I am selling my ground floor flat in Stapleton and the EA has just e-mailed to warn that the purchasers are switching solicitor. I am told that this is due to the fact that the bank will only work with property lawyers on their conveyancing panel. Why would a big named lender only engage with certain lawyers rather the firm that they want to appoint for their conveyancing in Stapleton ?

Mortgage companies have always had an approved set of law firms they are content to work with, but in the last few years big names such as Santander, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have represented them for over 25 years.

Mortgage companies point to the increase in fraud by way of justification for the cull – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to monitor. No lender will say how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is being contacted daily by practices that have been removed from panels. Plenty of firms 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 purchasers are not going to have any sway in the decision.

Can your site be used to recommend a Conveyancing solicitor in Stapleton even where I’m not buying or disposing of a house, for instance where I wish to acquire a shop in Stapleton with a loan from Barnsley Building Society?

Our search tool is predominantly there to get a quote from residential conveyancing solicitors in Stapleton but we have recorded towards the bottom of this page some Stapleton commercial conveyancing firms. You will need to enquire with the solicitors directly to see if they are also authorised to represent Barnsley Building Society

Various internet forums that I have visited warn that are the primary cause of hinderance in Stapleton house deals. Is there any truth in this?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) released findings of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not feature amongst the common causes of hindrances during the legal transfer of property. Searches are not likely to be the root cause of holding up conveyancing in Stapleton.

I am purchasing a new build house in Stapleton with a loan from Barnsley Building Society. The sellers refused to budge the price so I negotiated 6k of additionals instead. The sale representative advised me not disclose to my lawyer about this extras as it will impact my loan with Barnsley Building Society. Is this normal?.

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.

If all goes to plan we aim to complete the sale of our £475,000 flat in Stapleton on Thursday in a week. The landlords agents has quoted £312 for Landlord’s certificate, building insurance schedule and 3 years service charge statements. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge exorbitant fees for a flat conveyance in Stapleton?

Stapleton conveyancing on leasehold apartments normally involves administration charges levied by landlords agents :

Addressing pre-contract enquiries Where consent is required before sale in Stapleton Copies of the building insurance and schedule Deeds of covenant upon sale Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your lawyer will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Stapleton leasehold premises is £350. For Stapleton conveyancing transactions it is customary for the seller to pay for these costs. The landlord or their agents are under no legal obligation to answer such questions most will be willing to do so - albeit often at exorbitant prices where the fees bear little relation to the work involved. Unfortunately there is no law that requires fixed charges for administrative tasks. Neither is there any legal time frame by which they are required to supply the information.

Stapleton Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Queries before Purchasing

Best to be warned if changing the roof or some other significant cost is coming up that will be shared between the tenants and could well dramatically increase the the maintenance costs or necessitate a specific payment. Please inform me if there are any major works in the near future that could add a premium to the maintenance fees? Its a good idea to discover as much as you can about the company managing the block as they can either make living at the property much simpler or problematic. Being a leasehold owner you are frequently in the clutches of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to practical issues like the tidiness of the common parts. Don't be shy to ask prospective neighbours what they think of their management. Finally, be sure you discover the dates that the maintenance fees are due to the relevant party and specifically how they are spending the funds.