Unfortunately I am unable to travel far from Hayes. I would like to know the reason why all Hayes conveyancers aren't automatically on all lender panels?

Pre- 2008 most mortgage companies exhibited an attitude to risk which differs from the current day. The financial regulator in 2010 carried out a thematic review into property fraud which concluded: know the conveyancing practitioners on your panel. Consequently, banks have since soughtmore data from law firms concerning their processes and the staff employed by them and set certain criteria such as completing a minimum number of transactions. Thousands of law practices have found themselves removed from lender panels even though they had 100% healthy track record, no complaints and zero claims and didn't just 'dabble' in conveyancing. Such firms found it impossible meet the criteria of volume of transactions the lenders insisted on.

Finally the sale completed on my house in Hayes last May yet the purchaser is SMS messaging every few hours complaining that his lawyer is waiting to hear from mine. What should my lawyer have done following completion?

After completion of your sale your conveyancer is duty bound to deliver the transfer documentation and all additional paperwork to the buyer’s lawyers. Where relevant, your conveyancer must also evidence that the home loan has been discharged to the purchasers conveyancers. There is unlikely to be post completion procedures specific conveyancing in Hayes.

Forgive me if this question is silly but I am wet behind the ears as FTB of a ground floor flat in Hayes. Do I collect the keys to the premises on completion from my solicitor? If this is the case, I will instruct a local conveyancing solicitor in Hayes?

There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Conveyancing lawyers for you will transfer the purchase money to the vendor’s conveyancers, and shortly after the monies have arrived, you should be invited to collect the keys from the selling Agents and move into your new home. This tends to happen between 1 and 3pm.

We expect to receive a AIP from Skipton 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 Skipton recommend any Hayes solicitors on the Skipton conveyancing panel, or is it better to find our own lawyer?

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

I had an offer accepted on a house in Hayes on 15/12/2025, valuation was booked 2 days later, received a clean bill of health. Conveyancer instructed, so all that was missing was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Nottingham and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Nottingham conveyancing panel. Are Nottingham 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 Nottingham to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Nottingham conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.

Should our conveyancer be raising enquiries about flooding during the conveyancing in Hayes.

Flooding is a growing risk for solicitors dealing with homes in Hayes. There are those who acquire a property in Hayes, completely expectant that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, aside from the physical damage, if a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, suitable building insurance, or dispose of the property. Steps can be carried out as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the buyer.

Conveyancers are not best placed to impart advice on flood risk, but there are a various checks that can be initiated by the buyer or by their lawyers which can figure out the risks in Hayes. The conventional set of property information forms sent to a purchaser’s conveyancer (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) incorporates a standard inquiry of the owner to determine whether the premises has historically flooded. If flooding has previously occurred and is not disclosed by the vendor, then a buyer may bring a legal claim for losses as a result of such an inaccurate reply. The purchaser’s lawyers should also commission an enviro search. This will higlight if there is any known flood risk. If so, additional investigations should be initiated.

I decided to have a survey done on a house in Hayes in advance of retaining lawyers. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold overhang to the property. The surveyor advised that some banks will refuse to grant a loan on such a premises.

It depends who your proposed lender is. HSBC has different instructions from Birmingham Midshires. Should you wish to telephone us we can look into this further with the relevant bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Hayes. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Hayes to see if the conveyancing will be more expensive.