Will my conveyancing lawyers need to check that the building insurance when buying a house in Foots Cray. My lender is Bank of Ireland

Bank of Ireland have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 13/9/2025, the requirements read as follows :

When it comes to lenders such as Skipton, do Foots Cray property lawyers face an annual charge to be on the list of approved solicitors?

We are not aware of any lender fees to register on their panel, although some do charge an administration fee to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.

How can we know in advance if a Foots Cray conveyancing solicitor on the Clydesdale panel is any good?

When it comes to conveyancing in Foots Cray obtaining recommendations is a sensible starting point. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one advertising the lowest fees. We would always advocate that you speak with the lawyer carrying out your conveyancing.

Having read lots of house buying guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Foots Cray solicitor - who is on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?

Yorkshire BS will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Yorkshire BS 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. Your property lawyer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Foots Cray postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Yorkshire BS, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Foots Cray.

My husband and I are 3 weeks into a residential purchase having been recommend to a firm by the local agent to handle our conveyancing in Foots Cray. I am am extremely disappointed with the level of service. Could you help me find new lawyers?

A lawyer would have to be very bad to suggest changing them. Has your mortgage been sent? If so you must make them aware of the new contact details and ensure the mortgage documents are issued to the new lawyers. Your new solicitor ideally should be on the banks approved list to avoid supplemental fees and frustration. That should be your starting point. The find a solicitor tool can help you find a bank approved lawyer for your conveyancing in Foots Cray

I have just started marketing my 2 bed flat in Foots Cray. Conveyancing is yet to be initiated, but I have recently received a quarterly service charge demand – what should I do?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should discharge the maintenance contribution as normal as all rents and maintenance payments should be allotted as part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most management companies will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

After years of dialogue we cannot agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Foots Cray. Can we issue an application to the Residential Property Tribunal Service?

Most certainly. We can put you in touch with a Foots Cray conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Foots Cray residence is 103a Footscray Road in January 2014. The tribunal determines that the premium payable for the extended lease should be £34,500 according to the expert witness valuation calculation This case related to 1 flat.

Why is it not possible to complete our conveyancing in Foots Cray on Easter Monday?

Because on completion the money needs to pass between the banks of the buyer and seller's lawyer and currently this can only take place on a business day. It is not possible to complete on a saturday or sunday either.