Me and my wife are buying our first home. The conveyancing practitioner has e-mailedto enquire if we would like to take out supplemental conveyancing searches. Unfortunately we have no idea as to what's appropriate for conveyancing in Headingley
The scope of Headingley conveyancing searches depends entirely on the premises, the location, the possibility of any of these risks, your familiarity of the area and risks, your overall appetite to risk. What is important is that you properly comprehend what information the searches could provide. You may then decide if you consider that you need that search. If uncertain, ask the solicitor to guide you.
I have Fifty Six years remaining on my lease and need a lease extension for my flat in Headingley. Conveyancing solicitors on the Nationwide Building Society panel can deal with such extensions correct?
Most leasehold conveyancing experts should be able to deal with a lease extension. if you are getting a mortgage then your lender may insist that the lease be extended before competition. Nationwide Building Society have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook in relation to minimum unexpired lease terms. As of 18/2/2025 the requirements read as follows :
- There must be at least 30 years remaining at the end of the mortgage term (regardless of the length of lease at the start).
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
- Where lending is over 85% of the purchase price/valuation on a second hand flat and the unexpired lease term on the offer is 90 years or more - only advise us if the actual lease term is less than 90 years.
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 55 years
- Unexpired lease term less than 90 years where we are lending more than 85% of the purchase price/valuation on a second hand flat
- 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 is 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 55 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% 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 (Minimum 90 years where we are lending more than 85% of the purchase price/valuation on a second hand flat)
- 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 (does not apply to Shared Ownership)
- 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 charged which is more than on a peppercorn basis
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% 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 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.
I just acquired a flat at auction in Headingley. Conveyancing is needed. What are my next steps?
Now that you have legally bound yourself to purchase you should find a conveyancing lawyer as a matter of priority as you are faced with a fast approaching a drop dead date to complete the conveyancing. Every auction property will have a corresponding legal pack. This will likely include the copy title deeds, local authority and drainage searches. If you have purchased leasehold premises the auction papers may include a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and associated conveyancing paperwork relating to leasehold premises. You must pass this on to the lawyer instructed by you as soon as possible. Do make sure that your finances are in place to complete the transaction on the set completion date.
Forgive me if this question is silly but I am unexperienced as a 1st time purchaser of a ground floor flat in Headingley. Do I pick up the keys to the property on completion from my conveyancer? If this is the case, I will find a local conveyancing solicitor in Headingley?
On the day of completion you do not need to attend the conveyancers office in Headingley. Conveyancing lawyers for you will transfer the completion advance to the seller's lawyers, and shortly after the monies have arrived, you will be invited to pick up the keys from the property Agents and move into your new home. Usually this occurs between 1 and 3pm.
HSBC have agreed my home loan in principle, my bid on a flat in Headingley has been accepted, what happens next?
The property agent will want to know who your solicitors are (be sure the lawyers are on the bank’s approved list). Call up HSBC or the financial adviser and complete any relevant forms. HSBC will sellect a valuer who will get in touch with the selling agent or seller to arrange a time for the valuation to take place. Once conducted (assuming no problems) it takes on average a fortnight for the mortgage offer to be issued. HSBC will issue the offer to you and your solicitors. The legal work will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Headingley.
Me and my brother own a terraced Victorian house in Headingley. Conveyancing solicitor represented me and Leeds Building Society. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw two entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold with the matching address. I'd like to know for sure, how can I find out??
You need to assess the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Headingley and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they mortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with purchasers. You can also question the situation with your conveyancing lawyer who carried out the work.
Hoping to buy a property located in Headingley and I am already nervous. I couldn't find anything specific about Headingley. Conveyancing will be needed in due course but do you know about the Headingley area? or perhaps some other tips you can share?
Rather than looking online forget looking online you should go and have a look at Headingley. In the meantime here are some basic statistics that we found
Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only 68 years remaining on my lease in Headingley. I now want to get lease extension but my freeholder is missing. What are my options?
On the basis that you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be granted an extra 90 years by the magistrate. You will be obliged to prove that you or your lawyers have made all reasonable attempts to locate the landlord. In some cases a specialist would be useful to carry out a search and to produce a report which can be used as proof that the freeholder can not be located. It is advisable to get professional help from a conveyancer both on devolving into the landlord’s absence and the vesting order request to the County Court overseeing Headingley.
Headingley Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Questions you should consider Prior to buying
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Best to be warned whether fixing the lift or some other major work is anticipated to be shared amongst the leaseholders and may well dramatically increase the the maintenance charges or require a specific payment. What is the name of the managing agents? How is the lease structured?