Much to our surprise we have been told by our financial adviser that my Capel St Mary solicitor is not on the lender Solicitor panel. How can I be sure that this is correct?

You need to contact your Capel St Mary conveyancer. You lawyer should inform you of the situation. Where they are not on the panel they may be able to suggest a Capel St Mary conveyancing practice that is on the approved list of lawyers for your mortgage company.

What does my ID and proof of funds have anything to do with my conveyancing in Capel St Mary? Why is this being asked of me?

Anti-terror and anti-money-laundering laws require solicitors and licensed conveyancers to verify the identification documents of the person or body they are dealing with before they can accept their conveyancing retainer. The Client Care letter that you are required to sign will no doubt stipulate this. Your lender will also require certain documents to be checked. If you are unwilling to provide ID verification documents, your lawyer would not be able to act for you.

I am assisting my niece sell her property in Capel St Mary. Does the conveyancing solicitor order the energy performance certificate or should I organise this?

After the abolition of Home Information Packs, energy assessments was kept a compulsory part of selling a house. An energy performance certificate must be to hand prior to the property being advertised. It is not something that solicitors normally organise. Where you are using a Capel St Mary conveyancing practitioner they may be able to arrange energy assessments given their relationships with reputable local assessors

When it comes to mortgage companies such as Leeds Building Society, do Capel St Mary property lawyers have to pay a yearly amount to be on the list of approved solicitors?

We are unaware of any bank fees to register on their panel, although some do charge an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel submission.

I had an offer accepted on a property in Capel St Mary on 28/5/2025, valuation was booked 2 days after, all came back fine. Property lawyer retained, so the only thing outstanding was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Virgin Money and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Virgin Money 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 Virgin Money to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.

My husband and I are novice buyers - agreed a price, yet the selling agent advised that the seller will only proceed if we use the agent's chosen lawyers as they need an ‘expedited deal’. We would rather use a high street solicitor accustomed to conveyancing in Capel St Mary

It is improbable the owners are behind this. Should the seller want ‘a quick sale', taking such a hostile approach to a motivated purchaser is likely to cause more damage than good. Try to communicate with the owners directly and make the point that (a)you are motivated purchasers (b)you are excited to move forward, with mortgage lined up © you do not need to sell (d) you intend to proceed fast (e)but you intend to appoint your own,trusted Capel St Mary conveyancing solicitors - not the ones that will earn the estate agent a commission or achieve conveyancing targets demanded by head office.

Are there frequently found defects that you witness in leases for Capel St Mary properties?

There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Capel St Mary. Most leases are drafted differently and legal mistakes in the legal wording can sometimes mean that certain clauses are not included. The following missing provisions could result in a defective lease:

Clauses dealing with recovering service charges for expenditure on the building or common parts. Maintenance charge proportions which don’t add up to the correct percentage

You could encounter a problem when selling your property if you have a defective lease primarily because it impacts on the ability to obtain a mortgage on the property. Yorkshire Building Society, Norwich and Peterborough Building Society, and TSB all have express requirements when it comes to what is expected in a lease. If a mortgage lender believes that the lease is problematic they may refuse to grant the mortgage, obliging the purchaser to pull out.

Capel St Mary Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Queries before buying

Most Capel St Mary leasehold properties will have a service charge for the upkeep of the building set by the management company. If you purchase the apartment you will have to pay this contribution, normally quarterly accross the year. This could differ from several hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for blocks with lifts and large communal grounds. There will also be a ground rent for you to pay yearly, normally this is not a large sum, say approximately £25-£75 but you need to enquire as sometimes it can be surprisingly expensive. How many of the leaseholders are in arrears for their service charge payments? Be sure to discover if there is anything that is prohibited in the lease. For example plenty of leases prohibit pets being allowed in certain buildings in Capel St Mary. If you love the apartmentin Capel St Mary but your cat is not allowed to move with you then you have a very hard determination.