My wife and I are due to exchange buying a house in Belper but as a consequence of wreckage from a small fire at the property I have managed to agree recompense from the vendor in the sum of six thousand pounds by way of a deduction in the price. I had intended this to be addressed as part of the conveyancing process yet Barclays will not permit this. Should they have been notified?
Your solicitor that is on the Barclays conveyancing panel is duty bound to inform Barclays of any amendments to the purchase price. If you prohibit your solicitor to disclose the price change to Barclays then they would have to discontinue acting for you. In addition, Barclays and you would have to appoint a new conveyancer for your conveyancing in Belper.
I am told that my conveyancing solicitors will need to check that the building insurance for my purchase of a house in Belper. My lender is Accord Mortgages
Accord Mortgages have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 1/9/2026, the requirements read as follows :
I have a mortgage with Coventry BS for my property in Belper. Conveyancing was finalised a year ago. If I am intending to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a BTL mortgage or inform Coventry BS?
Your original mortgage agreement with Coventry BS will provide that you need their approval in advance of renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of Coventry BS’s mortgage conditions. It may be that Coventry BS will allow you to rent out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Coventry BS directly. You need not do this via a Coventry BS conveyancing panel lawyer.
I recently had an offer accepted on an apartment in Belper. My mortgage broker recommended their conveyancers. I paid an on account payment of £200. A few days later, the solicitor called me to say that they were not on the Aldermore conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?
You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Aldermore panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.
I am due to exchange contracts on my apartment. I had a double glazing fitted in May 2008, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My purchaser’s mortgage company, RBS are being problematic. The Belper solicitor who is on the RBS conveyancing panel is happy to accept ‘lack of building regulation’ insurance but RBS are requiring a building regulation certificate. Why do RBS have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?
It is probably the case that RBS have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why RBS 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.
Will our conveyancer be raising questions concerning flooding as part of the conveyancing in Belper.
The risk of flooding is if increasing concern for lawyers specialising in conveyancing in Belper. Plenty of people will buy a property in Belper, completely aware that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, leaving to one side the physical damage, if a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, suitable building insurance, or dispose of the premises. Steps can be carried out during the course of a property purchase to forewarn the purchaser.
Lawyers are not best placed to offer advice on flood risk, however there are a number of searches that can be initiated by the buyer or by their solicitors which should figure out the risks in Belper. The conventional set of property information forms sent to a buyer’s lawyer (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) incorporates a standard question of the owner to find out whether the property has historically flooded. In the event that the property has been flooded in past which is not disclosed by the vendor, then a purchaser could issue a legal claim for losses as a result of such an misleading answer. The purchaser’s conveyancers will also commission an enviro search. This should higlight whether there is a recorded flood risk. If so, additional investigations should be made.
Am I right to be wary that estate agents that I am dealing with are recommending an internet conveyancing firm rather than a local Belper conveyancing practice?
As with lots of service providers, often referrals from family and friends can be extremely useful or valuable. Nevertheless there are lots of people with a keen interest in a conveyancing deal; estate agents, financial adviser and mortgage companies might all recommend lawyers to appoint. On occasion the solicitors might be known to one of the organisations as experts in their field, but occasionally there may be a commercial relationship behind the endorsement. You have the right to appoint your own lawyer. However, bear in mind that many mortgage providers specify a panel list of lawyers you have to use for the lender related work in your transaction.
Back In 2001, I bought a leasehold flat in Belper. Conveyancing and Alliance & Leicester mortgage are in place. A letter has just been received from someone claiming to own the reversionary interest in the property. It included a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1992. The conveyancing solicitor in Belper who acted for me is not around. Any advice?
The first thing you should do is make enquiries of the Land Registry to be sure that this person is in fact the new freeholder. There is no need to incur the fees of a Belper conveyancing firm to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for less than a fiver. You should note that regardless, even if this is the legitimate freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.
I bought a ground floor flat in Belper, conveyancing formalities finalised half a dozen years ago. How much will my lease extension cost? Comparable flats in Belper with a long lease are worth £222,000. The ground rent is £50 levied per year. The lease runs out on 21st October 2097
With 71 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to span between £9,500 and £11,000 as well as costs.
The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to supply a more accurate figure without more detailed due diligence. Do not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.