I am nearing exchange of contracts for my apartment in Preston Park and the estate agent has just called to advise that the purchasers are appointing a new solicitor. I am told that this is due to the fact that the bank will only deal with solicitors on their conveyancing panel. Why would a major lender only work with specific lawyers rather the firm that they want to select to handle their conveyancing in Preston Park ?
Banks have always had an approved set of law firms that can represent them, but in recent years big names such as Lloyds Banking Group, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for more than 15 years.
Lending institutions point to the increase in fraud by way of justification for the pruning – criteria have been stiffened as a smaller panel is easier to keep an eye on. No lender will say how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Some do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. Your buyers are unlikely to have any impact on this.
Will my conveyancing lawyers need to check that the building insurance for my purchase of a house in Preston Park. My lender is Nationwide Building Society
Nationwide Building Society have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 24/12/2025, the requirements read as follows :
I can see plenty of information on this site about conveyancing in Preston Park but can you isolate your top tip for appointing the right conveyancer in Preston Park
We would encourage you not to base your choice on the lowest Preston Park conveyancing costs illustration. You really do get what you’re paying for when it comes to property lawyers. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you go into the conveyancing with your eyes wide open.
I am assisting my aunt sell her flat in Preston Park. Will the conveyancing solicitor commission an energy assessment or should I organise this?
After the demise of HIPs, energy assessments was left as a mandatory component of selling a house. An energy assessment should be to hand before the property is put on the market. This is not a task that conveyancers ordinarily organise. If you are using a Preston Park conveyancing lawyer they may be willing to arrange EPC’s due to their contacts with reputable Preston Park providers
I am the sole recipient of my late father’s estate with all property in now in my sole name, including the house in Preston Park. Conveyancing formalities meant that the Land Registry date was in November. I want to move. I do know about the Mortgage Lenders six month 'rule', meaning my property ownership may be treated the same way as though I had purchased the property in November. Do I have to wait half a year to sell?
The CML handbook requires conveyancers to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." By the strict wording you may be affected by that. many banks would take a practical view as this requirement is principally there to identify subsales or the flipping of property.
I have recentlydiscovered that Action Conveyancing have been shut down. They carried out my conveyancing in Preston Park for a purchase of a leasehold flat 10 months ago. How can I be sure that the property is registered correctly in the name of the previous owner?
The easiest way to see if the property 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 Preston Park conveyancing specialists.
I'm purchasing a new build house in Preston Park with the aid of help to buy. The sellers refused to reduce the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of fixtures and fittings instead. The property agent told me not disclose to my solicitor about this extras as it will jeopardize my mortgage with the bank. Is this normal?.
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 need to appoint a conveyancing solicitor for some conveyancing in Preston Park. I happened to chance upon a site which appears to be the perfect offering If there is a chance to get all the legals done via phone that would be ideal. Should I be wary? What are the potential pitfalls?
As usual with these online conveyancers you need to read ALL the small print - did you notice the extra charge for dealing with the mortgage?