How up to date is your database of Bowthorpe solicitors on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel? Do Yorkshire BS send you an updated list?
Bowthorpe conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Yorkshire BS directly.
I am told that my conveyancing solicitors will need to check that the building insurance when buying a house in Bowthorpe. My lender is Platform
Platform have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 12/10/2026, the requirements read as follows :
My wife and I have a semi-detached Victorian house in Bowthorpe. Conveyancing lawyer acted for me and Norwich and Peterborough Building Society. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are two entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold under the exact same address. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?
You should review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Bowthorpe and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they buy they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with mortgage companies. You can also question the situation with the conveyancing lawyer who conducted the conveyancing.
I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold element on a property I have offered on last month in what should have been a straight forward, no chain conveyancing. Bowthorpe is where the house is located. What do you suggest?
Flying freeholds in Bowthorpe are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Bowthorpe you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds very carefully. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Bowthorpe may ascertain that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold premises.
I am a negotiator for a long established estate agency in Bowthorpe where we have witnessed a few flat sales jeopardised as a result of short leases. I have received contradictory information from local Bowthorpe conveyancing firms. Could you confirm whether the vendor of a flat can start the lease extension process for the purchaser on completion of the sale?
Provided that the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to kick-start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the buyer can avoid having to sit tight for 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done before, or simultaneously with completion of the disposal of the property.
An alternative approach is to extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord 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 buyer.
Bowthorpe Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Queries before buying
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What restrictions are there in the Bowthorpe Lease? Does the lease have more than 90 years remaining?
Fiveweeks into purchasing a house in Bowthorpe. Conveyancing solicitor has phoned to say the title is "Leasehold". Does this impact the salability of the house?
Bowthorpe conveyancing does not usually involve leasehold houses. The crucial factor here is the length of lease and the ground rent. If it's 999 years with a peppercorn rent, it's essentially freehold, so it shouldn't impact the marketability too much.
On the flip side, if it's, say, 50 years it will have a material impact on the value, and most likely wouldn't be mortgageable. The remaining lease term and ground rent will be set out in the lease which should be made available to your conveyancer.