Is the fact that my solicitor in Reigate is not on my bank's conveyancing panel that there is a problem with the standard of his work?
That is most likely an incorrect assumption to make. There are plenty of reasonable explanations. Just recently a report by the solicitors regulator revealed that over three quarters of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The top 5 reasons are as follows: (1) low volume of transactions (2) the solicitor is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. Where you are concerned you should simply call the Reigate conveyancing firm and enquire why they are no longer on the approved list for your lender.
We're in Reigate, FTBs buying with a mortgage (lender is Santander , and our lawyer is on the Santander conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?
The fact that your lawyer is on the Santander conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no solicitor should guarantee a timeframe for your conveyancing, due to third parties outside of your control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain.
We are getting a further advance on our mortgage from UBS as we want to conduct improvements to our house in Reigate. Are we obliged to appoint a high street Reigate solicitor on the UBS conveyancing panel to deal with the paperwork?
UBS would not normally instruct firms on their conveyancing panel to deal with the formalities. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the UBS panel.
I am selling my apartment. I had a double glazing fitted in August 2010, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My purchaser’s lender, Skipton are being pedantic. The Reigate solicitor who is on the Skipton conveyancing panel is saying indemnity insurance will be fine but Skipton are requiring a building regulation certificate. Why do Skipton have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?
It is probably the case that Skipton have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Skipton may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.
My offer was accepted on an apartment in Reigate on 11/8/2025, valuation was booked 3 days later, all came back fine. Solicitor instructed, so the only thing outstanding was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Co-operative and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Co-operative conveyancing panel. Can the lender hold off the offer?
A lender would not issue an offer until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Co-operative to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Co-operative conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
How does conveyancing in Reigate differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build premises in Reigate contact us having been asked by the housebuilder to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is constructed. This is because developers in Reigate typically purchase the land, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct property lawyers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are used to new build conveyancing in Reigate or who has acted in the same development.
I have been on the look out for a flat up to £245,000 and found one near me in Reigate I like with amenity areas and railway links in the vicinity, however it's only got 49 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Reigate suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a short lease?
Should you require a home loan the shortness of the lease will be problematic. Reduce the price by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current owner has owned the premises for a minimum of 2 years you may request that they commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer about this.
I've recently bought a leasehold property in Reigate. Do I have any liability for service charges for periods before my ownership?
In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.
If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).
Leasehold Conveyancing in Reigate - A selection of Queries Prior to buying
-
What is the length of the lease? This information is important as a) areas can result in problems for the block as the common areas may begin to deteriorate if repairs remain unpaid b) if the leasehold owners have a dispute with the running of the building you will need to have all the details