Is it the case that all Rotherham CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors are on the Virgin Money conveyancing list of approved firms?
It is true that some lenders now make use of the accreditation scheme as the starting point for Panel approval such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS membership however gives no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. Nevertheless,the CML have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for solicitors wishing to join their approved list of firms.
About to purchase flat in Rotherham. I have received an online quote from a licenced conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Building Society if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the Santander conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.
They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that the Rotherham conveyancing practitioner is on the Santander conveyancing panel.
I had an offer accepted on a house in Rotherham on 28/8/2025, valuation was booked 2 days later, received a clean bill of health. Property lawyer retained, so all that was missing was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to UBS and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the UBS conveyancing panel. Can the lender hold off the offer?
Mortgage companies tend not to not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for UBS to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the UBS conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
My friend suggested that where I am buying in Rotherham I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?
This is a search is occasionally quoted for as part of the standard Rotherham conveyancing searches. It is not a small document of about 40 pages, listing and setting out important information about Rotherham around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime details, Rotherham Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data concerning Rotherham.
I own a terraced Victorian property in Rotherham. Conveyancing solicitor represented me and Clydesdale. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw two entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold under the exact same address. Is it worth asking Clydesdale to clarify?
You need to review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Rotherham and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they remortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with buyers. You can also check the position with the conveyancing practitioner who conducted the work.
How does conveyancing in Rotherham differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build residence in Rotherham come to us having been asked by the developer to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the house is completed. This is because new home sellers in Rotherham tend to acquire the site, 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 Rotherham or who has acted in the same development.
I am looking for a ground for flat up to £195,000 and found one near me in Rotherham I like with a park and station nearby, however it only has 49 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Rotherham suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a short lease?
Should you require a mortgage the shortness of the lease may be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing proprietor has owned the premises for a minimum of twenty four months 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 with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor concerning this.
Should I be wary that estate agents that I am dealing with are suggesting a web based conveyancing firm rather than a High Street Rotherham conveyancing practice?
As is the case with many service providers, often referrals from connections can be extremely useful or valuable. Nevertheless there are many people with a keen interest in a conveyancing transaction; estate agents, mortgage brokers and lenders might all put forward conveyancers to instruct. Sometimes the solicitors might be known to one of the organisations as being good in their field, but sometimes there may be a commercial relationship behind the endorsement. You are at liberty to appoint your preferred lawyer. Don't forget that the majority of banks have an approved list of conveyancers you are obliged to use for the lender aspect of your transaction.