I am purchasing a house without a mortgage in Havering. I have resided for the last dozen years in Havering. Conveyancing searches are expensive. Given that I have knowledge of the road and vicinity very well must I have all the conveyancing searches?
In the absence of a home loan, then the vast majority of the Havering conveyancing searches are at your discretion. Your solicitor will ’encourage you, perhaps strongly, that you should have searches done, but he has a professional duty to do this. One thing to take into account; if you are going to dispose of the house one day, it could be of relevance to your future buyer what the searches determine. There are plenty of instances where properties with functional issues can still reveal adverse search results. A competent conveyancing solicitor in Havering will be able to give you some practical advice in this regard.
I have 70 years left on my lease and require a lease extension for my apartment in Havering. Conveyancing solicitors on the The Mortgage Works panel can deal with such extensions right?
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. The Mortgage Works have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook in relation to minimum unexpired lease terms. As of 19/2/2026 the requirements read as follows :
Where the unexpired lease term is different to that recorded on the mortgage offer, the following clarifies if we need to be informed:
Second hand property:
- If the unexpired lease term on the offer is 85 years or more - only advise us if the actual lease term is less than 85 years
- if the unexpired lease term on the offer is less than 85 years – advise us if the actual lease term is different than reported
- For equity share applications - advise us if the actual lease term is different than reported on the offer
New build property:
- If the unexpired lease term stated on the offer is 125 years (flat) / 250 years (house) or more - only advise us if the actual lease term is less than 125 years (flat) / 250 years (house)
- For equity share applications - always advise us if the actual lease term is different than reported on the offer
Lease terms such as ground rent and event fees must be reasonable at all times during the term of the lease and adhere to our requirements below. If you’re unsure as to whether the terms of a lease are unreasonable or onerous, please refer the details to us in plain English for Valuer consideration. If the potentially onerous terms are in relation to the ground rent please include the current ground rent figure per annum, how often it will be reviewed and the price structure it will be reviewed against. See the guidance below.
SECOND HAND PROPERTIES
Unacceptable - advise Issuing Office (Will be declined):
- Unexpired lease term less than 70 years
- Less than 30 years remaining at the end of the mortgage term
- Ground Rent greater than 0.5% of the property value
- Ground Rent doubles less than every 20 years (e.g. doubles every 5, 10 or 15 years) - acceptable if doubles every 20 years or more
- Ground Rent is compounded RPI
- Ground Rent review period less than or equal to 5 years
Refer to Issuing Office (Valuer will consider any impact on valuation figure and marketability):
- Unexpired lease term is 70 to 85 years
- Ground Rent greater than 0.1% and less than or equal to 0.5% of the property value
- Ground Rent escalation is linked to any indices greater than RPI
- Ground Rent escalation is linked to the value of the building*
- Ground Rent review period is greater than 5 and less than 10 years
- Event clauses exist for normal use e.g. changing the carpet, installing a TV aerial etc
- Estate Rent Charges greater than £500 p/a (please provide details of what the charges cover)
- Service Charges greater than 1.0% of property value p/a (please provide details of what the charges cover)
- Anything that appears onerous, unusual or out of the ordinary
Acceptable (no requirement to advise Issuing Office):
- Unexpired lease term greater than 85 years
- Ground Rent less than or equal to 0.1% of the property value
- Ground Rent review period greater than or equal to 10 years
- Ground Rent escalation less than or equal to RPI
NEW BUILD PROPERTIES (includes office conversions)
Unacceptable - advise Issuing Office (will be declined):
- Unexpired lease term less than 125 years on a new build flat or less than 250 years on a new build house
- Any lease which is subject to a ground rent (or annual rent) being charged which is more than on a peppercorn basis
- Any lease which is subject to a ground rent (or annual rent) being reviewed and altered on any review basis or methodology
Refer to Issuing Office (Valuer will consider any impact on valuation figure and marketability):
- Event clauses exist for normal use e.g. changing the carpet, installing a TV aerial etc
- Estate Rent Charges greater than £500 p/a (please provide details of what the charges cover)
- Service Charges greater than 1.0% of property value p/a (please provide details of what the charges cover)
- Anything else appears onerous, unusual or out of the ordinary
Acceptable (no requirement to advise Issuing Office):
- Unexpired lease term greater than or equal to 125 years on a new build flat or greater than or equal to 250 years on a new build house
- A lease subject to a peppercorn ground rent (annual rent) charges
For the avoidance of doubt, any new build properties completed but not sold pre 30 June 2022 will only be acceptable if the lease conforms to the above guidance
* Where the Ground Rent escalation is linked to the value of the building, please provide the following:
- How is the value of the block/unit currently calculated and if the assessment relates to the block(s), how is the Ground Rent calculated/apportioned per property?
