I am progressing with the sale of my apartment in Whiteley and the estate agent has just called to warn that the buyers are switching solicitor. The reason given is that the mortgage company will only deal with property lawyers on their conveyancing panel. Why would a leading lender only engage with certain law firms rather the firm that they want to select for their conveyancing in Whiteley ?
Banks have always had panels of law firms they are content to work with, but in the last few years big names such as HSBC, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for over 25 years.
Lenders blame a rise in fraud as the reason for the cull – criteria have been tightened as a smaller panel is easier to keep an eye on. Banks tend not to reveal how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that it is being contacted daily by practices 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. Your buyers are unlikely to have any sway in the decision.
I have given 8 weeks notice to my existing landlord and must vacate my let out property in Whiteley by 8/6/2026. Conveyancing for my house purchase is underway. Is it possible to complete in 4 weeks as don't want to have to move into short term accommodation?
The normal practice is not to serve notice for your tenancy until your lawyer suggests that you should. If you have not previously done so, notify to your conveyancer and request that they chase the sellers solicitors, try to get a realistic time scale from them that all parties will work towards
We see that you have a post code search directory listing law firms on the Principality conveyancing panel. Do firms pay you a referral fee if I instruct them for our conveyancing in Whiteley?
We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the Principality conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in Whiteley.
If you had a top tip for choosing a conveyancing solicitor in Whiteley what would it be?
We would encourage you not to base your choice on the lowest Whiteley conveyancing costs illustration. You really do get what you’re paying for when it comes to property lawyers. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you know exactly what you’ll have to pay in ahead of the deal.
Forgive me if this question is silly but I am new to the house moving as FTB of a garden flat in Whiteley. Do I receive the keys to the premises on completion from my lawyer? If so, I will appoint a local conveyancing solicitor in Whiteley?
There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Your solicitors will arrange to send the purchase money to the owner’s conveyancers, and shortly after the monies have arrived, you will be able to collect the keys from the property Agents and start moving into the property. This tends to happen early afternoon.
I have paid off my mortgage with Nationwide. I assume I don't need a Whiteley property lawyer on the Nationwide panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.
If you have finished paying off your Nationwide 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 Nationwide mortgage from the register. Nationwide, 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 Nationwide has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- Nationwide has instructed the Land Registry to do so
I'm buying a new build house in Whiteley with a mortgage from Leeds Building Society. The developers refused to reduce the price so I negotiated 6k of extras instead. The property agent advised me not disclose to my lawyer about this side-deal as it would put at risk my loan with the bank. Is this normal?.
All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.
Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.
Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.
My wife and I intend to buy our 1st house in Whiteley. Conveyancing solicitor has been selected. The broker pointed out that a survey is not necessary as the house was only constructed in 2002.
You would be best advised to take a Home Buyer's Report. As the residence is over 10 years old the property will not come with a warranty, so you would be well advised not to take a risk. For a property that age with no signs of problems a Home Buyer's report may be sufficient. They will highlight any obvious issues and suggest additional investigation if relevant. If there are any signs of material issues get a comprehensive structural survey.