My Belbroughton solicitor has discovered a discrepancy when comparing the surveyor’s assumptions in the home valuation report and what is in the legal papers for the property. My lawyer informs me that he is duty bound to check that the bank is happy with this discrepancy and is still content to lend. Is my lawyer’s approach right?
Your property lawyer must comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements which do require that your lawyer disclose any incorrect assumptions in the lender’s valuation report and the legal papers. Should you refuse to allow your lawyer to make the appropriate notification then your lawyer will have no choice but to discontinue acting for you.
About to place a bid on a leasehold apartment in Belbroughton. The estate agents advise that it is normal for flats in Belbroughton to have less than 75 years left on the lease. I am obtaining a loan with Virgin. Will the property be mortgageable given that the lease has Seventy One years left.
Most leasehold conveyancing experts should be able to deal with a lease extension. if you are securing a mortgage then your lender may insist that the lease be extended before competition. Virgin have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook in relation to minimum unexpired lease terms. As of 14/11/2025 the requirements read as follows :
Are all Belbroughton Conveyancing Quality Solicitors on the Nottingham conveyancing list of approved practices?
It is true that some banks and building societies now utilise CQS as the kick off point for Panel membership such as HSBC and Santander. CQS accreditation however gives no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. That being said,the CML have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for solicitors wishing to remain on their approved list of conveyancing solicitors.
We previously appointed solicitors located in Belbroughton on the RBS solicitor panel. They are now charging me a further amount for dealing with the RBS mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee specified by RBS?
Provided it is contained in their Terms and Conditions or Quote then yes your conveyancing practitioner may charge a fee for this. This fee is not set by RBS but by your Belbroughton solicitor. Numerous firms on the RBS panel will levy ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but some practices include it on their overall fee.
HSBC have agreed my mortgage in principle, my offer on a apartment in Belbroughton has been accepted, now what?
Your estate agent will need to know who your solicitors are (ensure that the conveyancing practitioners are on the lender’s panel). Contact HSBC or your broker and finish off any relevant documentation. HSBC will appoint a valuer who will get in contact with the estate agent or seller to book an appointment. Once conducted (assuming no problems) it takes on average a week for the mortgage offer to be issued. HSBC will issue the offer to you and your conveyancing practitioners. The transaction will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Belbroughton.
Due to the encouragement of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a property in Belbroughton ahead of appointing lawyers. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold element to the house. My surveyor has said that some mortgage companies may refuse to issue a mortgage on a flying freehold property.
It depends who your proposed lender is. Bank of Scotland has different requirements from Nationwide. Should you wish to telephone us we can look into this further with the relevant mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Belbroughton. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Belbroughton especially if they are acquainted with such properties in Belbroughton.
I work for a long established estate agent office in Belbroughton where we see a number of leasehold sales jeopardised due to short leases. I have received contradictory information from local Belbroughton conveyancing firms. Could you clarify whether the vendor of a flat can commence the lease extension formalities for the purchaser on completion of the sale?
As long as the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the proposed purchaser can avoid having to sit tight for 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done prior to, or at the same time as completion of the disposal of the property.
Alternatively, it may be possible to agree the lease extension with the freeholder either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the purchaser.
I purchased a garden flat in Belbroughton, conveyancing was carried out in 2001. How much will my lease extension cost? Comparable properties in Belbroughton with a long lease are worth £165,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 yearly. The lease finishes on 21st October 2102
With only 77 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £7,600 and £8,800 as well as professional fees.
The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of detailed due diligence. Do not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.
Me and my wife have just had an offer accepted on our 1st home in Belbroughton, and need to get solicitors instructed. I have used the various comparison based websites and the fee estimates are from all across the the UK. Is it necessary to have a Belbroughton lawyer local to our prospective property? I am willing to do everything over email, but I am thinking at some stage we will need to attend the conveyancer's office to sign papers?
Usually there is no need to physically visit the office of your conveyancer, they can post any relevant papers to you, which you can sign and send back. Many home movers prefer to use a locally based solicitor, but it is not a prerequisite for conveyancing in Belbroughton.