My financial adviser requires my Marylebone solicitor’s panel reference for the Nationwide conveyancing panel. How do I obtain this. I have called my local Marylebone branch but they have not got back to me yet.

Have you tried contacting your Marylebone conveyancing practitioner about this?. Most Marylebone law practices will keep a file or database of lender panel information which would include, if applicable, their conveyancing panel details for each lender.

We are a couple about to exchange contracts for a freehold house in Marylebone. We have hit a problem. The loan offer with Clydesdale runs out on 10/11/2025 but the owners are putting forward a completion date of 12/11/2025. Can one extend the loan expiry date?

The person best placed to deal with your issue is your lawyer who will calculate if they should be discussing with the mortgage company, vendor’s lawyers, property agents or possibly all three taking into account what has gone on in your conveyancing to date.

We previously appointed conveyancing lawyers located in Marylebone on the Clydesdale solicitor panel. They are now charging me a further fee for handling the Clydesdale mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by Clydesdale?

As unfair as it may seem, as long as it’s in their Terms and Conditions or estimate then yes your conveyancing practitioner is entitled to charge a fee for this. This fee is not set by Clydesdale but by your Marylebone solicitor. Some firms on the Clydesdale panel will charge ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but some practices incorporate it on their overall fee.

My husband and I have arranged a further advance on our home loan from Lloyds as we intend to conduct improvements to our property in Marylebone. Do we need to choose a local Marylebone solicitor on the Lloyds conveyancing panel to deal with the paperwork?

Lloyds don't usually appoint firms on their approved list of lawyers to handle the formalities. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Lloyds conveyancing panel.

Having digested plenty 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 Marylebone solicitor - who is on the Skipton conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?

Skipton will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Skipton 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 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 Marylebone postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Skipton, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Marylebone.

Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to my house are lost. The solicitors who did the conveyancing in Marylebone 5 years ago no longer exist. What do I do?

As long as the title is registered the details of your proprietorship will be retained by the Land Registry with a Title Number. It is easy to carry out a search at the Land Registry, find your house and secure up to date copies of the Registered Entries for less than a fiver. If the title is Leasehold then the Land Registry will in most cases retain a file duplicate of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be obtained for twenty pounds.

What are your top tips when it comes to choosing a Marylebone conveyancing practice to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

When appointing a solicitor for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Marylebone conveyancing firm) it is imperative that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We recommend that you talk with two or three firms including non Marylebone conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then so much the better. The following questions could be useful:

How familiar is the practice with lease extension legislation? What are the legal fees for lease extension work?

Notwithstanding our best endeavours, we have been unsuccessful in trying to purchase the freehold in Marylebone. Can this matter be resolved via the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal?

Where there is a absentee landlord or where there is disagreement about the premium for a lease extension, under the relevant statutes it is possible to make an application to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to arrive at the price.

An example of a Lease Extension decision for a Marylebone property is Flats 37 & 39 88/90 Portland Place in December 2010. The Tribunal determined that the premium payable for the lease extensions in respect of these two flats is as follows:- For Flat 37, the sum of £385,230.00 For Flat 39, the sum of £436,780.00 This case affected 2 flats. The number of years remaining on the existing lease(s) was 24.02 years.