My wife and I are buying a newly built apartment in Muswell Hill and my lawyer is telling me that she is duty bound to the mortgage company to disclose incentives from the developer. I am under pressure to exchange and I don't want to delay matters. Is my lawyer right?
You should not exchange unless you have been advised to do so by your conveyancing practitioner. A precondition to being on a mortgage company panel is to comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook provisions. The CML Conveyancing Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.
I am told that my conveyancing solicitors will need to check that the building insurance for my purchase of a house in Muswell Hill. My lender is The Mortgage Works
The Mortgage Works have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 25/6/2025, the requirements read as follows :
My partner and I are downsizing from our house in Muswell Hill and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a possibility that the property was constructed land that was not decontaminated. A local lawyer would know that there is no such problem. For the life of me I don't know why the buyers used an online conveyancing outfit as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Muswell Hill. We have lived in Muswell Hill for 5 years we know of no issue. Do we contact our local Authority to obtain confirmation that the buyers are looking for.
It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing solicitor already. Are they able to advise? You should check with your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out life insurance to cover that same illness)
Just had an offer accepted on a new build apartment in Muswell Hill. Conveyancing is necessary evil at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. What sort of enquires would be asked in new build conveyancing.
Here is a sample of a few leasehold new build questions that you may expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Muswell Hill
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Please confirm the Lease plans are surveyor prepared. Please provide evidence that the form of Lease proposed has been approved by the Land Registry. Investor purchasers must be able to freely grant unsecured tenancies at market rents without requiring any consents. Has the Lease plan been approved by the Land Registry and if not when will they be lodged for this purpose? Where there is an Undertaking being granted there is the risk of forfeiture of the Headlease subject to relief if one or more of the Underlessees are willing to accept the original Head Lessee’s obligations as otherwise relief will be denied to the Underlessees. The only alternatives are the Head Lessor agreeing not to forfeit the Headlease or the Head Lessee guaranteeing to the Underlessees that it will not be in breach of the Headlease.
I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold issue on a house I put an offer in a fortnight ago in what was supposed to be a straight forward, no chain conveyancing. Muswell Hill is the location of the property. Can you shed any light on this issue?
Flying freeholds in Muswell Hill are not the norm but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Muswell Hill you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds diligently. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Muswell Hill may determine that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold premises.
We're first time buyers - had an offer accepted, yet the estate agent told us that the seller will only issue a contract if we instruct their preferred lawyers as they need an ‘expedited deal’. My instinct tells me that we should use a local solicitor who is accustomed to conveyancing in Muswell Hill
We suspect that the seller is unaware of this requirement. If they require ‘a quick sale', turning down a motivated buyer is not the way to achieve this. Contact the owners directly and make sure they understand (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are excited to move forward, with finances arranged © you are chain free (d) you wish to move quickly (e)but you intend to appoint your own,trusted Muswell Hill conveyancing solicitors - not the ones that will earn their estate agent a introducer fee or achieve conveyancing figures demanded by head office.