Is there a search tool that I can utilise to check that the solicitor conducting my conveyancing in Stotfold is on the mortgage lender’sapproved panel? I am looking to avoid the situation of having one lawyer for me and one for Britannia thus paying £187.00 plus VAT in additional legal invoice.

Please do take advantage of the search tool on this web page. Please choose the lender and type ‘Stotfold’ or your location and you will be presented with a number of lawyer based in Stotfold or near you.

I'm the single beneficiary of my late father’s will with all property in now in my sole name, including the house in Stotfold. Conveyancing formalities meant that the Land Registry date was in June. I want to move. I understand that there is a Mortgage Lenders 6 month 'rule', which means that my proprietorship may be regarded the same way as though I had purchased the property in June. Do I have to wait 6 months to sell?

The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ handbook mandates conveyancers to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." Technically you may be impacted by that. How sensible a view banks take of it, depend on the mortgage company as this requirement primarily exists to identify the purchase and immediately sell or the quick reselling of property.

My offer was accepted on a property in Stotfold on 30/5/2024, valuation was booked 3 days after, received a clean bill of health. Conveyancer instructed, so the only thing outstanding was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Nottingham and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Nottingham conveyancing panel. Can the lender hold off the offer?

Mortgage companies tend not to not issue an offer until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Nottingham to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Nottingham conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.

Having read lots of mortgage guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Stotfold solicitor - who is on the Santander conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?

Santander will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Santander 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. You may wish to consider appointing your own Stotfold surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.

Taking into account that I will soon part with 450k on a two bedroom apartment in Stotfold I wish to have a conversation with the conveyancer regarding thetransaction ahead of instructing the firm. Is this something that you can arrange?

This is something that we encourage - it is our preference to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you speaking to the conveyancer due to be doing your conveyancing in Stotfold.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - each client is unique individual, not a file reference. The solicitors that we put you in touch with believe that the fees you are calculated and presented to you for residential conveyancing in Stotfold should be the figure that you end up paying.

In my capacity as executor for the will of my aunt I am disposing of a house in Newport but I am based in Stotfold. My conveyancer (approximately 250 miles awayrequires that I sign a statutory declaration prior to completion. Could you suggest a conveyancing solicitor in Stotfold who can witness and place their company stamp on the document?

Technically speaking you are unlikely to be required to have the documents witnessed by a conveyancing solicitor. Ordinarily any notary public or qualified solicitor will do regardless of whether they are located in Stotfold

My husband and I have AIP from Bank of Ireland who suggested that they will lend up to £218k. When do I need to appoint a practitioner for conveyancing? Stotfold is where we plan to move to.

You can instruct a solicitor now so that the conveyancing practitioner can open the ledger so they can commence the ID checks etc. Once you wish them to commence work they will seek a payment on account usually approximately £200. That would normally be after you have the loan offer from the bank and survey report, nevertheless should you want to speed the process you can get going quicker even though you may be risking some money.