We were just about to exchange contracts for a ground floor flat in Lichfield. We encountered a problem. The mortgage offer with Skipton Building Society expires on 20/8/2026 but the vendors are putting forward a completion date of 24/8/2026. Can one extend the mortgage expiry date?
The best person to address this question is your conveyancer who should calculate if he or she is should be discussing with the bank, seller’s representatives, property agents or possibly all three given what has happend in your transaction to date.
I am told that my conveyancing solicitors will need to check that the building insurance for my purchase of a house in Lichfield. My lender is The Mortgage Works
The Mortgage Works have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 20/6/2026, the requirements read as follows :
My friend recommended that if I am buying in Lichfield I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?
A search of this type is occasionally quoted for as part of the standard Lichfield conveyancing searches. It is not a small report of more than thirty pages, listing and detailing significant information about Lichfield around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Lichfield Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime statistics, Local Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information regarding Lichfield.
4 months have gone by since my purchase conveyancing in Lichfield concluded. I have checked the Land Registry website which shows that I paid £150,000 when infact I paid £215,000. Why the discrepancy?
The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the premises from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.
I have been on the look out for a flat up to £305k and found one near me in Lichfield I like with a park and transport links nearby, the downside is that it only has 51 remaining years left on the lease. There is not much else in Lichfield for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a lease with such few years left?
Should you need a mortgage that many years will be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current proprietor has owned the property for at least 2 years you can ask them to start the process of the extension and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor about this matter.
I have recently realised that I have Sixty One years remaining on my flat in Lichfield. I need to get lease extension but my freeholder is missing. What options are available to me?
If 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 mean that your lease can be granted an extra 90 years by the Court. However, you will be required to demonstrate that you or your lawyers have done all that could be expected to locate the freeholder. In some cases an enquiry agent may be useful to conduct investigations and to produce a report to be accepted by the court as evidence that the freeholder is indeed missing. It is wise to seek advice from a conveyancer in relation to investigating the landlord’s absence and the application to the County Court covering Lichfield.
Leasehold Conveyancing in Lichfield - A selection of Questions you should ask Prior to Purchasing
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Most Lichfield leasehold apartments will incur a service bill for the upkeep of the block levied on behalf of the management company. If you buy the apartment you will have to meet this liability, normally in instalments during the year. This could vary from two or three hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for large purpose-built buildings. In all probability there will be a rentcharge for you to pay yearly, this is usually not a significant sum, say about £50-£100 but you should to check it because sometimes it could be many hundreds of pounds. It is important to be aware if fixing the lift or some other significant cost is due in the near future to be shared by the tenants and may well materially impact the level of the service fees or require a specific invoice. How many years are left on the lease?