I am purchasing a property for cash in Erith. I have been residing for the previous 20 years in Erith. Conveyancing searches are exorbitant. Given that I know the area and road very well should I not bother getting the solicitor to do all the conveyancing searches?
In the absence of a mortgage, then the vast majority of the Erith conveyancing searches are non-obligatory. Your lawyer will try and steer you, no-doubt strongly, that you should have searches done, but she has a professional duty to do this. One thing to take into account; if you are intend to dispose of the house at a future date, it will be of relevance to your future buyer what the searches contain. Sometimes houses with day to day issues can still reveal detrimental search results. A good conveyancing solicitor in Erith will provide you some helpful advice in this regard.
About to place an offer on a leasehold property in Erith. The property agents tell me that it is the norm for flats in Erith to have less than 75 years unexpired on the lease. I am obtaining a mortgage with Bank of Ireland. Is this going to be acceptable if the lease has 72 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. Bank of Ireland have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook in relation to minimum unexpired lease terms. As of 15/11/2025 the requirements read as follows :
I know that there are debates on Chancel Insurance on online forums. Am I compelled to have this when purchasing a residence in Erith? or Apparently there is historic law that could mean that house owners residing in a parish church boundary may be liable to pay for maintenance towards the chancel within the church. Is this a legitimate concern for conveyancing in Erith?
Unless a prior purchase of the house completed post 12 October 2013 you may expect lawyers carrying out conveyancing in Erith to continue to suggest a chancel search and or chancel repair liability policy.
I used Arc property Solicitors a few years past for my conveyancing in Erith. Now, I need my files but cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?
Do call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracking down 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 Erith 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.
Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold issue on a property I put an offer in last month in what should have been a straight forward, chain free conveyancing. Erith is the location of the property. Can you shed any light on this issue?
Flying freeholds in Erith are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Erith you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds very carefully. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Erith may determine 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 premises.
We are looking to acquire a repossessed property in Erith and the bank selling demand completion inside a month. Can a lawyer meet that timeframe? Am I best advised to use a high street Erith firm or an online company that advertises to complete quickly?
Visit your Erith shopping parade. Go in to a couple of solicitor’s offices and request to talk to a conveyancing solicitor for an estimate. Set out your needs and get a commitment on deadlines. Select the firm that seems most trustworthy. Be sure to select a lawyer on the panel of conveyancers who can act for your bank.