We were just about to sign contracts for a freehold house in Brandon. We encountered a problem. The loan offer with Halifax runs out on 10/2/2026 but the owners are suggesting a completion date of 12/2/2026. Is it possible to extend the mortgage expiry date?

The person best placed to address this concern is your lawyer who should determine if he or she is better off negotiating with the mortgage broker, vendor’s solicitors, property agents or indeed all three taking into account what has gone on in your transaction to date.

Are the Brandon conveyancing solicitors identified as being on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel, together with their details provided by Leeds Building Society?

Brandon conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Leeds Building Society directly.

I am considering applying for a Principality mortgage for purchase of a new build (under development) in Brandon with 65 per cent loan to value. Is it compulsory to choose a solicitor on the conveyancing panel for Principality ?

There is nothing to stop you using your solicitor, but Principality will insist on their interests being represented by a firm on their conveyancing panel. There is much more potential for delays and confusion with two solicitors involved, and it will undoubtedly be more expensive too.

I am expecting a OIP from HSBC 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 HSBC recommend any Brandon solicitors on the HSBC conveyancing panel, or is it better to go independently?

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

I recently had an offer agreed on an apartment in Brandon. My financial adviser suggested a solicitor. I paid an advanced payment of £150. A few days later, the solicitor contacted me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Nottingham conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Nottingham panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

I had an offer accepted on an apartment in Brandon on 27/10/2025, valuation was booked five days after, received a clean bill of health. Conveyancer instructed, so all that was missing was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Barclays and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Barclays conveyancing panel. Are Barclays entitled to hold back the Mortgage pending the lawyer being on the approved list?

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

I'm buying a new build house in Brandon with a mortgage from Platform Home Loans Ltd. The builders refused to reduce the amount so I negotiated £7000 of fixtures and fittings instead. The house builders rep told me not to tell my solicitor about the deal as it may impact my mortgage with Platform Home Loans Ltd. Should I keep quiet?.

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