My wife and I are purchasing residence in Stockwell. My Solicitor is not listed on the mortgage company approved list. Is it possible for me to use my Stockwell conveyancing solicitor even though they are not on the mortgage company panel of approved conveyancing solicitors?

You have numerous choices available to you here

• Carry on with your preferred Stockwell conveyancing practitioner but your lender will need to use a lawyer on their approved list. The net result is additional fees and potential interruption.
• Choose a fresh property lawyer to conduct the conveyancing, obviously checking they are on the bank conveyancing panel.
• Convince your lawyer to do everything within their powers to get accepted on the mortgage company panel of solicitors

When can the exchange of contracts take place for domestic conveyancing in Stockwell and do I need to be at the solicitors branch?

If you are local to our conveyancing solicitors in Stockwell you are invited in to sign contracts. However, the firms we work with offer a nationwide conveyancing service and provide just as comprehensive and professional a job for you when communicating with you by post or email. The signing of the contract is not the point of no return. A signed contract simply enables the conveyancer to exchange contracts at the appropriate time, which is ordinarily shortly after signing. The procedure is is usually a five minute process, although where a lengthy "chain" is in play, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in Stockwell)to be in the office available at the end of the phone to exchange contracts.

We hope to to buy with Melton Mowbray Building Society. We have called around locally yet am unable to find a Stockwell conveyancing firm on the Melton Mowbray Building Society approved list. Could you assist?

Please do take advantage of the find a conveyancing panel solicitor tool on this site. Pick the mortgage company and type Stockwell or your location and you will discover a number of lawyer offices in Stockwell or near you.

This question may be naive but I am wet behind the ears as FTB of a two bedroom flat in Stockwell. Do I collect the keys to the premises on completion from my solicitor? If so, I will use a High Street conveyancing solicitor in Stockwell?

There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Your solicitors will transfer the completion advance to the seller's solicitors, and once they have received this, you should be called to pick up the keys from the Estate Agents and start moving into the property. Usually this occurs between 1 and 3pm.

I am buying a property in Stockwell. One unusual aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Clydesdale have issued a mortgage offer so presumably this is not a concern to them. Why is my solicitor raising questions about the panel?

As you are obtaining a mortgage with Clydesdale your lawyer must follow the conveyancing instructions contained in Part 2 of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Clydesdale. The CML Handbook stipulates minimum specifications for solar panel roof-space leases, and solicitors are required to report to Clydesdale where a lease fails to comply with these provisions. The provisions relate to the installation of panels on properties in England and Wales and is not isolated to Stockwell.

My offer was accepted on a house in Stockwell on 22/10/2025, valuation was booked 2 days later, received a clean bill of health. Solicitor instructed, so the only thing outstanding was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Skipton and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Skipton conveyancing panel. Are Skipton entitled to hold back the Mortgage pending the lawyer being on the approved list?

A lender would not issue an offer until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Skipton to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Skipton conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.

I am looking for a ground for flat up to £245,000 and identified one close by in Stockwell I like with open areas and station in the vicinity, the downside is that it only has 49 years on the lease. There is not much else in Stockwell for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a lease with such few years left?

If you require a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term will be a potential deal breaker. Discount the price by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing proprietor has owned the property for a minimum of 2 years you could request that they start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor concerning this matter.