What does my ID and proof of funds have anything to do with my conveyancing in Kingsbridge? Why is this being asked of me?
Anti-terror and anti-money-laundering regulations require solicitors and licensed conveyancers to verify the identity of the person or body they are dealing with before they can accept their conveyancing retainer. The Terms of Engagement that you are required to sign should reaffirm this. Your lender will also require certain documents to be viewed. Where you refuse to hand over identification documents, your lawyer would not be able to accept instructions from you.
We are selling our flat in Kingsbridge. Will my lawyer need to be on the TSB conveyancing panel in order to deal with paying off my mortgage?
Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the TSB conveyancing panel they can still act for you on your sale. It might be that the lender will not release the original deeds (if applicable and increasingly irrelevant) until after the mortgage is paid off. You should speak to your lawyer directly before you start the process though to ensure that there is no problem as lenders are changing their panel criteria fairly frequently currently.
I am assisting my mother sell her house in Kingsbridge. Does the conveyancing solicitor arrange the EPC or it is for me to coordinate?
After the demise of HIPs, energy assessments was maintained a mandatory component of moving property. An energy performance certificate should be commissioned in advance of the property being marketed. This is not something that law firms normally organise. Where you are instructing a Kingsbridge conveyancing practitioner they might help arrange EPC’s given their contacts with reputable local providers
We have a mortgage agreed in principle with Santander. Kingsbridge conveyancing lawyers have been selected. How long does it take for Santander to issue the offer to the solicitor?
Some lenders take longer than others. Have Santander conducted the valuation? Have you advised Santander as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Santander conveyancing panel? Sometimes it can take as long as six weeks for a mortgage offer to be issued.
My offer was accepted on a property in Kingsbridge on 15/10/2025, valuation was booked 2 days later, all came back fine. 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?
Mortgage companies tend not to 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.
I appreciate that there are debates on Chancel Insurance on online forums. Am I compelled to have this when acquiring a residence in Kingsbridge? or Apparently there is an ancient law that could mean that homeowners residing in a parish church boundary will be compelled to pay for repairs towards the chancel in proximity to the church. Is this applicable for conveyancing in Kingsbridge?
Unless a prior acquisition of the property completed after 12 October 2013 you could take it that conveyancing practitioners handling conveyancing in Kingsbridge to continue to advocate a chancel search and or insurance against a claim.
Is it best to go with a Kingsbridge conveyancing solicitor based in the location that I am buying? We have a good friend who can handle the conveyancing however his firm is located 300miles drive away.
The primary upside of using a local Kingsbridge conveyancing practice is that you can visit the firm to sign documents, hand in your identification documents and apply pressure on them if necessary. Having local Kingsbridge know how is a benefit. However it's more important to get someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If other friends have instructed your friend and on the whole were impressed that should surpass using an unknown Kingsbridge conveyancing solicitor solely due to them being round the corner.