is to use our search tool to help you find the right lawyers for you based on your unique factors including location,speed, complexity and who your intended lender is.Resist the temptation to appoint lowest cost conveyancing solicitors in Pontefract