Just contacted my conveyancing lawyer in Castleton who conducted the legals 18 months ago and wanted a conveyancing estimate based on the same type of house sale & purchase (a leasehold residence and a freehold premises) of similar values with a loan from Bank of Scotland. I am now being quoted twice the amount. Should I hunt for a cheaper online firm of conveyancing solicitor?
The estimate does seem a tad on the high side. If you you were to look around you might reduce the fees slightly by say £125. That being said, providing that you were pleased with the legal work the firm offered you maylive to regret choosing an a cheaper conveyancer. Don't forget to ensure that the conveyancer can represent Bank of Scotland. You can utilise our search tool to choose a Castleton conveyancing firm on the Bank of Scotland approved list of lawyers, which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Castleton.
It is 10 years ago since I purchased my home in Castleton. Conveyancing solicitors have recently been appointed on the sale but I can't locate my deeds. Is this a major issue?
Don’t worry too much. First there is a possibility that the deeds will be retained by the mortgage company or they may stored with the solicitor who oversaw your purchase. Secondly the chances are that the title will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to prove you own the property by your conveyancing solicitors acquiring up to date copy of the land registers. Nearly all conveyancing in Castleton involves registered property but in the unlikely event that your property is unregistered it is more of a problem but is resolvable.
I am told that my conveyancing solicitors will need to check that the building insurance when buying a house in Castleton. My lender is The Mortgage Works
The Mortgage Works have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 30/12/2025, the requirements read as follows :
I have been on the look out for a flat up to £195,000 and identified one round the corner in Castleton I like with a park and station nearby, however it's only got 61 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Castleton for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a lease with such few years left?
Should you need a mortgage that many years will be problematic. Discount the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing owner has owned the property for at least twenty four months you can request that they start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer regarding this.
My husband and I are FTB’s - had an offer accepted, yet the estate agent has warned us that the seller will only move forward if we use the agent's preferred conveyancers as they are insisting on a ‘quick sale’. Our preferred option is to instruct a local conveyancer who is accustomed to conveyancing in Castleton
We suspect that the owner is not behind this ultimatum. If they desire ‘a quick sale', alienating a genuine purchaser is is going to put the whole deal at risk. Contact the owners directly and make the point that (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are excited to move forward, with finances in place © you have nothing to sell (d) you intend to proceed fast (e)but you will continue to use your own,trusted Castleton conveyancing solicitors - not the ones that will give the estate agent a commission or hit his conveyancing targets demanded by corporate headquarters.
I wish to let out my leasehold flat in Castleton. Conveyancing solicitor who did the purchase is retired - so can't ask him. Is permission from the freeholder required?
Some leases for properties in Castleton do contain a provision to say that subletting is only allowed with permission. The landlord cannot unreasonably withhold but, in such cases, they would need to see references. Experience dictates that problems are usually caused by unsatisfactory tenants rather than owner-occupiers and for that reason you can expect the freeholder to take up the references and consider them carefully before granting consent.
Castleton Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Queries before buying
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You should be aware if it is fewer than 80 years it will affect the marketability of the property. Check with your bank that they are willing to go ahead with the loan given the lease term. Leases with fewer than 80 years remaining means that you will almost definitely have to extend the lease sooner rather than later and you need to have some idea of how much this will be. Remember, in most cases you would be be obliged to have owned the residence for two years before you are entitled to carry out a lease extension. Is the freehold owned jointly by the leaseholders? Generally speaking the cost for major works tend not to be included within service charges, albeit that some managing agents in Castleton require tenants to pay into a reserve fund created for the specific purpose of building a fund for larger works.