My wife and I are acquiring a leasehold flat in Withernsea. My lawyer is not listed on the lender approved panel. Am I still permitted to retain my Withernsea conveyancing solicitor even though they are excluded from the bank list of approved lawyers?
Your options include
- Carry on with your existing Withernsea property lawyer but your mortgage company will no doubt use a property lawyer on their approved list. The net result is additional cost and probable delay.
- Choose a new conveyancing practitioner to act in the purchase, ensuring that they are on the mortgage company conveyancing panel.
- Convince your conveyancer to do everything possible to join the lender’s panel of solicitors
Our god-son is purchasing a newly built flat in Withernsea with a home loan from Bank of Ireland. His conveyancer has said that there is a delay in receiving the ‘Disclosure of Incentive Form’. Who needs to receive the form?
The document is intended to provide information to the main parties engaged in the transaction. Therefore, it will be provided to your son’s lawyer who should be on the Bank of Ireland 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 Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel solicitor as early as possible, in order to avoid any last minute delays, and no later than at exchange of contracts.
I have 70 years unexpired on my lease and need a lease extension for my flat in Withernsea. Conveyancing solicitors on the Platform panel can deal with such extensions correct?
Most leasehold conveyancing experts should be able to deal with a lease extension. if you are securing a mortgage then your lender may insist that the lease be extended before competition. Platform have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook in relation to minimum unexpired lease terms. As of 19/8/2025 the requirements read as follows :
Have just purchased a repossessed house at auction in Withernsea. Conveyancing is required. What is next?
Given that you are now for all intents and purposes signed on the dotted line you should find a conveyancing practitioner soon as you are facing a pending deadline in which to complete the deal. All auction property will ordinarily have a bespoke legal pack. This will include evidence of title and search results. In the case of leasehold property the legal pack should contain a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and other conveyancing documentation specific to a leasehold property. You need to hand this to your appointed conveyancing solicitor as soon as possible. You also need to ensure that your finances are in order to complete on the date specified in the contract.
Is it correct that all Withernsea CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors are on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing list of approved practices?
Some major lenders now use CQS as the starting point for Panel approval such as HSBC and Santander. CQS accreditation however gives no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. That being said,the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for firms wishing to remain on their panels.
After what feels like an age I have had an offer on a maisonette in Withernsea accepted, but there is a chain. The sellers have offered on a flat, however it’s not been accepted yet, and are looking at other flats in the pipeline. I have instructed a nearby conveyancing solicitor in Withernsea. What should be my next step? When should I get the mortgage application with Lloyds started?
It is understandable to have concerns where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket too early (home loan application is in the region of £1k, then survey, Withernsea conveyancing search charges, etc). The first course of action is to ensure that your conveyancing practitioner is on the Lloyds approved list. As to the next stages this very much dictated by the specifics of your transaction, desire for the property and on the state of the market. During a rising market the majority of purchasers would apply for the mortgage with Lloyds and arrange for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they request their property lawyer to move forward with the conveyancing in Withernsea.
How do I identify a Withernsea law firm on the Halifax conveyancing panel? I have wheels and am willing to travel upto 25kilometers to meet the conveyancer.
Feel free to make use of the tool on this page. Please select a bank and your location and you will see a number of Withernsea conveyancing lawyers located nearest you. We have detailed some Withernsea conveyancing firms towards the end of this page and you can ring them to verify if they are on the Halifax approved list
My partner and I are purchasing a studio flat in Withernsea. When we first instructed lawyer, they assured us that they were on all mainstream lender panels. The mortgage broker emailed today to advise that they don't appear to be on the Barclays approved list. Should that be true, what should we do? Should we just find a different conveyancing practitioner that is on their panel or do we cover the costs for separate representation, with Barclays appointing their own approved property lawyer.
When buying a property with the benefit of a mortgage it is usual for the purchaser’s lawyers to also represent the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a solicitor has to be on that lender's list of approved lawyers. An application has to be made by the solicitor to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the lawyer has to meet. Some building societies now require their panel firms to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your lawyer should call Barclays to find out 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 Barclays's conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Withernsea solicitors, in which case it will likely add costs, and it may delay matters as you have another set of people involved.