Do all mortgage companies provide you with an approved list of Cheam conveyancing solicitors? How do you know who is on the HSBC conveyancing panel?
Cheam conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the HSBC conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from HSBC directly.
About to place an offer on a leasehold apartment in Cheam. The estate agents tell me that it is usual for flats in Cheam to have less than 75 years remaining. I am expecting a loan with Chelsea Building Society. Will the property be mortgageable given that the lease has Seventy One years remaining.
Most leasehold conveyancing experts should be able to deal with a lease extension. if you are obtaining a mortgage then your lender may insist that the lease be extended before competition. Chelsea Building Society have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook in relation to minimum unexpired lease terms. As of 5/9/2025 the requirements read as follows :
I am buying a new build apartment in Cheam. Conveyancing is necessary evil at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. What sort of enquires would be asked in new build legal work.
Here are examples of a selection of leasehold new build questions that you should expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Cheam
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There must be mutual enforceability of lessee’s covenants. Forfeiture - bankruptcy or liquidation must not apply under this provision. Where there is an Undertaking being granted there is the risk of forfeiture of the Headlease subject to relief if one or more of the Underlessees are willing to accept the original Head Lessee’s obligations as otherwise relief will be denied to the Underlessees. The only alternatives are the Head Lessor agreeing not to forfeit the Headlease or the Head Lessee guaranteeing to the Underlessees that it will not be in breach of the Headlease. The Vendor must covenant to keep unoccupied units in good repair until long leases are granted therefore. Please supply a car parking plan.
Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a property I put an offer in a fortnight ago in what should have been a simple, chain free conveyancing. Cheam is where the house is located. Can you shed any light on this issue?
Flying freeholds in Cheam are not the norm but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Cheam you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds diligently. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Cheam may decide 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 residence.
I am a negotiator for a busy estate agency in Cheam where we have experienced a number of leasehold sales jeopardised as a result of short leases. I have been given conflicting advice from local Cheam conveyancing firms. Can you clarify whether the owner of a flat can initiate the lease extension formalities 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 start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the buyer need not have to sit tight for 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed before, or at the same time as completion of the sale.
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 purchaser.
I am the registered owner of a second floor flat in Cheam. In the absence of agreement between myself and the freeholder, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal make a decision on the amount payable for the purchase of the freehold?
Most certainly. We can put you in touch with a Cheam conveyancing firm who can help.
An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Cheam residence is 33 The Maisonettes Alberta Avenue in June 2014. the Tribunal decided that the premium payable for the grant of a new lease be the sum of £20,680 (Twenty Thousand six hundred and eighty pounds). This case affected 1 flat. The unexpired residue of the current lease was 60.43 years.
What can I do where I am unhappy with the lawyer who carried out my conveyancing in Cheam?
We live in an imperfect world, and is is a fact of life that every so often things do go wrong. That being said there is recourse if you were dissatisfied with your conveyancing in Cheam. This varies from trying to resolve matters directly with them, through to reporting a solicitor to their governing body. If things still aren’t sorted out you may consider enlisting the help of the Legal Ombudsman.