I can't travel far from Temple Fortune. What is the rationale as to why all Temple Fortune lawyers aren't automatically on all mortgage company panels?

A decade ago most lenders had an approach to risk which is different than today. The FSA in 2010 carried out a thematic review into property fraud which concluded: know the lawyers on your panel. As a result, mortgage companies have subsequently looked to extract more data from law firms about their processes and the individuals employed by them and set certain criteria such as completing a minimum volume of transactions. Many law practices have been excluded from lender panels even though they had an exemplary disciplinary record, no complaints and zero claims and didn't just 'dabble' in conveyancing. Such firms found it impossible satisfy the criteria of amount of transactions the mortgage companies insisted on.

I am about to put an offer on a leasehold flat in Temple Fortune. The property agents advise that it is normal for flats in Temple Fortune to have less than 75 years left on the lease. I am getting a mortgage with Bank of Ireland. Is this going to be acceptable if the lease has 70 years left.

Most leasehold conveyancing experts should be able to deal with a lease extension. if you are securing a mortgage then your lender may insist that the lease be extended before competition. Bank of Ireland have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook in relation to minimum unexpired lease terms. As of 27/1/2025 the requirements read as follows :

My bid for a property was accepted at auction in Temple Fortune. Conveyancing is needed. What are my next steps?

Now that you have legally committed yourself to purchase you should appoint a conveyancing solicitor quickly as you are facing a fast approaching a fixed date to complete the deal. Every auction property should have a corresponding legal pack. This should include evidence of title and search results. Where you are dealing with leasehold property the conveyancing pack may provide a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and other conveyancing paperwork relating to leasehold premises. You must give this to your appointed conveyancing solicitor at the earliest opportunity. Do make sure that your finances are in place to complete on the on the contractual date .

We expect to receive a AIP from Clydesdale this week so we know how much we could potentially offer as otherwise we only have online calculators to go by (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Clydesdale recommend any Temple Fortune solicitors on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel, or is it better to go independently?

You will need to appoint Temple Fortune solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Clydesdale through the process.

I had an offer accepted on a property in Temple Fortune on 9/12/2024, valuation was booked 3 days after, received a clean bill of health. Conveyancer appointed, so all that was missing was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Santander and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Santander conveyancing panel. Can the lender hold off the offer?

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

A colleague recommended that where I am purchasing in Temple Fortune I should ask my conveyancer to perform a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?

A search of this type is sometimes included in the estimate for your Temple Fortune conveyancing searches. It is a large report of more than thirty pages, listing and setting out important information about Temple Fortune around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime details, Temple Fortune Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data regarding Temple Fortune.

I am buying my first flat in Temple Fortune benefiting from help to buy. The sellers refused to move on the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of additionals instead. The sale representative advised me not disclose to my conveyancer about this extras as it will adversely affect my loan with the bank. Should I keep quiet?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer 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.