I was recommended to a solicitor who has sent a quote for £995 for fixed fee conveyancing in Trafford. I am hoping to sell a Edwardian property for £150,000. Is this too much? Is it in excess of what I should be paying for conveyancing in Trafford?
The charges are a little high. Where you are happy to invest time scrutinising charges you may be able to get the conveyancing a bit cheaper by say £125. On the other hand, you couldcome to rue opting for an an untested conveyancer. If is important to enquire that the conveyancer can represent your lender. You can utilise our comparison tool to choose a Trafford conveyancing firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Trafford.
I am hoping to move into my new home in Trafford next Tuesday. I have now been asked to send a copy of my building insurance schedule by my solicitor as as she informs me that she is duty bound to validate that it is in order for the lender. What does the insurance need to cover?
Any lawyer on acting for banks would need to check that the following risks are covered fire; lightning; aircraft; explosion; earthquake; storm; flood; escape of water or oil; riot; malicious damage; theft or attempted theft; falling trees and branches and aerials; subsidence; heave;landslip;collision;accidental damage to underground services;professional fees, demolition and site clearance costs; and public liability to anyone else. There are some other issues such as the level of excess that are set out in a lender’s Part 2 requirements. These requirements are not unique to conveyancing in Trafford.
It is a dozen years since I purchased my property in Trafford. Conveyancing lawyers have just been appointed on the sale but I can't track down my deeds. Will this cause complications?
Don’t worry too much. First there is a chance that the deeds will be with the mortgage company or they could be in the possession of the lawyers who acted in the purchase. Secondly the likelihood is that the land will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to prove you are the registered owner by your conveyancing lawyers obtaining up to date copy of the land registers. Nearly all conveyancing in Trafford relates to registered property but in the unlikely event that your property is unregistered it is more of a problem but is resolvable.
I have paid off my mortgage with Bank of Ireland. I assume I don't need a Trafford conveyancing practitioner on the Bank of Ireland panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.
If you have finished paying off your Bank of Ireland 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 Bank of Ireland mortgage from the register. Bank of Ireland, 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 Bank of Ireland has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- Bank of Ireland has instructed the Land Registry to do so
I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in Trafford off the council. I have a mortgage offer with Coventry BS. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have one. Any advice?
It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Coventry BS, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel.
My offer was accepted on a property in Trafford on 10/11/2025, valuation was booked five days later, received a clean bill of health. Conveyancer instructed, so all that was missing was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to TSB and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the TSB conveyancing panel. Are TSB entitled to hold back the Mortgage pending the lawyer being on the approved list?
Mortgage companies tend not to not issue an offer until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for TSB to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the TSB conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
Various internet forums that I have visited warn that are a common cause of obstruction in Trafford house deals. Is this right?
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) has noted the findings of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure within the most frequent causes of delays in the conveyancing process. Searches are unlikely to be the root cause of holding up conveyancing in Trafford.
My step-son is just in the process of moving home, the home loan was agreed last week in principle. When the seller agreed the offer on the house we telephoned the mortgage company to issue the formal offer. We were disappointed to hear that mortgage companies do not accept all conveyancer, they need to be on their approved list, is this legal?
Lenders tend to restrict either the type or the number of conveyancing firms on their approved list of lawyers. Typical examples of such restriction(s) being that a firm must have two or more partners. In addition to restricting the type of firm, some have decided to limit the number of firms they use to represent them. You should note that lenders have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any Trafford conveyancer on their panel. Mortgage fraud was a key driver in the rationalisation of conveyancing panels a few years ago and whilst there are differing views about the extent of solicitor involvement in some of that fraud. Statistics from the Land Registry reveal that thousands of law firms only carry out one or two conveyances a year. Those supporting conveyancing panel cuts ask why law firms should have the right to be on a Lender panel when clearly, conveyancing is not their speciality. To put it another way; would you want a conveyancing solicitor to represent you if you were charged with a crime? Probably not.