My fiance and I are hoping to purchase a property in Wallington and have appointed a Wallington conveyancing firm. Within the last couple of days our property lawyer has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report with a view to exchanging next week. Skipton Building Society have this evening contacted us to advise us that they have now hit a problem as our Wallington solicitor is not on their conveyancing panel. Is this a problem?
When purchasing a property with the benefit of a mortgage it is conventional for the purchasers' solicitors to also act for the purchaser's lender. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Accreditation Scheme. Your property lawyer should contact your bank and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You don't have to instruct a firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Wallington solicitors, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it will likely delay the transaction as you have another set of people involved.
At what point will exchange of contracts take place for sale conveyancing in Wallington and am I required to be at the conveyancers branch?
Where you are round the corner to one of the conveyancing solicitors in Wallington you are welcome to attend to sign the paperwork. That being said, the law practices we recommend provide countrywide coverage for conveyancing and give as equally detailed and professional a job for you when communicating with you digitally. The signing of the property agreement is not when everything is set in stone. Signing on the dotted line simply enables the firm to exchange contracts when the time is right, which is ordinarily shortly after signing. The exchange process is nowadays normally dealt with by telephone and can be very rapid, although where an extended "chain" is involved, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in Wallington)to be in the office available at the end of the phone to exchange contracts.
I am told that my conveyancing solicitors will need to check that the building insurance when buying a house in Wallington. My lender is Virgin
Virgin have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 13/5/2026, the requirements read as follows :
We are buying a detached bungalow in Wallington. Our aim is to carry out a loft conversion at the property.Will the conveyancing process involve enquiries to determine if these alterations are prohibited?
Your property lawyer will review the registered title as conveyancing in Wallington will on occasion reveal restrictions in the title deeds which prohibit certain alterations or require the consent of another owner. Certain extensions call for local authority planning consent and approval in compliance with building regulations. Some locations are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which frequently prevent or impact extensions. It would be prudent to check these issues with a surveyor ahead of any purchase.
My conveyancer has informed me that restrictive coveneant insurance is necessary on my purchase. What is the typical level of cover needed for conveyancing in Wallington?
The right level of restrictive coveneant indemnity insurance depends on your lender. It would differ for example between Halifax and Norwich and Peterborough Building Society. Conveyancing practitioners as opposed to members of the public take out such insurances.
I am buying a property in Wallington. A rare aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Skipton have issued a mortgage offer so presumably this is not a concern to them. Why is my solicitor raising questions about the panel?
As your lender is Skipton your lawyer must check the conveyancing instructions contained in Part 2 of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Skipton. The CML Handbook sets out minimum provisions for solar panel roof-space leases, and solicitors are required to report to Skipton where a lease fails to meet these conditions. The provisions relate to the installation of panels on properties countrywide and is not isolated to Wallington.
Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to our home can not be found. The conveyancers who handled the conveyancing in Wallington 5 years ago are no longer around. What do I do?
In today’s world there are duplicates made of almost everything, and your solicitor will be aware exactly where to look for all the relevant documentation so you may buy or dispose of your property without a hitch. If copies can’t be found, your solicitor may be able to put in place insurance or indemnities protecting you against possible claims on your property.
We are seeking to acquire a repression house in Wallington and the mortgagee in possession would like to complete inside a week. Do conveyancing practitioners complete in this timeframe? Am I best advised to select a high street Wallington firm or an online conveyancer that professes to offer speedy conveyancing?
Visit your Wallington high street. Go in to a couple of solicitor’s offices and request to see a conveyancing solicitor for a quote. Set out your situation and get a commitment on deadlines. Choose the one that appears most efficient. Make sure to choose a property lawyer on the list of conveyancing practitioners who can act for your lender.