Is the fact that my conveyancer in Chesterton is not on my bank's solicitor panel that there is a problem with the standard of the firm’s conveyancing?

That is more than likely an incorrect assumption to make. There are all sorts of perfectly reasonable explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator indicated 76% of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The most common reasons for removal are: (1) low volume 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. Where you are concerned you should contact the Chesterton conveyancing practice and ask them why they are no longer on the approved list for your mortgage company.

If you had a top tip for choosing a conveyancing solicitor in Chesterton what would it be?

We would encourage you not to go for the cheapest Chesterton conveyancing costs illustration. You really do get what you’re paying for when it comes to conveyancing solicitors. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you go into the conveyancing with your eyes wide open.

I am due to exchange contracts on my house. I had a double glazing fitted in June 2010, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's lender, Skipton are being pedantic. The Chesterton solicitor who is on the Skipton conveyancing panel is saying indemnity insurance will be fine but Skipton are requiring a building regulation certificate. Why do Skipton have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that Skipton have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Skipton may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.

My offer was accepted on a property in Chesterton on 27/10/2025, valuation was booked 4 days after, all came back fine. Property lawyer retained, so the only thing outstanding was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Principality and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Principality conveyancing panel. Are Principality 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 Principality to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Principality conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.

A friend recommended that where I am purchasing in Chesterton I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?

A search of this type is usually quoted for as part of the standard Chesterton conveyancing searches. It is a large report of about 40 pages, listing and setting out important information about Chesterton around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Chesterton Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime details, Local Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information regarding Chesterton.

I decided to have a survey done on a house in Chesterton before instructing lawyers. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold aspect to the house. My surveyor has said that some lenders may refuse to issue a mortgage on a flying freehold house.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Lloyds has different instructions for example to Nationwide. Should you wish to call us we can look into this further with the appropriate bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Chesterton. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Chesterton to see if the conveyancing costs will increase in light of this.

I am short of a 10% deposit on my house purchase in Chesterton , but I am anxious exchange. What can I do?

You can agree a lower deposit. Many sellers will accept a smaller deposit or even no deposit for a first time buyer or 100% mortgage. Be aware though that if you fail to complete you will still need to hand over a minimum of 10% of the purchase price regardless of how much deposit was agreed.

You can also agree a simultaneous exchange and completion as no deposit is required for this however neither party will be tied in until completion actually takes place and it can be risky if sellers change their mind at the last moment