I am selling my house in Vale Of Glamorgan and the estate agent has just text me to warn that the buyers are swapping law firm. The reason given is that the mortgage company will only deal with solicitors on their approved list. Why would a leading mortgage company only engage with certain law firms rather the firm that they want to choose for their conveyancing in Vale Of Glamorgan ?
Banks have always had panels of law firms they are willing to work with, but in the past few years big names such as Lloyds Banking Group, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have acted for them for more than 15 years.
Lenders point to the increase in fraud by way of justification for the pruning – criteria have been stiffened as a smaller panel is easier to oversee. No lender will say how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Plenty of firms 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 purchasers are not going to have any impact on this.
My son-in-law is buying a newly built flat in Vale Of Glamorgan with a mortgage from Nationwide. His conveyancer has advised him of a delay in receiving the ‘Disclosure of Incentive Form’. What is this document - I have never come across this before?
The document is intended to provide information to the main parties involved in the transaction. Therefore, it will be provided to your son’s lawyer who should be on the Nationwide 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 Nationwide conveyancing panel solicitor as early as possible, in order to avoid any last minute delays, and no later than at exchange of contracts.
We are buying a property and require a conveyancing solicitor in Vale Of Glamorgan who is on the Nottingham approved panel. Can you recommend a local solicitor?
Our service is limited to being a directory service for firms who wish to be listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for Nottingham . We don't recommend any particular firms conducting conveyancing in Vale Of Glamorgan.
Have just purchased a probate house at auction in Vale Of Glamorgan. Conveyancing is necessary. What happens now?
Having to all intents and purposes signed on the dotted line you should find a conveyancing practitioner quickly as you now have a pending deadline in which to complete the transaction. All auction property will have a corresponding legal pack. This will likely include most,if not all of the paperwork that your lawyer requires. Where you are dealing with leasehold property the legal papers should include a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and other conveyancing documentation pertinent to leasehold premises. You should give this to the lawyer instructed by you at the earliest opportunity. Do make sure that your finances are in place to complete the transaction on the set completion date.
We expect to receive a DIP from Nottingham 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 Nottingham recommend any Vale Of Glamorgan solicitors on the Nottingham conveyancing panel, or is it better to find our own lawyer?
You will need to appoint Vale Of Glamorgan solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Nottingham conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Nottingham through the process.
My offer was accepted on a property in Vale Of Glamorgan on 9/1/2026, valuation was booked 4 days later, received a clean bill of health. Solicitor instructed, so all that was missing was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Bank of Ireland and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel. Are Bank of Ireland entitled to hold back the Mortgage pending the lawyer being on the approved list?
Mortgage companies tend not to not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Bank of Ireland to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
I have a renovated Edwardian house in Vale Of Glamorgan. Conveyancing solicitor acted for me and Alliance & Leicester . I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are two entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold with the matching address. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?
You need to read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Vale Of Glamorgan and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they buy they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also enquire as to the position with the conveyancing solicitor who conducted the work.
How does conveyancing in Vale Of Glamorgan differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build premises in Vale Of Glamorgan come to us having been asked by the housebuilder to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is constructed. This is because developers in Vale Of Glamorgan usually acquire the real estate, 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 conveyancers 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 accustomed to new build conveyancing in Vale Of Glamorgan or who has acted in the same development.