It has come to my attention via my mortgage broker that my Grays lawyer is not on the bank Solicitor panel. How can I be sure whether this is correct?
The best course of action for you to take is to call your Grays lawyer directly. You lawyer should notify you what has happened. Where they are not on the panel they could put your in touch with solicitors on the conveyancing panel for your bank.
I am expecting a AIP from TSB this week so we can work out what to offer on a property we like as otherwise we only have online calculators to go by (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do TSB recommend any Grays solicitors on the TSB conveyancing panel, or is it better to go independently?
You will need to appoint Grays solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the TSB conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and TSB through the process.
I can not fathom if my bank requires a lease extension. I have telephoned my Grays bank branch on numerous occasions and was reassured it wasn't a problem and they will lend. My Grays conveyancing solicitor - who is on the bank conveyancing panel- called and was told they will not lend in accordance with their specific requirements. Who do I believe?
As long as the solicitor is on the mortgage company approved list, she or he must comply with the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook conditions for the lender. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the mortgage company will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the mortgage company to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years left on the lease.
My offer was accepted on a house in Grays on 13/1/2026, valuation was booked 4 days later, received a clean bill of health. Property lawyer appointed, so the only thing outstanding was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Leeds Building Society and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel. Can the lender hold off the offer?
Mortgage companies tend not to not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Leeds Building Society to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
I'm buying a new build house in Grays benefiting from help to buy. The builders would not move on the amount so I negotiated £7000 of extras instead. The property agent advised me not inform my solicitor about the side-deal as it could adversely affect my mortgage with the bank. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.
All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.
Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.
Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.
Due to the encouragement of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a house in Grays before retaining solicitors. I have been told that there is a flying freehold overhang to the house. My surveyor has said that some banks will refuse to grant a mortgage on this type of premises.
It varies from the lender to lender. Bank of Scotland has different instructions from Birmingham Midshires. Should you wish to call us we can investigate further with the relevant bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Grays. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.
My uncle has suggested that I appoint his conveyancers in Grays. Should I find my own conveyancer?
No doubt the best way to select a conveyancing solicitor is to seek feedback from friends or relatives who have actually used the conveyancer you're contemplating using.
I am employed by a reputable estate agency in Grays where we see a number of flat sales jeopardised as a result of short leases. I have received contradictory information from local Grays conveyancing firms. Could you confirm whether the seller of a flat can commence the lease extension process for the purchaser on completion of the sale?
Provided that the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the proposed purchaser need not have to sit tight for 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed before, or simultaneously with completion of the disposal of the property.
An alternative approach is to extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the buyer.
Having spent years of correspondence we simply can't agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Grays. Does the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal have jurisdiction to calculate the appropriate figures?
if there is a missing landlord or where there is disagreement about the premium for a lease extension, under the relevant legislation it is possible to make an application to the LVT to make a decision on the premium.
An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Grays premises is Various @ Colombus Square in January 2012. the Tribunal calculated the premiums to be paid for new leases for each of the flats in Mariners Walk to be £3822 and the premium to be paid for the new lease of 2 Knights Court to be £4439. This case related to 13 flats. The unexpired term was 76 years.