I am buying a newly constructed flat in Kidbrooke and my solicitor is informing me that she is duty bound to the mortgage company to disclose incentives from the developer. I am nearing the developer’s deadline to sign contracts and I don't want to prolong deal. Is my lawyer right?
You should not exchange unless you have been advised to do so by your solicitor. A precondition to being on a bank panel is to comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook provisions. The CML Conveyancing Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.
I have just over seventy years left on my lease and need a lease extension for my flat in Kidbrooke. Conveyancing solicitors on the Accord Mortgages panel can deal with such extensions correct?
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. Accord Mortgages have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook in relation to minimum unexpired lease terms. As of 10/10/2025 the requirements read as follows :
What can a local search reveal regarding the house I am buying in Kidbrooke?
Kidbrooke conveyancing often starts with the ordering local authority searches directly from your local Authority or via a personal search company such as Onsearch The local search plays a central role in many a Kidbrooke conveyancing purchase; that is if you don’t want any nasty once you have moved into your new home. The search will reveal data on, amongst other things, details on planning applications applicable to the property (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of thirteen topic areas.
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified as part of conveyancing in Kidbrooke?
Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Kidbrooke. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’
I work for a reputable estate agency in Kidbrooke where we have experienced a few leasehold sales derailed due to short leases. I have been given inconsistent advice from local Kidbrooke conveyancing solicitors. Please can you confirm whether the owner of a flat can start the lease extension process 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 kick-start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the proposed purchaser can avoid having 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 at the same time as completion of the disposal of the property.
Alternatively, it may be possible 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 purchaser.
Following years of dialogue we cannot agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Kidbrooke. Can we issue an application to the Residential Property Tribunal Service?
Absolutely. We are happy to put you in touch with a Kidbrooke conveyancing firm who can help.
An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement decision for a Kidbrooke flat is 18 Handen Road in April 2013. On 26 October 2012 District Judge Zimmels sitting at the Lambeth County Court made a Vesting Order that the Applicants be granted the right to acquire the freehold upon such terms and at such price determined by the LVT. The Tribunal arrived a figure of £39,535 as a valuation for the enfranchisement. This case related to 3 flats. The number of years remaining on the existing lease(s) was 69.05 years.
We yesterday discovered that one of the directors of the conveyancing practice handling the purchase conveyancing in Kidbrooke is an aunty of the vendor. Is this allowed?
As long as no conflict arises this is allowable. Where you are needing a home loan then the lender may have a say as many lenders have specific instructions concerning this. For example for Yorkshire Building Society as of 10/10/2025, the requirements read as follows :
* there is no conflict of interest and none arises during the transaction
* the firm is a partnership
* the conveyancer acting is not the borrower or a member of the borrower's immediate family