Guide · 2 March 2026
Questions worth asking your solicitor early in a Scottish purchase
Mortgage advice and conveyancing run on different clocks. Aligning them early avoids offers that your lending cannot yet support.
In Scotland, missives and closing dates move at a pace that can surprise buyers used to lengthy English chains. Your mortgage adviser and solicitor need the same facts: purchase price band, deposit source, and whether the offer is subject to survey and lending.
Ask your solicitor how they prefer to receive the Agreement in Principle, how long funds usually take to clear before completion, and what happens if the valuation comes in below the offer price. Those answers shape whether you should leave headroom in your borrowing request.
Also clarify who pays for which reports — Home Report reliance versus additional surveys — and how gifted deposits must be evidenced. When Marlowe prepares a lender shortlist, we note these conveyancing timings so the application is not lodged too early or too late relative to your offer strategy.
If you are buying a flat in a tenement, ask early about shared repairs and factor fees. Lenders sometimes query outstanding major works; knowing the position before you instruct avoids mid-application surprises.