My partner and I are looking to acquire a property in Barnes and are in fact using a Barnes conveyancing practice. Within the last couple of days our conveyancer has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report with a view to exchanging next week. Bank of Scotland have this morning contacted us to advise us that there is now an issue as our Barnes conveyancer is not on their approved list of lawyers. Is this a problem?

If you are buying a property with the assistance of a mortgage it is standard for the purchasers' lawyers to also act for the purchaser's lender. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your property lawyer should contact your lender and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You don't have to instruct a firm on the bank's conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Barnes solicitors, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it may delay matters as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.

We were just about to exchange contracts for a leasehold flat in Barnes. We encountered a problem. The mortgage offer with Leeds Building Society runs out on 2/1/2025 but the vendors are insisting on a completion date of 6/1/2025. Is it possible to prolong the mortgage offer?

The person best placed to deal with your question is your lawyer who is in a position to assess if he or she is better off negotiating with the lender, vendor’s lawyers, property agents or conceivably all three taking into account what has happend in your house move to date.

I own a freehold residence in Barnes but nevertheless pay rent, why is this and what is this?

It is rare for properties in Barnes and has limited impact for conveyancing in Barnes but some freehold properties in England (particularly common in North West England) pay an annual sum known as a Chief Rent or a Rentcharge to a third party who has no other legal interest in the land.

Rentcharge payments are usually between £2.00 and £5.00 per year. Rentcharges have existed for hundreds of years, but the Rent Charge Act 1977 barred the creation of fresh rentcharges from 1977 onwards.

Previous rentcharges can now be extinguished by making a lump sum payment under the Act. Any rentcharges that are still in existence post 2037 will be dispensed with completely.

How does conveyancing in Barnes differ for new build properties?

Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in Barnes come to us having been asked by the housebuilder to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the house is completed. This is because new home sellers in Barnes tend to purchase 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 conveyancers 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 Barnes or who has acted in the same development.

I am looking for Barnes conveyancing quotes online. Can I be assured that all the Barnes law firms that are identified on your site are on the bank conveyancing panel?

The solicitor and licensed conveyancing practices on our directory have advised us that they are on the mortgage company panel and agreed to advise us to take down their listing in the event of removal off of the lender panel. To date we have not been informed by either a lender or a member of the public that the data about a specific Barnes firm being on the lender conveyancing panel is incorrect.