I am not in a position to travel far from Sketty. I would like to know the understand why all Sketty property lawyers aren't automatically on all lender panels?
Lenders normally restrict either the type or the number of conveyancing firms on their approved list of lawyers. Typical examples of such restriction(s) being that the firm needs to have at least two partners. As well as restricting the nature of firm, some have decided to reduce the size of their panel they allow to act for them. You should note that lenders have no responsibility for the accuracy of advice given by any Sketty lawyer on their panel. Increases in mortgage fraud was the main trigger for the culling of conveyancing panels in the last decade notwithstanding that there are contrary opinions concerning whether solicitors sat at the center of that fraud. Data from HMLR indicates that thousands of conveyancing practices only carry out one or two conveyances a year. Those supporting conveyancing panel cuts question why law firms should have the right to be on a conveyancing panel when it is apparent that property law is not their primary expertise?
In what way does my ID and proof of funds have anything to do with my conveyancing in Sketty? What am I being asked for?
In order to comply with Money Laundering Regulations any Sketty conveyancing firm will require proof of identity in all conveyancing transactions. This is usually dealt with by provision of a passport and an original bank statement or utility bill showing your correct address.
Under Money Laundering Regulations, conveyancers are duty bound to ascertain not only the ID of conveyancing clients but also the origin of monies that they receive in respect of any matter. Refusal to disclose this may lead to your lawyer ending their relationship with you, as clearly this will cause a conflict between the set Regulations and a refusal to disclose.
Your property lawyers are duty bound to inform the relevant authorities should they believe that any amounts received by them may contravene the Anti-terror and anti-money-laundering rules.
We previously appointed conveyancers located in Sketty on the Leeds Building Society solicitor approved list. They have just billed me an additional charge for dealing with the Leeds Building Society mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee set by Leeds Building Society?
Unfortunately, as long as it is in their Terms and Conditions or estimate then yes your lawyer may charge a fee for this. The charge is not set by Leeds Building Society but by your Sketty conveyancer. Some firms on the Leeds Building Society panel will charge ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but many practices incorporate it on their overall fee.
My wife and I are in the throws of looking at flats in Sketty and I am now considering a potential offer. Is it sensible to have a property lawyer on ‘stand by’? I intend to finance via a mortgage with Nottingham.
It would be advisable to instigate your search sooner rather than later. After you have chosen your lawyer and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and forward their details on to the EA. Given that you are taking out a mortgage with Nottingham, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the Nottingham conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.
My offer was accepted on a property in Sketty on 7/1/2025, valuation was booked 4 days later, all came back fine. Conveyancer retained, so all that was missing 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. 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 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.
I used Action Conveyancing several years past for my conveyancing in Sketty. I now require my file however the law firm is no longer operating. What do I do?
Do contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Sketty of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously instructed, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
How does conveyancing in Sketty differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build residence in Sketty contact us having been asked by the developer to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is completed. This is because builders in Sketty typically 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 conveyancing solicitors 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 Sketty or who has acted in the same development.
What are the common deficiencies that you encounter in leases for Sketty properties?
There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Sketty. All leases are unique and drafting errors can sometimes mean that certain provisions are erroneous. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:
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A duty to insure the building
You may have a problem when selling your property if you have a defective lease primarily because it impacts on the ability to obtain a mortgage on the property. Accord Mortgages Ltd, Bank of Scotland, and Nottingham Building Society all have very detailed conveyancing instructions when it comes to what is expected in a lease. Where a lender has been advised by their lawyers that the lease does not cover certain provisions they may refuse to grant the mortgage, obliging the purchaser to pull out.
Leasehold Conveyancing in Sketty - Sample of Queries Prior to buying
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Is the freehold owned jointly by the leaseholders? It is important to be aware whether window replacement or some other significant cost is pending to be shared by the leaseholders and may well dramatically increase the the service costs or result in a one time invoice. Please note if it is less than eighty years it will affect the value of the flat. Check with your lender that they are willing to lend given the lease term. A short lease means that you will almost definitely need a lease extension at some point and it is worth finding out what this will be. Remember, in most cases you will need to own the property for 24 months in order to be entitled to extend the lease.