- The current valuation and Ground Rent for each unit
- What is the mechanism for future valuations of the block and how is the Ground Rent calculated/apportioned?
- What is the right of appeal? And is this a documented process within the lease?
- Who bears the cost of the valuation (and appeal) process?
- Confirmation the review period is not less than twenty years
LEASE EXTENSIONS
We require all lease extensions to be completed under the Leasehold Reform Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 and to meet the above criteria as a minimum. Where you become aware that it does not meet these requirements, please refer to the Issuing Office
Please ensure that all lender enquiries are submitted (with full documentation/requirements) at least 2 weeks prior to exchange to allow sufficient time for review and decisioning.
We are purchasing a property in Havering. I might seem paranoid but how we can trust a lawyer? At some point we will need to deposit funds into their account. What is the protection we have from them run away with our deposit?
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.
I am aiming to move property in May. Should my conveyancing solicitor communicate with the removal company on the completion day. As an aside, can you recommend a removal company in Havering. Conveyancing solicitor was chosen prior to coming across your page.
On the day of completion you can collect the keys from your selling agent but this can only be done when the previous owners solicitors advise the agent that they have the completion monies and the keys can be released. After that you can inform the removal men that they can start moving you in. We are not in a position to suggest a particular removal company but can help you choose a conveyancing in Havering or a firm that specialises in conveyancing in Havering.
When it comes to lenders such as HSBC, do Havering lawyers incur a yearly amount to be on the conveyancing panel?
We are unaware of any lender fees to register on their list of approved firms, although some do charge an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.
Will our solicitor be raising enquiries regarding flooding as part of the conveyancing in Havering.
The risk of flooding is if increasing concern for lawyers dealing with homes in Havering. Some people will acquire a property in Havering, completely expectant that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, leaving to one side the physical damage, where a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, suitable building insurance, or sell the property. There are steps that can be taken as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the buyer.
Lawyers are not best placed to impart advice on flood risk, however there are a numerous searches that can be carried out by the buyer or on a buyer’s behalf which will figure out the risks in Havering. The conventional set of information given to a purchaser’s lawyer (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) contains a standard inquiry of the vendor to discover whether the premises has suffered from flooding. In the event that the premises has been flooded in past which is not notified by the owner, then a purchaser could commence a legal claim for losses as a result of such an incorrect reply. A buyer’s conveyancers will also order an enviro search. This should reveal if there is a recorded flood risk. If so, further inquiries should be carried out.
In surfing the world wide web for the phrase on line conveyancing in Havering it reveals many solicitorslocally. How do I determine which is the suitable solicitor for the sale of my house?
The ideal way of finding a suitable conveyancer is via personal recommendation, so seek the counsel of friends and relatives who have bought a property in Havering or the reputable estate agent or mortgage broker. Charges for conveyancing in Havering vary, so it's advisable to secure a minimum of four fee calculations from different solicitors. Make sure that you clarify that the costs are assured not to increase.
I am hoping to sign contracts shortly on a garden flat in Havering. Conveyancing solicitors assured me that they are sending me a report tomorrow. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?
Your report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Havering should include some of the following:
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Whether the landlord has obligations to ensure rights of quiet enjoyment over your premises and do you know what it means in practice? You should receive a copy of the lease What options are open to you if another tenant in the building breaches a clause of their lease? Advice concerning the obligations as set out in the lease to to contribute towards maintenance costs - in respect of the block, and the more general rights a tenant enjoys specifics of the parties to the lease, for example these could be the tennant, head lessor, freeholder
After years of negotiations we simply can't agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Havering. Can we issue an application to the Residential Property Tribunal Service?
Absolutely. We can put you in touch with a Havering conveyancing firm who can help.
An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Havering flat is 37 Lodge Court High Street in November 2013. the decision of the LVT was that the premium to be paid for the new lease was £25,559 This case related to 1 flat. The unexpired residue of the current lease was 57.5 years.