I am purchasing a property mortgage free in Erith. I have lived for the last twelve years in Erith. Conveyancing searches are exorbitant. Given that I know the area and road intimately should I not bother getting the solicitor to do all the conveyancing searches?
Provided that you do not need a mortgage, then the vast majority of the Erith conveyancing searches are optional. Your solicitor will try and steer you, no-doubt strongly, that you should have searches carried out, but she has a professional duty to do this. One thing to bear in mind; if you are intend to dispose of the house in the future, it will likely be be of relevance to your prospective buyer what the searches disclose. On occasion premises with functional issues can still reveal negative search results. A good conveyancing solicitor in Erith should be able to give you some practical guidance concerning this.
I am about to put a bid on a leasehold property in Erith. The property agents say that it is usual for flats in Erith to have less than 75 years remaining. I am getting a mortgage with Bank of Ireland. Is this going to be acceptable if the lease has 69 years remaining.
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 :
Do I need to pay for insurance to cover chancel repairs when acquiring a property in Erith?
Unless a prior acquisition of the house took place after 12 October 2013 you can assume that conveyancing practitioners handling conveyancing in Erith to remain encouraging a chancel search and or chancel repair liability insurance.
I used Arc property Solicitors a few years past for my conveyancing in Erith. Now, I need my documents but the law firm has closed. What do I do?
You should contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate 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 instructed, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold issue on a house I have offered on a fortnight ago 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 not the norm but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Erith you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds very carefully. Your lender 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.
I am hoping to purchase a repossessed flat in Erith and the bank selling would like to complete inside a month. Do conveyancers complete in this timeframe? Am I best advised to instruct a local Erith firm or an online firm that advertises to complete quickly?
Attend your Erith shopping parade. Pop in to a couple of solicitor’s offices and request to talk to a conveyancing solicitor for a quote. Discuss your requirements and seek assurances on deadlines. Appoint the firm that seems most genuine. Make sure to use a solicitor on the panel of conveyancing practitioners acceptable to your lender.