We wanted to use a property lawyer in Greenhithe for our house move. Our financial adviser has since advised us that our mortgage lenders Barnsley Building Society won't deal with them. Surely this is unduly restrictive?
Banks tend to imposes restrictions either the type or the amount of conveyancing firms on their approved list of lawyers. A common example of such restriction(s) being that a law practice must not be a sole practitioner. In addition to restricting the type of firm, some have limited the number of solicitor practices they use to represent them. Be aware that Barnsley Building Society have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any member of Barnsley Building Society Conveyancer Panel. Mortgage fraud was a primary driver in the reduction of solicitor panels a few years ago even though there remains differing views about the extent of solicitor engagement in some of that fraud. Data from the Land Registry indicate that hundreds of law firms, including some in or near Greenhithe only perform one or two conveyances per annum.
My wife and I purchasing a 3 bedroom semi in Greenhithe. The intention is to carry out a loft conversion at the property.Will legal due diligence on the property include checks to determine if these works were previously refused?
Your conveyancer should check the deeds as conveyancing in Greenhithe will sometimes identify restrictions in the title documents which prevent certain changes or need the permission of a 3rd party. Many extensions require local authority planning consent and approval under the building regulations. Certain areas are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which frequently prevent or impact extensions. You should check these issues with a surveyor before you commit yourself to a purchase.
My wife and I are at the point of looking at houses in Greenhithe and I am about to put in an offer. Should I already have a conveyancing practitioner appointed at this point? I am planning to take a home loan with Leeds Building Society.
You should start requesting conveyancing estimates from solicitors ASAP. After you have chosen your lawyer and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and forward their contact information on to the EA. As you are seeking a mortgage with Leeds Building Society, make sure you remember to check that your lawyer is on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel.
My offer was accepted on a house in Greenhithe on 17/11/2025, valuation was booked 3 days after, received a clean bill of health. Conveyancer retained, so all that was missing was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to UBS and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the UBS conveyancing panel. Are UBS entitled to hold back the Mortgage pending the lawyer being on the approved list?
Mortgage companies tend not to not issue an offer until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for UBS to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the UBS conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
It has been 4 months following my purchase conveyancing in Greenhithe took place. I have checked the Land Registry site which shows that I paid £150,000 when infact I paid £215,000. Why the discrepancy?
The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the premises from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.
I am using a search engine for the phrase cheap conveyancing in Greenhithe it reveals numerous property lawyersin the area. With so much choice what is the best way to find the right solicitor for my move?
The ideal way of seeking the right conveyancer is through a trusted recommendation, so seek the counsel of colleagues and family who have acquired a property in Greenhithe or a local estate agent or financial adviser. Fees for conveyancing in Greenhithe differ, so it's sensible to secure at least four fee calculations from different property lawyers. Dont forget to clarify that the charges are assured not to rise.
I am employed by a reputable estate agency in Greenhithe where we have experienced a few flat sales derailed due to leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have been given contradictory information from local Greenhithe conveyancing solicitors. Please can you clarify whether the owner of a flat can start the lease extension formalities for the buyer?
As long as the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to commence the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the buyer 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 has to be done prior to, or simultaneously with completion of the sale.
Alternatively, it may be possible to agree the lease extension with the freeholder 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 purchaser.
I have given up trying to purchase the freehold in Greenhithe. Can this matter be resolved via the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal?
Absolutely. We are happy to put you in touch with a Greenhithe conveyancing firm who can help.
An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Greenhithe property 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 affected 13 flats. The number of years remaining on the existing lease(s) was 76 years.
There are a number of houses in Greenhithe on unadopted lanes. My partner and I are acquiring one such property. Are there any advantages to buying a house on a private road?
Greenhithe conveyancing solicitors are well versed in transacting propertieson private. The lawyer should investigate Land Registry data to find any rights or responsibilities. In many cases there is a residents association that residents pay into for the upkeep of the road. If there is one, the road will likely be maintained and appear nicer than publicly adopted.