Mortgage company and new wayleave

naked

I hope this is the right place to post this query, sorry if not.



Bit of background:
The telephone and electricity for our terrace is currently overhead. Myself and my neighbour tried to get some repairs done to our roofs but the scaffolders refused to put any scaffolding up because of the bare overhead wires.
My neighbour phoned SP Energy Networks and someone came out and 'condemned' the wires and said they'd be replaced with new ones in 5 weeks time.

6 months or so later, I get a letter from SP Energy Networks asking me to sign a wayleave agreement so they can lay a new underground supply to my house.

I rang Halifax (my mortgage lender) and asked if they needed a copy of the agreement. After being transferred around a few times they said SP Energy Networks needed to write to them with all the details, which they have done.

The important bit:
Halifax have written to me saying I need to appoint a conveyancer at my expense to look after Halifax's interests because they are concerned it may affect the value of my house.

This seems a bit over the top to me, for laying about 2m of cable in the back yard which is already crossed by multiple wires (which will be removed along with the junction box and the wires on my wall feeding both neighbours on either side of me)

Have Halifax overreacted a bit and think I'm planning on laying some enormous cable supplying half the country? If I write back to them are they likely to come around to my way of thinking that this isn't a problem?

I suppose I could ask SP Energy Networks if they'd foot the legal bill, although that might be seen as a conflict of interest.

I read that you can do your own conveyencing when buying property but it's not recommended. Is this something I could just sort out myself?

I suspect everyone else in the terrace has just signed the form and not bothered telling their mortgage company. Seems like that might've been a better idea :huh:

bigadaj

Sounds as though they are being cautious, understandable if a bit pedantic.

Might be best to contact a couple of solicitors and see how much they might charge for this, possibly not too much, and would you risk your property for a couple of hundred quid?

Your probably right about your neighbours, unfortunately you've asked the question and they didn't.