I am in the process of selling my ground floor flat in Bradford On Avon and the EA has just e-mailed to advise that the buyers are swapping solicitor. The excuse is that the mortgage company will only deal with solicitors on their approved list. Why would a big named lender only engage with certain law firms rather the firm that they want to select to handle their conveyancing in Bradford On Avon ?

UK lenders have always had panels of law firms they are willing to work with, but in the past few years big names such as Nationwide, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have represented them for more than 15 years.

Lending institutions point to the increase in fraud as the reason for the pruning – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to oversee. Banks tend not to disclose how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that it is hearing daily from firms 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. The buyers are not going to have any sway in the decision.

Will my conveyancing lawyers need to check that the building insurance when buying a house in Bradford On Avon. My lender is Platform

Platform have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 11/5/2024, the requirements read as follows :

My father advised me that in buying a property in Bradford On Avon there may be various restrictions preventing external changes to a property. Is this right?

We are aware of a number of properties in Bradford On Avon which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to execute external changes. Part of the conveyancing in Bradford On Avon should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.

Does a directory service exist listing Kent Reliance panel solicitors in Bradford On Avon on the Building Society Association’s Website?

No. There is no such facility on the CML or Building Society Association websites. A small selection of mortgage companies make their panel listings viewable over the internet. Where you are looking for a Bradford On Avon conveyancer on the Kent Reliance please make the most of our tool.

I have a mortgage with Leeds Building Society for my property in Bradford On Avon. Conveyancing was finalised months ago. Should I wish to rent out my property and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform Leeds Building Society?

Your original mortgage agreement with Leeds Building Society will provide that you need their approval before letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of Leeds Building Society’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will permit you to let out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Leeds Building Society directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel lawyer.

My partner and I are close to exchanging contracts on the sale of our property in Bradford On Avon and according to the buyers it appears that there is a risk of it being constructed land that was not decontaminated. Any high street Bradford On Avon lawyer would know that there is no such problem. It does beg the question why the purchasers are using a web based conveyancing practice rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Bradford On Avon. Having lived in Bradford On Avon for three years we know of no issue. Should we contact our local Authority to get clarification that there is no issue.

It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing solicitor already. Are they able to advise? You should enquire of your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out life insurance to cover that same illness)

Me and my brother own a renovated Georgian property in Bradford On Avon. Conveyancing solicitor represented me and Halifax. 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 under the matching address. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?

You need to assess the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for 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 Bradford On Avon and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they mortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with purchasers. You can also enquire as to the situation with the conveyancing practitioner who conducted the conveyancing.