I am about to put a bid on a leasehold property in Leamouth. The selling agents advise that it is usual for flats in Leamouth to have less than 75 years unexpired on the lease. I am expecting a loan with The Mortgage Works. Is this going to be a problem if the lease has 72 years to go.
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 3/7/2026 the requirements read as follows :
If you had a top tip for choosing a conveyancing solicitor in Leamouth what would it be?
Do not opt for the lowest Leamouth conveyancing fees. You really do get what you’re paying for when it comes to property lawyers. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you know exactly what you’ll have to pay in advance.
is it true that all Leamouth conveyancing solicitors on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel are governed by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?
As solicitors, in order to be on the Yorkshire BS approved list of solicitors they would need to be overseen by the SRA. Some banks do permit licenced conveyancers on their panel and in that case the practice would be overseen by the CLC.
Leeds Building Society have agreed my mortgage in principle, my bid on a house in Leamouth has been accepted, now what?
Your estate agent will wish to be informed of your solicitor's details (make sure the conveyancers are on the bank’s panel). Call up Leeds Building Society or your financial adviser and finalise any relevant paperwork. Leeds Building Society will instruct a valuer who will get in touch with the estate agent or seller to arrange a slot for the valuation to take place. Once conducted (assuming no problems) it takes on average a fortnight for the mortgage offer to be issued. Leeds Building Society will send the offer to you and your lawyers. The legal work will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Leamouth.
Me and my brother own a renovated Victorian property in Leamouth. Conveyancing lawyer represented me and Coventry Building Society. I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are two entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold with the exact same address. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?
You should review 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 Leamouth and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they sell they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with mortgage companies. You can also question the position with your conveyancing lawyer who carried out the work.
I'm purchasing a new build house in Leamouth with the aid of help to buy. The sellers would not budge the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of additionals instead. The sale representative advised me not inform my solicitor about the side-deal as it would impact my mortgage with Norwich and Peterborough Building Society. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.
All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.
Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.
Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.
Due to the encouragement of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a house in Leamouth prior to retaining lawyers. I have been told that there is a flying freehold element to the house. The surveyor has said that some lenders may not give a loan on a flying freehold property.
It depends who your proposed lender is. HSBC has different instructions from Nationwide. Should you wish to telephone us we can look into this further via the appropriate bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Leamouth. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Leamouth to see if the conveyancing will be more expensive.
My partner and I may need to sub-let our Leamouth basement flat temporarily due to taking a sabbatical. We instructed a Leamouth conveyancing firm in 2004 but they have since shut and we did not have the foresight to seek any advice as to whether the lease prohibits the subletting of the flat. How do we find out?
A small minority of properties in Leamouth do contain a provision to say that subletting is only allowed with permission. The landlord is not entitled to unreasonably withhold but, in such cases, they would need to see references. Experience dictates that problems are usually caused by unsatisfactory tenants rather than owner-occupiers and for that reason you can expect the freeholder to take up the references and consider them carefully before granting permission.
Notwithstanding our best endeavours, we have been unsuccessful in trying to reach an agreement for a lease extension in Leamouth. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal adjudicate on premiums?
Where there is a absentee freeholder or if there is disagreement about what the lease extension should cost, under the relevant legislation it is possible to make an application to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to make a decision on the amount due.
An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Leamouth flat is 46 Credon Road in January 2014. On 11 September 2013 Deputy District Judge Price sitting at the Bow County Court made a vesting order that the freeholder surrender his lease and be granted a new lease of the Premises on such terms as may be determined by the First Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber).The appropriate sum as concluded by the Tribunal was £7225 This case related to 1 flat. The unexpired lease term was 69.77 years.