My wife and I intend to remortgage our maisonette in Gerrards Cross and Chalfont with Lloyds. We have a son approaching twenty who lives with us. Our solicitor requested us to identify anyone over the age of 17 other than ourselves who lives in the flat. The solicitor has now sent a form for our son to sign, waiving any legal rights in the event that the property is repossessed. I have a couple of questions (1) Is this document specific to the Lloyds conveyancing panel as he never had to sign this form when we purchased 5 years ago (2) In signing this form is our son in any way compromising his right to inherit the property?
On the face of it your lawyer has done nothing wrong as it is established procedure for any occupier who is aged 17 or over to sign the necessary Consent Form, which is purely to state that any rights he has in the property are postponed and secondary to Lloyds. This is solely used to protect Lloyds if the property were re-possessed so that in such circumstances, your son would be legally obliged to leave. It does not impact your son’s right to inherit the apartment. Please note that if your son were to inherit and the mortgage in favour of Lloyds had not been discharged, he would be liable to take over the loan or pay it off, but other than that, there is nothing stopping him from keeping the property in accordance with your will or the rules of intestacy.
I own a freehold property in Gerrards Cross and Chalfont but still pay rent, why is this and what is this?
It’s unusual for properties in Gerrards Cross and Chalfont and has limited impact for conveyancing in Gerrards Cross and Chalfont but some freehold properties in England (particularly common in North West England) pay an annual sum known as a Chief Rent or a Rentcharge to a third party who has no other legal interest in the land.
Rentcharge payments are usually between £2.00 and £5.00 per year. Rentcharges have existed for hundreds of years, but the Rent Charge Act 1977 barred the creation of fresh rentcharges from 1977 onwards.
Old rentcharges can now be extinguished by making a lump sum payment under the Act. Any rentcharges that are still in existence after 2037 is to be dispensed with completely.
Me and my partner are buying a property in Gerrards Cross and Chalfont. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a solicitor? At some point we will need to put our life savings into their account. What protection do we have from them run away with our monies?
Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.
We are getting a further advance on our mortgage from TSB as we want to conduct a loft conversion to our home in Gerrards Cross and Chalfont. Are we obliged to select a nearby Gerrards Cross and Chalfont solicitor on the TSB conveyancing panel to deal with the legals?
TSB would not normally require a member of their approved list of lawyers to handle the formalities. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the TSB list.
I had an offer accepted on an apartment in Gerrards Cross and Chalfont on 10/3/2026, valuation was booked 3 days later, all came back fine. Conveyancer instructed, so the only thing outstanding was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to RBS and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the RBS conveyancing panel. Can the lender hold off the offer?
A lender would not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for RBS to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the RBS conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to our property are lost. The solicitors who handled the conveyancing in Gerrards Cross and Chalfont 4 years ago are no longer around. What are my next steps?
You no longer need to have the physical original deeds to prove you own the land or property, given that the Land Registry hold details of all registered land or property electronically.
I inherited a second floor flat in Gerrards Cross and Chalfont. Given that I can not reach agreement with the landlord, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal determine the amount due for a lease extension?
You certainly can. We are happy to put you in touch with a Gerrards Cross and Chalfont conveyancing firm who can help.
An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Gerrards Cross and Chalfont residence is Flats 8, 11 and 15 Craigmore Court 46 Murray Road in December 2013. The tribunal held that the price payable by the Applicant tenant of Flat 8 to acquire an extended lease shall be £26,438 plus £1 to the intermediate lessee . The tribunal held that the price payable by the Applicant tenants of Flat 11 to acquire an extended lease shall be £26,791 plus £1 to the intermediate lessee. The tribunal held that the price payable by the Applicant tenant of Flat 15 to acquire an extended lease shall be £26,638 plus £1 to the intermediate lessee . This case related to 3 flats. The remaining number of years on the lease was 71 years.
When it comes to leasehold conveyancing in Gerrards Cross and Chalfont what are the most frequent lease defects?
Leasehold conveyancing in Gerrards Cross and Chalfont is not unique. All leases are drafted differently and legal mistakes in the legal wording can sometimes mean that certain sections are wrong. The following missing provisions could result in a defective lease:
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A provision to repair to or maintain elements of the premises A duty to insure the building
You will encounter a problem when selling your property if you have a defective lease as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. Santander, The Mortgage Works, and Barclays Direct all have very detailed requirements when it comes to what is expected in a lease. Where a lender has been advised by their lawyers that the lease is problematic they may refuse to provide security, obliging the buyer to withdraw.
I have instructed a Gerrards Cross and Chalfont conveyancing solicitor for our house purchase (FTB’s) and have noticed in the terms and conditions that they are not regulated by the FCA. Am I right to be worried or is that standard with conveyancing practitioner?
We can't see why they should be. Most conveyancing practitioner don't lend money. They should be governed by the SRA, who have specific laws in relation to monies held on client account.