I am getting a mortgage with Santander. I hope to employ the services of a Licensed Conveyancer in Westminster. Does the Santander Solicitor panel allow for conveyancers regulated by the CLC?
The Santander approved solicitor list is, like many other lenders, represented by the Council or Mortgage Lenders or BSA, open to Licensed Conveyancers regulated by the CLC.
I just bought a flat at auction in Westminster. Conveyancing is necessary. What happens now?
Having legally committed yourself to purchase you should find a conveyancing solicitor as a matter of urgency as you are faced with a tight a drop dead date to complete the conveyancing. Every auction property will have an associated auction set of papers. This will likely include evidence of title and search results. Where you are dealing with leasehold premises the auction papers should contain a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and other conveyancing documentation pertinent to leasehold premises. You need to pass this on to the solicitor instructed by you at the earliest opportunity. Do make sure that that you have the requisite funding in order to complete on the on the contractual date .
Is it the case that all Westminster conveyancing solicitors on the Nationwide conveyancing panel are regulated by the SRA?
As solicitors, in order to be on the Nationwide conveyancing panel they would need to be governed by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. The majority of mortgage companies do permit licenced conveyancers on their panel and in that case the practice would be regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.
My offer was accepted on a house in Westminster on 23/1/2026, valuation was booked five days after, received a clean bill of health. Property lawyer appointed, so the only thing outstanding 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. Can the lender hold off the offer?
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 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.
Will my lawyer be making enquiries about flooding as part of the conveyancing in Westminster.
The risk of flooding is if increasing concern for solicitors dealing with homes in Westminster. Some people will purchase a property in Westminster, completely aware that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, aside from the physical damage, where a house is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, satisfactory building insurance, or dispose of the premises. There are steps that can be taken during the course of a house purchase to forewarn the buyer.
Conveyancers are not best placed to offer advice on flood risk, but there are a number of checks that may be initiated by the buyer or by their conveyancers which should give them a better appreciation of the risks in Westminster. The conventional set of completed inquiry forms sent to a buyer’s solicitor (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) includes a standard question of the vendor to determine if the premises has ever been flooded. If flooding has previously occurred and is not notified by the owner, then a purchaser could bring a claim for damages as a result of such an misleading reply. The buyer’s conveyancers may also carry out an enviro search. This should higlight if there is a recorded flood risk. If so, further inquiries should be made.
Am I better off to choose a Westminster conveyancing practitioner based in the area that I am purchasing? An old friend can deal with the legal formalities however they are based over three hundred kilometers drive away.
The benefit of a high street Westminster conveyancing firm is that you can visit the firm to sign paperwork, hand in your identification documents and pester them if necessary. They will also have local insight which is a plus. However nothing is more important than finding someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If other friends have instructed your friend and on the whole were happy that must outweigh using an unknown Westminster conveyancing solicitor solely due to them being round the corner.
I've recently bought a leasehold property in Westminster. Am I liable to pay service charges relating to a period prior to my ownership?
In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.
If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).
Having spent years of dialogue we simply can't agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Westminster. Does the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal have jurisdiction to calculate the appropriate figures?
in cases where there is a absentee landlord or if there is dispute about what the lease extension should cost, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 it is possible to make an application to the LVT to make a decision on the premium.
An example of a Lease Extension case for a Westminster property is Flats 12A & 19, Evelyn Mansions Carlisle Place in June 2009. The Tribunal held that the price to be paid for the new lease of Flat 12A is £168,824, For the other flat the price was set at £169,110 This case was in relation to 2 flats. The unexpired residue of the current lease was 56 years.
I am in the process of buying my 1st property in Westminster. Conveyancing practitioner has been appointed. The financial consultant advised that a survey is not necessary as the property was only constructed 22 years ago.
The bare minimum you need a Home Buyer's Report. As the residence is more than ten years old the property will be without a warranty, so you would be well advised not to take a risk. Where a property of this age shows no signs of defects a Home Buyer's report could be enough. They will highlight any obvious problems and recommend additional investigation if appropriate. If there are any indications of material issues get a comprehensive Building Survey from the beginning.