Me and my fiance are purchasing a 1 bedroom apartment in Yardley with a mortgage. We have a Yardley conveyancer, however the bank advise he's not on their "panel". It appears that we have no choice but to select one of the mortgage company panel solicitors or continue with our Yardley conveyancer as well as pay for one of their panel firms to represent them. This seems very unfair; is there anything we can do?
No, not really. Your mortgage offer is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the lender’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. A further alternative is for your Yardley conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
Will my conveyancing lawyers need to check that the building insurance for my purchase of a house in Yardley. My lender is The Mortgage Works
The Mortgage Works have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 31/12/2025, the requirements read as follows :
Should my lawyer be making enquiries regarding flooding as part of the conveyancing in Yardley.
The risk of flooding is if increasing concern for lawyers specialising in conveyancing in Yardley. There are those who buy a house in Yardley, fully aware that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, leaving to one side the physical destruction, where a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, suitable building insurance, or dispose of the premises. Steps can be carried out as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the buyer.
Conveyancers are not best placed to offer advice on flood risk, but there are a various searches that can be initiated by the buyer or on a buyer’s behalf which can give them a better appreciation of the risks in Yardley. The standard completed inquiry forms given to a purchaser’s lawyer (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) contains a usual inquiry of the vendor to determine if the premises has suffered from flooding. In the event that flooding has previously occurred and is not notified by the vendor, then a purchaser may issue a legal claim for losses as a result of such an inaccurate response. The purchaser’s conveyancers may also carry out an enviro search. This will higlight if there is any known flood risk. If so, further investigations will need to be initiated.
It has been 2 months since my purchase conveyancing in Yardley took place. I have checked the Land Registry website which shows that I paid £200,000 when infact I paid £180,000. Why the discrepancy?
The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the premises from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.
How does conveyancing in Yardley differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build property in Yardley come to us having been asked by the housebuilder to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the residence is finished. This is because builders in Yardley tend to buy the land, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct property lawyers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are used to new build conveyancing in Yardley or who has acted in the same development.