I am nearing exchange of contracts for my apartment in Mablethorpe and the estate agent has just text me to advise that the buyers are switching property lawyer. The excuse is that the mortgage company will only engage with property lawyers on their conveyancing panel. Why would a major lender only deal with certain law firms rather the firm that they want to choose to handle their conveyancing in Mablethorpe ?

UK lenders have always had an approved set of law firms they are content to work with, but in the last few years big names such as Lloyds Banking Group, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have represented them for decades.

Banks blame a rise in fraud by way of justification for the cull – criteria have been stiffened as a smaller panel is easier to oversee. Banks tend not to reveal how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Plenty of firms do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. The buyers are not going to have any sway in the decision.

My partner and I swapping mortgage lender for our flat in Mablethorpe with Barclays. We have a son 19 who lives with us. Our solicitor requested us to identify anyone over the age of 17 other than ourselves who lives in the flat. The solicitor has now sent a form for our son to sign, waiving any legal rights in the event that the property is repossessed. I have a couple of questions (1) Is this document specific to the Barclays conveyancing panel as he never had to sign this form when we purchased 5 years ago (2) Does our son by signing this extinguish his entitlement to inherit the property?

First, rest assured that your Barclays conveyancing panel solicitor is doing the right thing as it is established procedure for any occupier who is aged 17 or over to sign the necessary Consent Form, which is purely to state that any rights he has in the property are postponed and secondary to Barclays. This is solely used to protect Barclays if the property were re-possessed so that in such circumstances, your son would be legally obliged to leave. It does not impact your son’s right to inherit the apartment. Please note that if your son were to inherit and the mortgage in favour of Barclays had not been discharged, he would be liable to take over the loan or pay it off, but other than that, there is nothing stopping him from keeping the property in accordance with your will or the rules of intestacy.

I have Fifty Six years unexpired on my lease and need a lease extension for my apartment in Mablethorpe. Conveyancing solicitors on the Chelsea Building Society panel can deal with such extensions right?

Most leasehold conveyancing experts should be able to deal with a lease extension. if you are obtaining a mortgage then your lender may insist that the lease be extended before competition. Chelsea Building Society have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook in relation to minimum unexpired lease terms. As of 14/1/2026 the requirements read as follows :

Can you help - my lawyer says that flying freehold insurance is required on my purchase. What is the typical level of cover needed for conveyancing in Mablethorpe?

The appropriate level of flying freehold indemnity insurance depends on who your lender is. It would differ for example between Halifax and The Mortgage Works. Conveyancing lawyers as opposed to borrowers take out such policies.

Planning on purchasing a flat in Mablethorpe. I have received an online quote from a licenced conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Building Society if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.

They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that the Mablethorpe conveyancer is on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel.

I have instructed a Mablethorpe solicitor having made sure that they are on the Co-operative conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?

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

Should I use a Mablethorpe conveyancing lawyer who is local to the property I am buying? We have a good friend who can carry out the conveyancing but his firm is located over three hundred kilometers away.

The primary upside of using a high street Mablethorpe conveyancing practice is that you can attend the office to sign paperwork, present your ID and pester them where appropriate. Having local Mablethorpe know how is a benefit. That being said nothing is more important than finding someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If other friends have instructed your friend and they were content that should surpass using an unknown Mablethorpe conveyancing solicitor solely due to them being round the corner.