I am told that my conveyancing solicitors will need to check that the building insurance when buying a house in Cranleigh. My lender is Nationwide Building Society
Nationwide Building Society have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 29/5/2025, the requirements read as follows :
I've digested plenty 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 Cranleigh solicitor - who is on the RBS conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?
RBS will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually RBS 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. You may wish to consider appointing your own Cranleigh surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.
RBS have agreed my mortgage in principle, my offer on a property in Cranleigh has been agreed to, now what?
The estate agent will want to be informed of your solicitor's details (make sure the solicitors are on the lender’s panel). Telephone RBS or the broker and complete any appropriate paperwork. RBS will sellect a valuer who will get in contact with the estate agent or seller to arrange an appointment. Once carried out (assuming no problems) it takes about a week to get a mortgage offer. RBS will send the offer to you and your solicitors. The legal work will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Cranleigh.
After what feels like an age I have had an offer on a maisonette in Cranleigh accepted, the sellers do however have a tied purchase. The vendors have put an offer on somewhere, however it’s not been accepted yet, and have viewings of other apartments in the pipeline. I have selected a local conveyancing solicitor in Cranleigh. What do I do now? When do I get the mortgage application with TSB started?
It is normal to have anxieties where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket too early (mortgage application is in the region of £1k, then survey, Cranleigh conveyancing search costs, etc). The first thing to do is ensure that your conveyancer is on the TSB approved list. As to the subsequent stages this very much dictated by the uniqueness of your transaction, motivation for the property and on the state of the market. In a buoyant market many purchasers will apply for a home loan with TSB and arrange for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they pay their solicitor to proceed with the conveyancing in Cranleigh.
I understand that there are debates on Chancel Insurance on online forums. Am I compelled to take this when purchasing a residence in Cranleigh? or Apparently there is a law dating back centuries that means some homeowners residing in a parish church boundary will be compelled to contribute towards maintenance towards the chancel in proximity to the church. Is this applicable for conveyancing in Cranleigh?
Unless a prior acquisition of the premises completed after 12 October 2013 you can take it that solicitors delivering conveyancing in Cranleigh to continue to suggest a chancel search and or insurance against a claim.
I purchased a semi-detached Georgian house in Cranleigh. Conveyancing practitioner acted for me and Godiva Mortgages Ltd. 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 exact same address. I'd like to know for sure, how can I find out??
You need to review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Cranleigh and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they sell they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with mortgage companies. You can also enquire as to the situation with your conveyancing lawyer who carried out the work.
Last November I purchased a leasehold flat in Cranleigh. Do I have any liability for service charges relating to a period prior to completion of my purchase?
In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to ensure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.
If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).
Cranleigh Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Queries before buying
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You should be aware that where the lease has fewer than 80 years it will affect the salability of the flat. Check with your mortgage company that they are willing to lend given the lease term. A short lease means that you will probably have to extend the lease sooner rather than later and you need to have some idea of what this would cost. For most Cranleighlease extensions you will need to own the residence for two years before you are entitled to extend the lease. Is the freehold owned collectively by the tenants? The answer will be useful as a) areas can result in problems for the building as the common areas may begin to deteriorate where maintenance remain unpaid b) if the tenants have a dispute with the running of the building you will need to have all the details
Why do Cranleigh conveyancing charges differ for leasehold and freehold properties?
Leasehold conveyancing in Cranleigh will often involve additional work such as reviewing the lease, communicating with the landlord, obtaining up to date rent receipts, landlord’s consents, management company’s accounts etc.