My wife and I are acquiring a newly constructed apartment in Birch and Middleton and my solicitor is telling me that she is duty bound to the mortgage company to reveal incentives from the seller. The Estate Agents are hassling me to exchange contracts and my preference is not to delay matters. is my lawyer playing by the book?
You should not exchange unless you have been advised to do so by your conveyancer. A precondition to being on a lender panel is to comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements. The CML Conveyancing Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.
I have Fifty Six years unexpired on my lease and need a lease extension for my apartment in Birch and Middleton. Conveyancing solicitors on the Virgin panel can deal with such extensions right?
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 2/12/2025 the requirements read as follows :
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up as part of conveyancing in Birch and Middleton?
Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the process of conveyancing in Birch and Middleton. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’
Do I need to be wary that estate agents that I am dealing with are suggesting an online conveyancing firm as opposed to a local Birch and Middleton conveyancing company?
As with lots of service providers, often referrals from connections can be extremely useful or valuable. Nevertheless there are numerous parties with a vested interest in a conveyancing transaction; estate agents, financial adviser and banks may recommend solicitors to use. Sometimes the lawyers might be known to one of the organisations as being good in their field, but sometimes there may be a commercial relationship behind the recommendation. You are free to choose your own conveyancer. However, bear in mind that the majority of lenders operate an approved list of solicitors you must use for the lender aspect of your conveyancing.
Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only 68 years left on my lease in Birch and Middleton. I now wish to extend my lease but my freeholder is missing. What options are available to me?
On the basis that you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be extended by the Court. You will be obliged to prove that you have done all that could be expected to find the lessor. On the whole a specialist would be helpful to try and locate and to produce a report which can be accepted by the court as proof that the landlord is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a solicitor in relation to investigating the landlord’s disappearance and the application to the County Court covering Birch and Middleton.
I own a leasehold flat in Birch and Middleton, conveyancing formalities finalised April 2011. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Equivalent properties in Birch and Middleton with an extended lease are worth £171,000. The ground rent is £50 levied per year. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2104
You have 79 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £8,600 and £9,800 plus costs.
The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more comprehensive investigations. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be additional concerns that need to be taken into account and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.
I am short of a 10% deposit on my house purchase in Birch and Middleton , but I still want to proceed. Do I have options?
You can accept a lesser deposit. Most vendors will accept a smaller deposit or even no deposit for a first time buyer or 100% mortgage. Be aware though that if you fail to complete you will still need to hand over a minimum of 10% of the purchase price regardless of how much deposit was agreed.
You can also agree a simultaneous exchange and completion as no deposit is required for this however neither party will be tied in until completion actually takes place and it can be risky if sellers change their mind at the last minute