At what point will exchange of contracts happen for purchase conveyancing in Chatteris and do I need to be at the solicitors office?
Where you are local to one of the conveyancing solicitors in Chatteris you are invited in to sign contracts. That being said, the firms we recommend supply countrywide coverage for conveyancing and provide as equally detailed and professional a job for you when dealing with you by post or email. The signing of the contract is not the point of no return. Signing on the dotted line is necessary for the firm to exchange contracts at the appropriate time, which will usually be very shortly after signing. The exchange process is is usually a five minute process, although where a lengthy "chain" is in the mix, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in Chatteris)to be in the office at the appropriate time.
I am told that my conveyancing solicitors will need to check that the building insurance for my purchase of a house in Chatteris. My lender is Virgin
Virgin have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 2/8/2026, the requirements read as follows :
My wife and I have a semi-detached Edwardian house in Chatteris. Conveyancing solicitor acted for me and Birmingham Midshires. I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are two entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold under the matching address. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?
You need to review 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 Chatteris and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they mortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with purchasers. You can also check the position with your conveyancing solicitor who carried out the work.
Due to the advice of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a property in Chatteris prior to appointing conveyancers. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold overhang to the house. My surveyor advised that some mortgage companies will refuse to grant a mortgage on this type of property.
It varies from the lender to lender. Bank of Scotland has different requirements from Birmingham Midshires. If you e-mail us we can investigate further with the appropriate mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Chatteris. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Chatteris to see if the conveyancing costs will increase in light of this.
I'm converting the mortgage on my existing home to a BTL mortgage with Nottingham Building Society and intend to use the remaining equity as a down payment on further house. The location we are looking at is Chatteris. Will your lawyers be able to act for both sets of mortgage companies and tie in the conveyances?
Make use of our search tool on this page to check that the conveyancers are approved by both banks. Assuming that they are your lawyer should be able to simultaneously deal with the two deals but you should have a chat with you solicitor and make clear your desired outcome and requirements.
Our solicitor in Chatteris has discovered a a problem with the lease for the property we are buying in Chatteris. The other side have offered defective title insurance as a solution. We are happy with insurance and will cover the costs. Our solicitor has advised that as he is on the mortgage company conveyancing panel he must ensure that the lender is happy with this solution. Who is the client here, us or the mortgage company?
The short answer to your last question is that, notwithstanding the potential for a conflict of interest, you and the mortgage company are the client. A precondition to being on the lender approved panel is to comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements. The UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook conditions require your lawyer to disclose issues such as defects will the lease so that the bank can be afforded the opportunity to check with their valuer as to the extent that the value of the property is affected . Should you refuse to allow your lawyer to make the appropriate notification then your lawyer will have no choice but to discontinue acting for you.