I am getting a mortgage offer from Halifax. I intend to enlist the help of a Licensed Conveyancer in Brighton. Does the Halifax Solicitor panel include Licensed Conveyancers?
The Halifax conveyancing panel is, like many other lenders, associated to the Council or Mortgage Lenders or BSA, open to Licensed Conveyancers regulated by the CLC.
I require conveyancing for an apartment in a fairly new development (five years built) in Brighton. 95% of the appartments are already occupied. Is it really necessary to order local searches as part of conveyancing in Brighton?
If you getting a mortgage, your mortgage company will insist on some (many) of the searches so you'll have no choice. If not, then Brighton conveyancing searches are for you to decide upon. Your solicitor, will 'advise', perhaps in the strongest possible terms, that you should have the searches done, but he or she is duty bound in this regard. One thing to bear in mind; if you are likely to sell the house one day, it may be of interest to your future buyer what the searches contain. Sometimes houses with no practical issues can still throw up adverse search results. But if you demand that your lawyer to proceed without searches then your lawyer will have to follow your instructions or it may be necessary to find a new lawyer for your conveyancing in Brighton.
Is there a search tool that I can use to discover of the solicitor carrying out my conveyancing in Brighton is on the lender’sconveyancing panel? I am looking to avoid the situation of having one lawyer for me and one for Yorkshire Building Society thus spending £192.00 in additional legal fees.
Please do take advantage of the find a lender approved solicitor tool on this site. Pick the mortgage company and type ‘Brighton’ or your preferred area and you will discover a number of lawyer located in Brighton or by proximity to you.
I am expecting a OIP from Lloyds this week so we can work out what to offer on a property we like as otherwise we only have online calculators to go by (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Lloyds recommend any Brighton solicitors on the Lloyds conveyancing panel, or is it better to go independently?
You will need to appoint Brighton solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Lloyds conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Lloyds through the process.
I can not fathom if my bank requires a lease extension. I have telephoned my Brighton bank branch on a couple of occasions and was reassured it wasn't a problem and they will lend. My Brighton conveyancing solicitor - who is on the lender conveyancing panel- called to say that they refuse to lend in accordance with their UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook minimum lease term requirements. Who do I believe?
Provided that the lawyer is on the mortgage company approved list, she or he must comply with the CML Handbook requirements for the bank. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the lender will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the lender to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years remaining.
Having read lots of mortgage guides, I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Brighton solicitor - who is on the Co-operative conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?
Co-operative will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Co-operative will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own Brighton surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.
We have just discovered that one of the partners of the conveyancing practice acting on the purchase conveyancing in Brighton is an uncle of the owners that we are purchasing from. Is this allowed?
Provided there is no conflict of interest this is permitted. Where you are obtaining mortgage finance then the mortgage company may have a say as many banks have specific instructions concerning this. For example for Skipton Building Society as of 11/9/2025, the requirements read as follows :