I am selling my flat in Redhill and the estate agent has just called to say that the purchasers are switching property lawyer. The excuse is that the lender will only engage with solicitors on their approved list. Why would a major mortgage company only deal with certain law firms rather the firm that they want to appoint to handle their conveyancing in Redhill ?
Banks have always had an approved set of law firms they are content to work with, but in the past few years big names such as Santander, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have represented them for more than 15 years.
Mortgage companies point to the increase in fraud as the reason for the pruning – criteria have been stiffened as a smaller panel is easier to oversee. Banks tend not to disclose 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. Plenty of firms 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 purchasers are not going to have any impact on this.
What is the difference between a licensed conveyancer and conveyancing solicitor in Redhill
Two types of professional can execute conveyancing in Redhill namely CLC regulated conveyancers or solicitors. The two can handle the legal services that required to complete the sale or acquisition of property. They are both duty bound to carry out Redhill conveyancing to the same standards and guidelines so you may be sure that your conveyancing will be properly administered and that the requisite procedures will be accurately followed.
A friend informed me that in purchasing a property in Redhill there may be various restrictions preventing external alterations to a property. Is this right?
We are aware of anumerous of properties in Redhill which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to carry out external changes. Part of the conveyancing in Redhill should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.
I had an offer accepted on a house in Redhill on 9/3/2026, valuation was booked 3 days later, received a clean bill of health. Conveyancer instructed, so the only thing outstanding was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Santander and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Santander conveyancing panel. Are Santander entitled to hold back the Mortgage pending the lawyer being on the approved list?
Mortgage companies tend not to not issue an offer until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Santander to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Santander conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
Should our solicitor be asking questions concerning flooding during the conveyancing in Redhill.
The risk of flooding is if increasing concern for conveyancers carrying out conveyancing in Redhill. Plenty of people will purchase a property in Redhill, completely aware that at some time, it may be flooded. However, leaving to one side the physical destruction, where a house is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, satisfactory building insurance, or sell the property. Steps can be carried out during the course of a property purchase to forewarn the purchaser.
Conveyancers are not best placed to impart advice on flood risk, but there are a numerous searches that can be undertaken by the buyer or by their conveyancers which can figure out the risks in Redhill. The conventional set of property information forms given to a purchaser’s conveyancer (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) includes a standard question of the seller to find out if the premises has historically flooded. In the event that the premises has been flooded in past and is not revealed by the vendor, then a buyer could bring a claim for damages as a result of such an misleading reply. The purchaser’s solicitors may also conduct an environmental search. This will reveal whether there is any known flood risk. If so, more detailed investigations will need to be initiated.
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up as part of conveyancing in Redhill?
Covenants that are restrictive in nature can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Redhill. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’
I am buying my first flat in Redhill benefiting from help to buy. The sellers would not reduce the price so I negotiated £7000 of fixtures and fittings instead. The sale representative suggested that I not reveal to my conveyancer about the side-deal as it will impact my mortgage with Barnsley Building Society. Is this normal?.
All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer 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.
Is it possible to switch firm as I need to choose a firm on the Accord Mortgages Ltd conveyancing list. I hired a family conveyancing solicitor in Redhill round the corner but the firm is not accepted by Accord Mortgages Ltd
We will our best to assist in finding you a conveyancing solicitor in Redhill on the Accord Mortgages Ltd panel. Please note that the solicitors that we list do not pay us fee if you instruct them and are authorised and regulated by the SRA who oversee all conveyancing solicitors in Redhill. In making use of the find a conveyancing solicitor tool on this page, you can compare fees for conveyancing solicitors in Redhill and beyond.