I am selling my house in Tilehurst and the estate agent has just called to warn that the purchasers are switching property lawyer. The reason given is that the lender will only engage with solicitors on their approved list. On what basis would a big named lender only engage with certain law firms rather the firm that they want to choose to handle their conveyancing in Tilehurst ?
UK lenders have always had panels of law firms that can represent them, but in the last few years big names such as Nationwide, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have acted for them for more than 15 years.
Lending institutions point to the increase in fraud by way of justification for the cull – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to oversee. Banks tend not to disclose how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Some are unaware that they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. The buyers are unlikely to have any impact on this.
Do the conveyancing solicitors that you recommend carry out right to buy conveyancing in Tilehurst?
We have identified numerous conveyancing lawyers who can conduct right to buy conveyancing You should call the lawyers listed to secure a conveyancing quote.
I am told that my conveyancing solicitors will need to check that the building insurance for my purchase of a house in Tilehurst. My lender is Platform
Platform have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 24/6/2026, the requirements read as follows :
We were going to get a DIP from Principality this week so we know how much we could potentially offer as otherwise we only have online calculators to go by (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Principality recommend any Tilehurst solicitors on the Principality conveyancing panel, or is it better to find our own lawyer?
You will need to appoint Tilehurst solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Principality conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Principality through the process.
My wife and I are spending time looking at houses in Tilehurst and I am about to put in an offer. Is it wise to have a property lawyer on ‘stand by’? I am planning to take a home loan with Bank of Ireland.
It would be wise 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 estate agent. As you are taking out a mortgage with Bank of Ireland, make sure you remember to check that your lawyer is on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel.
After weeks of negotiation I have agreed a price on an apartment in Tilehurst. My mortgage broker suggested a property lawyer. I paid an upfront payment of £200. Shortly after, the conveyancer contacted me to say that they were not on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?
You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Coventry BS panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.
We are selling our property in Tilehurst and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a risk of it being built land that was not decontaminated. A local conveyancer would know that there is no such problem. For the life of me I don't know why the purchasers instructed a national conveyancing firm rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Tilehurst. Having lived in Tilehurst for three years we know of no issue. Should we contact our local Authority to seek clarification need.
It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing lawyer already. Are they able to advise? You need to enquire of your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out health insurance to cover that same ailment)
Taking into account that I am about to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds on a property in Tilehurst I would like to have a conversation with the conveyancer regarding thehouse move ahead of giving the go ahead to the firm. Is this something that you can arrange?
We could not agree more - we would be delighted to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you first talking to the solicitor who will be conducting your property ownership legalities in Tilehurst.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - each client is unique person, not a file reference. The solicitors that we put you in touch with believe that the figure you are provided with for residential conveyancing in Tilehurst should be the amount on the final invoice that you are charged.