My partner’s brother is a property lawyer. I expect that I will be offered preferential pricing for conveyancing, However if that does not come through, what kind of costs should I be expecting for conveyancing in Seaview?
It’s advisable to request 3 or more like-for-like conveyancing estimates. Do use our comparison tool on this page. The quotes seem to contrast greatly but the service one can expect differ between property lawyers as is the case with most professions.
Some advice if I may. My Seaview conveyancer is advising me that she is duty bound toorder Seaview conveyancing searches stemming from the fact thatthe firm are on the Lloydsconveyancing panel. Is my conveyancer correct?
You have limited options available to you. As you are taking a home loan with a mortgage company your solicitor has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your lawyer would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of your bank’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to comply with the CML Handbook requirements . Even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out Seaview conveyancing searches.
We wanted to use a property lawyer in Seaview for our house move. Our broker informed us that our mortgage lenders Nationwide Building Society won't deal with them. Surely this is unduly restrictive?
Lenders in the main imposes restrictions either the category or the amount of conveyancing solicitors on their approved list of lawyers. A common example of such restriction(s) being that a firm must have two or more partners. In addition to restricting the profile of firm, some have reduced the number of solicitor practices they use to represent them. Be aware that Nationwide Building Society have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any member of Nationwide Building Society Conveyancer Panel. Mortgage fraud was a primary driver in the reduction of conveyancing panels a few years ago even though there are mixed views regarding the extent of solicitor involvement in some of that fraud. Figures from the Land Registry reveal that hundreds of law firms, including some in or near Seaview only carry out very few conveyances a year.
My wife and I are spending time looking at flats in Seaview and I am now considering a potential offer. Is it advisable to have my solicitor on ‘stand by’? I will be getting a mortgage with Barclays.
It would be sensible to start your search sooner rather than later. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and forward their details on to the EA. As you are taking out a mortgage with Barclays, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the Barclays conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.
I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with Skipton. I assume I don't need a Seaview solicitor on the Skipton panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?
If you have finished paying off your Skipton mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Skipton mortgage from the register. Skipton, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:
- but are not moving to another property
- where Skipton has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- Skipton has instructed the Land Registry to do so
My offer was accepted on a house in Seaview on 16/5/2025, valuation was booked 3 days after, all came back fine. Property lawyer appointed, so the only thing outstanding was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Principality and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Principality conveyancing panel. Are Principality entitled to hold back the Mortgage pending the lawyer being on the approved list?
A lender would not issue an offer until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Principality to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Principality conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
Should my solicitor be asking questions about flooding as part of the conveyancing in Seaview.
Flooding is a growing risk for solicitors dealing with homes in Seaview. There are those who buy a property in Seaview, completely expectant that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, aside from the physical destruction, if a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, satisfactory insurance cover, or sell the premises. There are steps that can be taken during the course of a house purchase to forewarn the buyer.
Lawyers are not qualified to offer advice on flood risk, however there are a numerous checks that can be undertaken by the purchaser or on a buyer’s behalf which will figure out the risks in Seaview. The conventional set of information given to a purchaser’s conveyancer (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) includes a standard question of the owner to determine if the premises has suffered from flooding. If flooding has previously occurred which is not revealed by the vendor, then a purchaser may commence a claim for damages stemming from an incorrect answer. The buyer’s lawyers should also conduct an environmental search. This should higlight if there is a recorded flood risk. If so, additional investigations will need to be initiated.
We are soon to buying a flat in Seaview. Conveyancing is not yet done but we would like keep our purchase price private from sites such as Nestoria. Is this achievable and how?
HMLR by statute are bound to note price paid information on a register of the title for domestic properties nationwide which includes properties in Seaview. The register of ownership is an open document, so HMLR would be breaking the law if they did not grant access to the register.
You can ask the Land Registry to withhold the amount paid entry but the response will be in the negative.