My solicitor has uncovered a defect with the lease for the apartment we are buying in Clayton. The other side have offered defective title insurance as a solution. We are happy with insurance and will cover the costs. Our lawyer has advised that he must ensure that the lender is content with this solution. Who is the client here, us or the mortgage company ?
The short answer to your last question is that, notwithstanding the risk of a conflict of interest, you and the bank are the client. Your property lawyer must comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook specifications. The UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook conditions require your lawyer to disclose issues such as defects with the lease so that the bank can be afforded the opportunity to check with their valuer as to the extent that the value of the property is affected. Should you refuse to allow your lawyer to make the appropriate notification then your conveyancing practitioner will have no choice but to discontinue acting for you.
I am told that my conveyancing solicitors will need to check that the building insurance for my purchase of a house in Clayton. My lender is Chelsea Building Society
Chelsea Building Society have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 28/8/2025, the requirements read as follows :
There are a variety of conveyancing solicitors in Clayton but how do I know who's good?
It would be unwise to be swayed by the lowest Clayton conveyancing costs illustration. You really do get what you pay for when it comes to conveyancing solicitors. 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 time.
My wife and I have organised a further advance on our home loan from Nottingham as we want to carry out improvements to our house in Clayton. Do we need to appoint a bricks and mortar Clayton solicitor on the Nottingham conveyancing panel to deal with the legals?
Nottingham would not normally require firms on their approved list of lawyers to deal with such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Nottingham list.
I had an offer accepted on an apartment in Clayton on 14/7/2025, valuation was booked 3 days after, all came back fine. Conveyancer retained, so all that was missing was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Skipton and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Skipton conveyancing panel. Are Skipton entitled to hold back the Mortgage pending the lawyer being on the approved list?
Mortgage companies tend not to not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Skipton to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Skipton conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
I decided to have a survey carried out on a house in Clayton ahead of appointing solicitors. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold element to the house. The surveyor advised that some lenders will refuse to grant a loan on a flying freehold home.
It depends who your proposed lender is. Lloyds has different requirements from Nationwide. If you call us we can check with the relevant mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Clayton. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Clayton especially if they are acquainted with such properties in Clayton.
Given that I am about to spend £400,000 on 3 bedroom house in Clayton I would like to talk to a conveyancer concerning thehouse move ahead of appointing the firm. Is this something that you can arrange?
We could not agree more - it is our preference to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you first talking to the lawyer who will be carrying out your conveyancing in Clayton.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - each client is unique individual, not a case reference. The solicitors that we put you in touch with believe that the figure you are provided with for your conveyancing in Clayton should be the figure that you end up paying.