My partner and I are looking to purchase a flat in Saundersfoot and have appointed a Saundersfoot 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. Birmingham Midshires have this morning contacted us to advise us that there is now an issue as our Saundersfoot conveyancer is not on their conveyancing panel. What do we do from here?
When purchasing a property with the benefit of a mortgage it is standard for the purchasers' solicitors to also act for 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 Accreditation Scheme. Your property lawyer 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 bank's conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Saundersfoot solicitors, in which case it will likely add costs, and it may delay matters as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.
My nephew is about to exchange on a newly built flat in Saundersfoot with a home loan from Yorkshire BS. His conveyancer has said that there is a delay in completing the ‘Disclosure of Incentive Form’. Who needs to receive the form?
The document is intended to provide information to the main parties engaged in the transaction. Therefore, it will be provided to your son’s lawyer who should be on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel as a standard part of the process, and to the valuer when asked. The developer will be required to start the process by downloading the form and completing it. The form will therefore need to be available for the valuer at the time of his or her site visit. The form should be sent to the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel solicitor as early as possible, in order to avoid any last minute delays, and no later than at exchange of contracts.
I am buying a property in Saundersfoot. One unusual aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. RBS have issued a mortgage offer so presumably this is not a concern to them. Why is my solicitor raising questions about the panel?
Given that you are obtaining a mortgage with RBS your lawyer must check the formal instructions contained in Part two of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for RBS. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook sets out minimum provisions for solar panel roof-space leases, and property lawyers are required to report to RBS where a lease fails to satisfy these specifications. The specifications relate to the installation of panels on properties countrywide and is not restricted to Saundersfoot.
I had an offer accepted on a property in Saundersfoot on 10/6/2026, valuation was booked 2 days later, all came back fine. Conveyancer retained, 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 a mortgage 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.
Principality have agreed my mortgage in principle, my bid on a property in Saundersfoot has been accepted, what are the next steps?
The property agent will want to know who your solicitors are (make sure the conveyancing practitioners are on the lender’s panel). Telephone Principality or the broker and finish off any outstanding paperwork. Principality will instruct a valuer who will get in contact with the estate agent or seller to arrange a time for the valuation to occur. Once conducted (assuming no problems) it takes about a fortnight to receive the mortgage offer. Principality will send the offer to you and your conveyancers. The legal work will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Saundersfoot.
What does a local search inform me regarding the property my wife and I buying in Saundersfoot?
Saundersfoot conveyancing often starts with the ordering local authority searches directly from your local Authority or through a personal search organisations for example PSG The local search plays a central role in many a Saundersfoot conveyancing purchase; that is if you wish to avoid any unpleasant surprises after you move into your new home. The search should provide information on, amongst other things, details on planning applications relevant to the property (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of 13 topic headings.
I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold element on a house I have offered on a fortnight ago in what was supposed to be a simple, chain free conveyancing. Saundersfoot is the location of the property. Can you offer any guidance?
Flying freeholds in Saundersfoot are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Saundersfoot you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds very carefully. Your lender may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Saundersfoot may determine that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold property.
I was pointed in your direction by a few selling agents in Saundersfoot to select a conveyancer on your site. Is there a financial inducement for Estate Agents to market your services over and above a competitor’s?
We don’t offer any financial incentive for directing people our way. We found it would be just too difficult a fee because home movers will think, ‘Why is the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not getting any benefit too?’ So we decided to step away from that.