Our lawyer has discovered a defect with the lease for the flat we are buying in Northam. The seller’s lawyers have offered defective title insurance as a workaround. We are happy with insurance and will cover the costs. Our property lawyer says that he must ensure that the mortgage company is content with this solution. Are we the client or is the mortgage company ?
The short answer to your last question is that, notwithstanding the risk of a conflict of interest, you and the bank are the client. Your conveyancer must comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook provisions. The UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook conditions require your lawyer to disclose issues such as defects with the lease so that the lender can be afforded the opportunity to check with their valuer as to the extent that the value of the property is affected. Should you refuse to allow your lawyer to make the appropriate notification then your conveyancer will have no choice but to discontinue acting for you.
I am told that my conveyancing solicitors will need to check that the building insurance for my purchase of a house in Northam. My lender is Platform
Platform have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 19/2/2025, the requirements read as follows :
Is there a list of Barclays panel solicitors in Northam on the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook Website?
No. There is no such directory service on the Council of Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association sites. A small selection of mortgage companies make their panel listings open the public online. If you are seeking to appoint a Northam property lawyer on the Barclays please use our facility.
I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with Skipton. I assume I don't need a Northam conveyancing practitioner on the Skipton panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.
If you have finished paying off your Skipton 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 Skipton mortgage from the register. Skipton, 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 Skipton has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- Skipton has instructed the Land Registry to do so
I am selling my flat. I had a double glazing fitted in October 2010, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My purchaser’s lender, RBS are being difficult. The Northam solicitor who is on the RBS conveyancing panel is happy to accept ‘lack of building regulation’ insurance but RBS are requiring a building regulation certificate. Why do RBS have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?
It is probably the case that RBS have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why RBS may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.
I decided to have a survey carried out on a house in Northam prior to instructing conveyancers. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold element to the property. The surveyor has said that some mortgage companies will not issue a loan on a flying freehold house.
It varies from the lender to lender. Lloyds has different requirements from Birmingham Midshires. If you contact us we can investigate further via the appropriate lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Northam. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.
My husband and I are first time buyers - agreed a price, yet the agent informed us that the seller will only go ahead if we instruct the agent's chosen conveyancers as they want an ‘expedited deal’. My instinct tells me that we should use a high street solicitor accustomed to conveyancing in Northam
We suspect that the owner is unaware of this demand. Should the seller require ‘a quick sale', turning down a genuine buyer is counter productive. Speak to the vendors direct and explain that (a)you are genuine purchasers (b)you are excited to move forward, with finances in place © you do not need to sell (d) you intend to proceed fast (e)however you will continue to instruct your own,trusted Northam conveyancing lawyers - rather thanthose that will provide their negotiator at the agency a commission or achieve conveyancing targets pre-set by senior management.
I only have Seventy years unexpired on my flat in Northam. I now want to extend my lease but my freeholder is absent. What are my options?
On the basis that you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be extended by the Court. However, you will be required to prove that you or your lawyers have made all reasonable attempts to find the landlord. In some cases an enquiry agent should be helpful to conduct investigations and to produce an expert document which can be accepted by the court as proof that the landlord can not be located. It is advisable to get professional help from a solicitor both on proving the landlord’s absence and the application to the County Court covering Northam.
I am the registered owner of a split level flat in Northam, conveyancing was carried out May 2012. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Equivalent flats in Northam with a long lease are worth £227,000. The ground rent is £50 invoiced annually. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2097
With 72 years left to run the likely cost is going to range between £9,500 and £11,000 as well as professional fees.
The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more comprehensive due diligence. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information without first getting professional advice.