I have given 8 weeks notice to my existing landlord and must be out of my let out apartment in Leatherhead by 19/8/2026. Conveyancing for my house purchase is underway. Can I complete in six weeks as I wish to avoid having to move into temporary accommodation?
The normal practice is not to serve notice on a rental until your lawyer suggests that you should. If you have not already done so, contact to your lawyer and urge them to they chase the sellers lawyers, try to an agreed time frame that everyone will work towards
Do all mortgage companies provide you with an approved list of Leatherhead conveyancing solicitors? How do you know who is on the Principality conveyancing panel?
Leatherhead conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Principality conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Principality directly.
I am told that my conveyancing solicitors will need to check that the building insurance when buying a house in Leatherhead. My lender is Virgin
Virgin have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 1/7/2026, the requirements read as follows :
is it true that all Leatherhead solicitors on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel are overseen by the SRA?
As solicitors, in order to be on the Leeds Building Society approved list of solicitors they would need to be overseen by the SRA. Many lenders do allow licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such organisation would be regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.
We previously instructed conveyancers with offices in Leatherhead on the Clydesdale solicitor panel. They have just billed me a separate charge for the legal aspects of the Clydesdale mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee specified by Clydesdale?
As unfair as it may seem, as long as it’s in their Terms of Engagement or estimate then yes your conveyancer is entitled to levy a fee for this. This fee is not dictated by Clydesdale but by your Leatherhead conveyancing practitioner. Numerous firms on the Clydesdale panel will charge an ‘acting for lender’ fee but many practices include it on their overall fee.
I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Leatherhead. I have a mortgage agreed with Lloyds. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should use one. Any advice?
It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Lloyds, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Lloyds conveyancing panel.
I used Action Conveyancing a few years ago for my conveyancing in Leatherhead. Now, I need my files but the law firm has closed. What do I do?
You should contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracing your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Leatherhead of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously used, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
I work for a busy estate agency in Leatherhead where we have experienced a number of leasehold sales jeopardised due to short leases. I have received contradictory information from local Leatherhead conveyancing firms. Could you clarify whether the owner of a flat can commence the lease extension process for the buyer?
Provided that the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the buyer need not have to wait 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 simultaneously with completion of the disposal of the property.
An alternative approach is 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.
I bought a 1 bedroom flat in Leatherhead, conveyancing having been completed half a dozen years ago. How much will my lease extension cost? Equivalent properties in Leatherhead with an extended lease are worth £191,000. The ground rent is £55 invoiced annually. The lease runs out on 21st October 2080
With just 54 years unexpired the likely cost is going to be between £32,300 and £37,400 as well as legals.
The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more detailed due diligence. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.