I am about to put an offer on a leasehold property in East Sussex. The selling agents assure me that it is normal for flats in East Sussex to have less than 75 years remaining. I am getting a mortgage with Accord Mortgages. Will the property be mortgageable given that the lease has Seventy One years left.
Most leasehold conveyancing experts should be able to deal with a lease extension. if you are securing a mortgage then your lender may insist that the lease be extended before competition. Accord Mortgages have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook in relation to minimum unexpired lease terms. As of 19/9/2026 the requirements read as follows :
Forgive me if this question is silly but I am unexperienced as FTB of a two bedroom flat in East Sussex. Do I pick up the keys to the house on completion from my lawyer? If this is the case, I will use a High Street conveyancing solicitor in East Sussex?
There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Conveyancing lawyers for you will transfer the purchase money to the seller's conveyancers, and shortly after the monies have arrived, you should be able to pick up the keys from the property Agents and start moving into the property. This tends to happen between 1 and 3pm.
I am buying a property in East Sussex. A rare aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Solicitors conducting should look into this right? Will my lender HSBC be concerned?
Given that you are obtaining a mortgage with HSBC your lawyer must check the formal requirements set out in Part two of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for HSBC. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook stipulates minimum requirements for solar panel roof-space leases, and lawyers are required to report to HSBC where a lease does not comply with these specifications. The requirements relate to the installation of panels on properties countrywide and is not limited to East Sussex.
After much negotiation I have agreed a price on an apartment in East Sussex. My mortgage broker pressured me to appoint their property lawyer. I paid an on account payment of £175. Not long after, the solicitor contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Santander conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?
You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Santander panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.
I used Arc property Solicitors several years ago for my conveyancing in East Sussex. I now require my papers however the law firm is no longer operating. What do I do?
You should 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 East Sussex of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously hired, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
How does conveyancing in East Sussex differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build premises in East Sussex contact us having been asked by the builder to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the residence is completed. This is because developers in East Sussex tend to purchase the land, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are accustomed to new build conveyancing in East Sussex or who has acted in the same development.
Are there any apps to assist me to search for a East Sussex solicitor on the The Royal Bank of Scotland conveyancing panel? I drive a motor bike and am happy to travel upto 25kilometers to meet the lawyer.
Feel free to make use of the search on this page. Please choose the lender and your location and you will see a number of East Sussex conveyancing lawyers located nearest you. We have detailed some East Sussex conveyancing firms at the bottom of this page and you can ring them to check whether they are on the The Royal Bank of Scotland approved list
Can you offer any advice when it comes to appointing a East Sussex conveyancing firm to deal with our lease extension?
If you are instructing a solicitor for lease extension works (regardless if they are a East Sussex conveyancing firm) it is essential that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We recommend that you make enquires with two or three firms including non East Sussex conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then so much the better. The following questions might be of use:
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What are the charges for lease extension work? Can they put you in touch with clients in East Sussex who can give a testimonial?
East Sussex Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Questions you should consider Prior to Purchasing
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You should be aware that where the lease has no more than 80 years it will affect the marketability of the property. Check with your lender that they are content with remaining years on the lease. A short lease means that you will most likely need a lease extension at some point and you need to have some idea of how much this will be. For most East Sussexlease extensions you will be required to have owned the residence for two years before you are legally able to extend the lease. Its a good idea to discover as much as you can concerning the managing agents as they will either make your life much simpler or a lot more difficult. As the proprietor of a leasehold property you are often at the mercy of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to daily matters like the tidiness of the communal areas. You should not be afraid to ask other tenants what they think of them. On a final note, investigate as to the dates that the maintenance fees are due to the managing agents and specifically what you get for your money. Who manages the block?