My aunt passed away 10 months ago and as sole heir and executor I was left the house in Littlehampton. The house had a relatively small loan remaining of approximately £5k. I want to have the title changed into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Aldermore, pay off the mortgage. Is this allowed?
Given you plan to re-mortgage then Aldermore will insist on your using a conveyancer on the Aldermore conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your Aldermore conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the Aldermore mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.
We are getting a further advance on our mortgage from Nationwide as we intend to conduct renovations to our property in Littlehampton. Are we obliged to select a local Littlehampton solicitor on the Nationwide conveyancing panel to deal with the legals?
Nationwide would not normally appoint a member of their approved list of lawyers to deal with the formalities. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Nationwide panel.
I have paid off my mortgage with Coventry BS. I assume I don't need a Littlehampton conveyancing practitioner on the Coventry BS panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?
If you have finished paying off your Coventry BS mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Coventry BS mortgage from the register. Coventry BS, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:
- but are not moving to another property
- where Coventry BS has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- Coventry BS has instructed the Land Registry to do so
My offer was accepted on a house in Littlehampton on 13/10/2025, valuation was booked 4 days later, all came back fine. Solicitor instructed, so all that was missing was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Barclays and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Barclays conveyancing panel. Can the lender hold off the offer?
Mortgage companies tend not to not issue an offer until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Barclays to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Barclays conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
Should my lawyer be raising questions about flooding as part of the conveyancing in Littlehampton.
The risk of flooding is if increasing concern for lawyers dealing with homes in Littlehampton. Some people will purchase a property in Littlehampton, fully aware that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, aside from the physical damage, if a house is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, suitable insurance cover, or dispose of the property. Steps can be carried out as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the purchaser.
Conveyancers are not qualified to offer advice on flood risk, however there are a various searches that may be carried out by the purchaser or on a buyer’s behalf which can figure out the risks in Littlehampton. The conventional set of property information forms supplied to a purchaser’s lawyer (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) incorporates a usual question of the owner to discover if the property has suffered from flooding. If the residence has been flooded in past and is not disclosed by the owner, then a purchaser could bring a legal claim for losses as a result of such an misleading answer. The purchaser’s lawyers may also commission an enviro report. This will higlight if there is a recorded flood risk. If so, further investigations will need to be carried out.
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up as part of conveyancing in Littlehampton?
Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Littlehampton. 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…’
In scouring the world wide web for the phrase conveyancing in Littlehampton it shows results of many conveyancersin the area. With so much choice what is the best way to find the right solicitor for purchase transaction?
The ideal method of finding the right conveyancer is via trusted testimonial, so enquire of colleagues and relatives who have acquired a property in Littlehampton or a reputable estate agent or mortgage broker. Charges for conveyancing in Littlehampton differ, so it's sensible to request at least three estimates from different conveyancers. Be sure to obtain confirmation what costs in the quote includes.
Do online conveyancing organisations undertake everything a local Littlehampton solicitor does or must I employ a solicitor for the final stages for my conveyancing in Littlehampton?
If you choose an online conveyancer they will undertake all the work your Littlehampton conveyancer would cover.