The lawyer who assisted with my former purchase has sent a quote for £1200 for freehold conveyancing in Downton. I’m selling a Georgian house for £300,000. Are the quoted fees excessive? Is it above what I should be paying for conveyancing in Downton?
The costs illustration is fractionally on the high side. If you shop around you could trim some of the expense by say a hundred pounds. That being said, you mightcome to rue opting for an a cheaper solicitor. Don't forget to check that the solicitor can also act for your mortgage company. You can use our comparison tool to locate a Downton conveyancing company on the banks member panel which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Downton.
I am told that my conveyancing solicitors will need to check that the building insurance for my purchase of a house in Downton. My lender is Nationwide Building Society
Nationwide Building Society have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 25/5/2025, the requirements read as follows :
I am buying a end of terrace house in Downton. Our aim is to carry out an extension to the side at the property.Will legal work on the property include enquiries to ascertain if these alterations are allowed?
Your solicitor should check the deeds as conveyancing in Downton can sometimes identify restrictions in the title documents which prohibit categories of works or necessitated the consent of a 3rd party. Some extensions require local authority planning consent and approval under the building regulations. Many areas are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which often prevent or impact extensions. You should check these issues with a surveyor ahead of any purchase.
I have a mortgage with Bank of Ireland for my property in Downton. Conveyancing has been completed 12 months ago. In the event that I decide to rent out my property and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a BTL mortgage or inform Bank of Ireland?
Your original mortgage agreement with Bank of Ireland will provide that you need their approval in advance of letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of Bank of Ireland’s mortgage conditions. It may be that Bank of Ireland will allow you to rent out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Bank of Ireland directly. You need not do this via a Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel lawyer.
The formalities of my purchase has taken place for my property in Downton. Conveyancing was of an acceptable standard but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. How do I make a complaint?
All banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Department at head office. In most cases complaints to a lender are resolved very quickly. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service with full details of your complaint.
Do commercial conveyancing searches reveal proposed roadworks that may impact a commercial estate in Downton?
Its becoming the norm that commercial conveyancing solicitors in Downton will perform a SiteSolutions Highways report as it dramatically cuts the time that conveyancers invest in investigating accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in Downton. The search result sets out definitive data on the adoption status of roads, footpaths and verges, as well as the implication of traffic schemes and the rights of way surrounding a commercial development sites in Downton.
For every commercial conveyancing transaction in Downton it is critical to investigate the adoption status of roads surrounding a site. Failure to identify developments where adoption procedures have not been addressed adequately could result in delays to Downton commercial conveyancing deals as well as present a risk to future intentions for the site. These searches are not conducted for residential conveyancing in Downton.
Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to our house are lost. The lawyers who did the conveyancing in Downton 5 years ago are no longer around. What are my next steps?
As long as the title is registered the information relating to your proprietorship will be retained by the Land Registry with a Title Number. It is possible to perform a search at the Land Registry, find your house and get current copies of the property title for less than a fiver. If the property is Leasehold then the Land Registry will in most cases hold a certified duplicate of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be retrieved for a small fee.
What makes a Downton lease defective?
There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Downton. All leases are unique and drafting errors can result in certain clauses are not included. The following missing provisions could result in a defective lease:
-
Clauses dealing with recovering service charges for expenditure on the building or common parts. A provision to repair to or maintain parts of the building
A defective lease will likely cause problems when trying to sell a property as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. Barclays , The Royal Bank of Scotland, and Aldermore all have express requirements when it comes to what is expected in a lease. If a mortgage lender believes that the lease is problematic they may refuse to provide security, forcing the purchaser to withdraw.
I own a basement flat in Downton, conveyancing was carried out September 1995. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Similar flats in Downton with a long lease are worth £206,000. The ground rent is £45 levied per year. The lease finishes on 21st October 2091
With only 66 years remaining on your lease we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £11,400 and £13,200 plus costs.
The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to supply a more accurate figure in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other issues that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.