Am I correct in assuming that the fact that my conveyancer in Atherton is not on my bank's conveyancing panel that there is a problem with the quality of her conveyancing?
It would be unwise to jump to that conclusion. There are all sorts of perfectly reasonable explanations. Just recently a report by the solicitors regulator indicated that over three quarters of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The most common reasons for removal are: (1) low volume of transactions (2) the lawyer is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. If you are concerned you should simply call the Atherton conveyancing firm and enquire why they are no longer on the approved list for your bank.
Will my conveyancing lawyers need to check that the building insurance for my purchase of a house in Atherton. My lender is Platform
Platform have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 9/11/2025, the requirements read as follows :
A colleague informed me that in purchasing a property in Atherton there may be various restrictions affecting the ability to carry out external changes to a property. Is this right?
We are aware of a number of properties in Atherton which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to execute external changes. Part of the conveyancing in Atherton should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.
We had appointed conveyancing lawyers locally in Atherton on the Aldermore solicitor panel. They are now charging me a separate amount for the legal aspects of the Aldermore mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee set by Aldermore?
Unfortunately, as long as it is in their Terms of Engagement or estimate then yes your solicitor is entitled to levy a fee for this. The charge is not set by Aldermore but by your Atherton solicitor. Plenty of firms on the Aldermore panel will quote ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but plenty of firms incorporate it on their overall fee.
After shopping around on the internet I have found a Atherton lawyer having checked that they are on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?
Bank of Ireland will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Bank of Ireland will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your solicitor will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Atherton postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Bank of Ireland, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Atherton.
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified during conveyancing in Atherton?
Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Atherton. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’
I decided to have a survey carried out on a property in Atherton prior to instructing solicitors. I have been told that there is a flying freehold aspect to the house. The surveyor has said that some lenders will not issue a mortgage on such a premises.
It depends who your proposed lender is. Lloyds has different requirements for example to Nationwide. Should you wish to telephone us we can investigate further via the appropriate lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Atherton. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Atherton especially if they are familiar with such properties in Atherton.