My wife and I are looking to buy a property in Wolverton and have appointed a Wolverton conveyancing practice. Within the past 48 hours our property lawyer has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through with the expectation that exchange is imminent. Barclays Direct have this morning contacted us to inform me that they have now hit a problem as our Wolverton solicitor is not on their conveyancing panel. Is this a problem?
When purchasing a property with mortgage finance it is usual for the purchasers' solicitors to also represent the mortgage company. 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 Quality Scheme. Your solicitor should contact your lender 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 are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on the bank's conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Wolverton solicitors, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it may delay matters as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.
Would the conveyancing solicitors that you recommend handle auction conveyancing in Wolverton?
There are a number of niche practitioners we can connect you with those specialising in auction conveyancing. Wolverton is just one of our areas of in which our lawyers are based.
Will my conveyancing lawyers need to check that the building insurance for my purchase of a house in Wolverton. My lender is The Mortgage Works
The Mortgage Works have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 11/11/2025, the requirements read as follows :
My wife and I purchased a terraced Edwardian property in Wolverton. Conveyancing lawyer acted for me and National Westminster Bank. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw two entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold with the matching property. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?
You should 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 Wolverton 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 mortgage companies. You can also check the position with your conveyancing lawyer who conducted the conveyancing.
I'm purchasing my first flat in Wolverton benefiting from help to buy. The developers refused to budge the amount so I negotiated 6k of extras instead. The house builders rep advised me not inform my lawyer about this side-deal as it would jeopardize my loan with the bank. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.
All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder 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.
Can you offer any advice when it comes to appointing a Wolverton conveyancing firm to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?
If you are instructing a solicitor for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Wolverton conveyancing practice) it is most important that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We advise that you make enquires with several firms including non Wolverton conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. The following questions might be helpful:
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How many lease extensions have they conducted in Wolverton in the last year? If they are not ALEP accredited then why not?
I invested in buying a ground floor flat in Wolverton, conveyancing was carried out half a dozen years ago. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Equivalent properties in Wolverton with a long lease are worth £206,000. The ground rent is £45 per annum. The lease ceases on 21st October 2091
You have 66 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to range between £12,400 and £14,200 plus professional fees.
The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to supply a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed due diligence. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.