We were just about to exchange contracts for a freehold house in Bredbury. We encountered a snag. Our mortgage offer with Britannia runs out on 17/10/2025 but the sellers are insisting on a completion date of 21/10/2025. Is it possible to prolong the mortgage expiry date?
The person best placed to deal with your issue is your solicitors who will hopefully calculate whether he or she is corresponding with the lender, seller’s solicitors, property agents or conceivably all three given the circumstances your conveyancing to date.
Will my conveyancing lawyers need to check that the building insurance when buying a house in Bredbury. My lender is Nationwide Building Society
Nationwide Building Society have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 17/8/2025, the requirements read as follows :
We are getting the release of further monies on our home loan from Kent Reliance as we want to conduct renovations to our house in Bredbury. Are we obliged to choose a bricks and mortar Bredbury solicitor on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel to handle the paperwork?
Kent Reliance would not normally require a member of their approved list of lawyers to deal with the formalities. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Kent Reliance list.
I currently have a mortgage with Skipton for my property in Bredbury. Conveyancing has been completed 12 months ago. If I am intending to rent out my property and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform Skipton?
Skipton must be informed of your intention before letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of Skipton’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies 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 Skipton directly. You need not do this via a Skipton conveyancing panel firm.
Having read lots of house buying guides, I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Bredbury solicitor - who is on the Nationwide conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?
Nationwide will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Nationwide will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your property lawyer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Bredbury postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Nationwide, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Bredbury.
I own a 4 bedroom Georgian house in Bredbury. Conveyancing solicitor represented me and Nationwide Building Society. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are a couple of entries: the first freehold, the second leasehold under the matching address. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?
You should read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be 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 Bredbury and other areas of 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 lenders. You can also enquire as to the situation with your conveyancing solicitor who conducted the purchase.
I am using a search engine for the phrase on line conveyancing in Bredbury it reveals numerous conveyancersin the vicinity. How do I determine which is the suitable conveyancing solicitor for my move?
The preferential way of choosing a suitable conveyancer is through a personal testimonial, so enquire of friends and relatives who have bought a property in Bredbury or a respected estate agent or financial adviser. Charges for conveyancing in Bredbury differ, so it's a good idea to request a minimum of three fee estimates from varying types of law firms. Dont forget to clarify that the fees are fixed.
I only have 62 years left on my flat in Bredbury. I need to get lease extension but my landlord is missing. What are my options?
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 enable the lease to be extended by the magistrate. However, you will be required to prove that you or your lawyers have made all reasonable attempts to find the lessor. On the whole an enquiry agent may be helpful to carry out a search and to produce a report which can be accepted by the court as proof that the landlord can not be located. It is wise to seek advice from a solicitor in relation to devolving into the landlord’s absence and the application to the County Court covering Bredbury.
I acquired a 1st floor flat in Bredbury, conveyancing formalities finalised 3 years ago. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Equivalent properties in Bredbury with a long lease are worth £181,000. The ground rent is £55 invoiced every year. The lease runs out on 21st October 2076
With just 51 years left to run the likely cost is going to range between £30,400 and £35,200 plus legals.
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 due diligence. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional concerns that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.