We are about to sign contracts for a garden flat in Copse Hill. We encountered a stumbling block. The mortgage offer with Godiva Mortgages Ltd expires on 9/1/2026 but the sellers are putting forward a completion date of 13/1/2026. Can one extend the loan expiry date?
The person best placed to deal with your concern is your conveyancer who is in a position to determine if they better off negotiating with the mortgage company, vendor’s solicitors, property agents or conceivably all parties given the history of your conveyancing as of today.
I'm the only recipient of my late mum's estate and I have everything in my name alone, including the my former home in Copse Hill. Conveyancing formalities meant that the Land Registry date was in October. I want to move. I understand that there is a CML six month 'rule', which means that my proprietorship could be regarded the same way as though I had purchased the property in October. Is the property unsalable for six months?
The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ handbook obliges solicitors to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." Technically you might be affected by that. Most mortgage companies would take a practical view as this provision chiefly exists to capture subsales or the wholesaling and assigning of property.
Is it the case that all Copse Hill solicitors on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel are overseen by the SRA?
As solicitors, in order to be on the Bank of Ireland approved list of solicitors they would need to be governed by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. Some banks do list licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such practice would be overseen by the CLC.
It is not clear whether my bank requires a lease extension. I have telephoned my Copse Hill bank branch on various occasions and was told they are content with the situation and they would lend. My Copse Hill conveyancing solicitor - who is on the mortgage company conveyancing panel- telephoned to say that they will not lend in accordance with their UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook minimum lease term requirements. Who do I believe?
Provided that the conveyancing practitioner is on the mortgage company panel, they must comply with the CML Handbook conditions for the bank. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the bank will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the lender to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years remaining.
I used Wolstenholmes a few years ago for my conveyancing in Copse Hill. I now require my papers however the law firm is no longer operating. What do I do?
Do call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracing your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Copse Hill of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously used, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
I have been on the look out for a ground for flat up to £305k and found one near me in Copse Hill I like with a park and railway links in the vicinity, however it's only got 52 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Copse Hill for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a lease with such few years left?
If you require a home loan the remaining unexpired lease term will be an issue. Reduce the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing owner has owned the property for at least 2 years you may request that they start the process of the extension and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer about this matter.
How does the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 impact my commercial property in Copse Hill and how can you help?
The particular law that you refer to provides security of tenure to business leaseholders, granting the a statutory right to apply to court for a new tenancy and continue in occupation when the lease reaches an end. There are certain specified grounds where a landlord can refrain from granting a lease renewal and the rules are complex. We are happy to direct you to commercial conveyancing practices who use the act for protection and handle your commercial conveyancing in Copse Hill
I have finally had an offer on an apartment in Copse Hill agreed to, but there is a chain. The owners have submitted an offer on on an apartment, however it’s not yet tied up, and are looking at other flats in the pipeline. I have instructed a nearby conveyancing solicitor in Copse Hill. What do I do now? When do I get the mortgage application with RBS started with RBS?
It is normal to have concerns where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket prematurely (home loan application is in the region of one thousand pounds, then survey, Copse Hill conveyancing search charges, etc). The first thing to do is check that your conveyancer is on the RBS conveyancing panel. As to the next steps this very much depends on the specifics of your case, desire for this property and on the state of the market. During a hot market some buyers will apply for a home loan with RBS and pay for the survey and only if it was satisfactory would they ask their conveyancing practitioner to proceed with searches.