Our conveyancer has discovered a defect with the lease for the apartment we are buying in Accrington. The seller’s lawyers have offered defective title insurance as a workaround. We are content with insurance and will cover the costs. Our conveyancing practitioner has advised that he must ensure that the bank is willing to move forward with this solution. Are we the client or is the bank?
The short answer to your last question is that, notwithstanding the risk of a conflict of interest, you and the mortgage company are the client. Your conveyancer must comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook provisions. The UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook conditions require your lawyer to disclose issues such as defects with the lease so that the mortgage company can be afforded the opportunity to check with their valuer as to the extent that the value of the property is affected. Should you refuse to allow your lawyer to make the appropriate notification then your lawyer will have no choice but to discontinue acting for you.
Please explain the implications if my solicitor is removed from the Santander Solicitor panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in Accrington?
First, this is a very rare occurrence. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have to instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by a regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit for a fee.
Is it the case that all Accrington solicitor firms on the Lloyds conveyancing panel are regulated by the SRA?
As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the Lloyds approved list of solicitors they would need to be regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. Some banks do allow licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such practice would be governed by the CLC.
Two weeks ago we had a mortgage agreed in principle with Co-operative. Accrington conveyancing lawyers are instructed. How long does it take for Co-operative to send the offer to the property lawyer?
There is no definitive answer here. Have Co-operative conducted the valuation? Have you advised Co-operative as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Co-operative conveyancing panel? It is not unusual for a mortgage offer to take a month to come through.
My offer was accepted on a house in Accrington on 19/8/2026, valuation was booked 3 days later, received a clean bill of health. Solicitor instructed, so all that was missing was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Skipton and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Skipton conveyancing panel. Can the lender hold off the offer?
A lender would not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Skipton to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Skipton conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
A friend advised me that where I am buying in Accrington I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?
This is a search is usually quoted for as part of the standard Accrington conveyancing searches. It is a large document of more than thirty pages, listing and detailing significant information about Accrington around the property and the people living there. It incorporates 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 Property Price, Crime details, Accrington Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data regarding Accrington.
How does conveyancing in Accrington differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build premises in Accrington come to us having been asked by the developer to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the house is completed. This is because house builders in Accrington tend to acquire the real estate, 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 accustomed to new build conveyancing in Accrington or who has acted in the same development.
My husband and I may need to let out our Accrington ground floor flat for a while due to a new job. We instructed a Accrington conveyancing practice in 2001 but they have closed and we did not have the foresight to get any advice as to whether the lease permits subletting. How do we find out?
Your lease dictates the relationship between the freeholder and you the flat owner; in particular, it will say if subletting is banned, or permitted but only subject to certain caveats. The accepted inference is that if the lease contains no expres ban or restriction, subletting is allowed. Most leases in Accrington do not prevent an absolute prevention of subletting – such a clause would adversely affect the market value the flat. Instead, there is usually simply a requirement that the owner notifies the freeholder, possibly sending a copy of the tenancy agreement.
Accrington Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Queries Prior to Purchasing
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Are any of leasehold owners in dispute over their service charge liability? Is the freehold reversion owned collectively by the tenants? Does the lease include onerous restrictions?