Am I correct in assuming that the fact that my conveyancer in Canterbury is not identified on my mortgage company's solicitor panel that there is a problem with the standard of her conveyancing?
It would not be wise to jump to that conclusion. There are plenty of plausible explanations. Just recently a report by the solicitors regulator revealed 76% of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The most common reasons for removal are: (1) lack of transactions (2) the lawyer is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. Should you be concerned you should contact the Canterbury conveyancing practice and enquire why they are no longer on the approved list for your mortgage company.
Can your site be used to locate a Conveyancing solicitor in Canterbury even where I’m not purchasing or disposing of a house, for example where I want to acquire a shop in Canterbury with a loan from Skipton Building Society?
Our search tool is primarily utilised to get a quote from residential conveyancing solicitors in Canterbury but we have recorded towards the bottom of this page some Canterbury commercial conveyancing firms. You should speak with the firm directly to see if they can also act for Skipton Building Society
I just acquired a house at auction in Canterbury. Conveyancing is necessary. What are my next steps?
Having for all intents and purposes signed on the dotted line you must appoint a conveyancing practitioner as a matter of priority as you will have a pending a drop dead date to complete the conveyancing. All auction property will ordinarily have a corresponding legal set of papers. This will include most,if not all of the documents that your lawyer requires. In the case of leasehold property the auction papers may provide a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and associated conveyancing documentation specific to a leasehold property. You need to pass this on to your appointed conveyancing solicitor at the earliest opportunity. You also need to ensure that you have funds in place to complete on the date specified in the contract.
My wife and I buying a terrace house in Canterbury. The intention is to carry out an extension to the side at the house.Will legal investigations on the property include checks to ascertain if these alterations are prohibited?
Your solicitor will review the registered title as conveyancing in Canterbury can sometimes reveal restrictions in the title documents which prevent categories of alterations or necessitated the permission of another owner. Certain works need local authority planning permissions and approval under the building regulations. Some locations are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which frequently prevent or affect extensions. It would be wise to check these issues with a surveyor ahead of any purchase.
I had an offer accepted on an apartment in Canterbury on 1/12/2025, valuation was booked five days later, all came back fine. Solicitor appointed, so the only thing outstanding was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Clydesdale and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel. Can the lender hold off the offer?
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 Clydesdale to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
I used Wolstenholmes several years past for my conveyancing in Canterbury. I now require my papers however the law firm is no longer operating. What do I do?
You should call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Canterbury of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously retained, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold element on a property I put an offer in two weeks back in what was supposed to be a straight forward, no chain conveyancing. Canterbury is the location of the property. Can you shed any light on this issue?
Flying freeholds in Canterbury are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Canterbury you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds very carefully. Your lender may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Canterbury may ascertain that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold premises.