Why would one appoint a Kimbolton conveyancing practice when national conveyancers are cheap by comparison?
To take your time to find contrast conveyancing costs in Kimbolton and you should seek a competitive quote but don’t expend your energy hunting for the cheapest Kimbolton conveyancer. Appointing the right conveyancer can mark the difference between a seamless and a distressing move. You need to ensure that you have expert guidance from a specialist conveyancer. Emails can't take the place of a phone conversation and are no substitute for a face to face consultation. Our partner firms will allocate you a qualified and top rated conveyancing solicitor who can deal with your conveyancing from beginning to end, providing a level of continuity that you rarely receive from an web based conveyancer. Our lawyers will update you as to progress making sure that you are regularly updated. Should it ever be necessary to call the office you will be sure who to ask for and they will ensure you're not left wondering what's going on.
I am about to put a bid on a leasehold property in Kimbolton. The selling agents advise that it is usual for flats in Kimbolton to have less than 75 years remaining. I am getting a mortgage with Nationwide Building Society. Will the property be mortgageable given that the lease has 69 years left.
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 4/3/2026 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.
The deeds to my home can not be found. The lawyers who dealt with the conveyancing in Kimbolton 10 years ago no longer exist. Will I be able to sell the house?
These day there are duplicates made of almost everything, and your conveyancer should know precisely where to find all the suitable paperwork so you can purchase or sell your house without any difficulty. If copies are not available, your solicitor may be able to arrange cover in the form of insurance or indemnities protecting you against future claims on the premises.
Due to the guidance of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a property in Kimbolton ahead of appointing lawyers. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold overhang to the property. The surveyor advised that some mortgage companies will refuse to issue a loan on this type of home.
It depends who your proposed lender is. Santander has different requirements for example to Birmingham Midshires. If you e-mail us we can check via the relevant lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Kimbolton. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Kimbolton to see if the conveyancing costs will increase in light of this.
How do I search for a Kimbolton law firm on the Yorkshire Building Society conveyancing panel? I have a car and am prepared to travel upto 10miles to meet the lawyer.
You can use the facility on this website. Please pick a lender and your location and you will see a number of Kimbolton conveyancing lawyers located nearest you. We have listed some Kimbolton conveyancing firms towards the end of this page and you can telephone them to verify if they are on the Yorkshire Building Society approved list
All being well we will complete the disposal of our £400,000 maisonette in Kimbolton on Friday in a week. The freeholder has quoted £384 for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and 3 years service charge statements. Is the landlord entitled to charge exorbitant fees for a leasehold conveyance in Kimbolton?
Kimbolton conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes normally requires the buyer’s lawyer sending enquiries for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is under no legal obligation to respond to these enquiries most will be content to assist. They are at liberty to levy a reasonable charge for answering enquiries or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average costs for the information that you are referring to is £350, in some situations it is above £800. The administration charge levied by the landlord must be accompanied by a synopsis of rights and obligations in respect of administration fees, otherwise the charge is not strictly payable. In reality one has little option but to pay whatever is requested of you if you want to sell the property.
I am the registered owner of a studio flat in Kimbolton, conveyancing formalities finalised August 2006. Can you let me have an estimate of the premium that my landlord can legally expect in return for granting a renewal of my lease? Comparable flats in Kimbolton with a long lease are worth £191,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £55 invoiced annually. The lease runs out on 21st October 2079
With 53 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £27,600 and £31,800 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.
The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. Do not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.