The mortgage agreement from HSBC for the remortgage of my 2 room flat is to be issued within the next few days. Can you propose a cheap conveyancing law firm in Pitstone?
You have arrived at the wrong place to search for cut-price fees for conveyancing solicitors in Pitstone. Our aim is to provide cost effective conveyancing but our intention is not to work with the cheapest lawyers. Do not be seduced by companies seducing you with £100 conveyancing in Pitstone. The optimum result, in deciding on cheap conveyancing, you will receive what you pay for and at worst you will end up invoiced for extras and still not end up with the service expected.
Is it possible for conveyancing in Pitstone to be concluded within 3 weeks?
In a situation where you are under a tight deadline for your conveyancing it is highly recommended that your conveyancer is familiar with the area as they will make use of local contacts and intelligence. It is even conceivable that they would have conducted otherproperties in the same road. You would be best advised to use a Pitstone conveyancing lawyer. Second, make sure that the conveyancing firm is on the member panel. It is understood that 18% of Pitstone conveyancing deals are delayed or derailed after discovering a purchaser’s lawyer was not on their banks list of approved solicitors. This can often result in the home move being delayed by an average of 21 days. It is understood that this issue impacts approximately one hundred thousand home moves every year. Many Pitstone conveyancing practices can not represent certain mortgage companies so do check at the outset.
About to place a bid on a leasehold flat in Pitstone. The estate agents tell me that it is the norm for flats in Pitstone to have less than 75 years remaining. I am expecting a loan with Nationwide Building Society. Is this going to be acceptable if the lease has 69 years unexpired.
Most leasehold conveyancing experts should be able to deal with a lease extension. if you are securing a mortgage then your lender may insist that the lease be extended before competition. Nationwide Building Society have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook in relation to minimum unexpired lease terms. As of 12/4/2025 the requirements read as follows :
- There must be at least 30 years remaining at the end of the mortgage term (regardless of the length of lease at the start).
Where the unexpired lease term is different to that recorded on the mortgage offer, the following clarifies if we need to be informed:
Second hand property:
- If the unexpired lease term on the offer is 85 years or more - only advise us if the actual lease term is less than 85 years
- if the unexpired lease term on the offer is less than 85 years – advise us if the actual lease term is different than reported
- For equity share applications - advise us if the actual lease term is different than reported on the offer
- Where lending is over 85% of the purchase price/valuation on a second hand flat and the unexpired lease term on the offer is 90 years or more - only advise us if the actual lease term is less than 90 years.
New build property:
- If the unexpired lease term stated on the offer is 125 years (flat) / 250 years (house) or more - only advise us if the actual lease term is less than 125 years (flat) / 250 years (house)
- For equity share applications - always advise us if the actual lease term is different than reported on the offer
Lease terms such as ground rent and event fees must be reasonable at all times during the term of the lease and adhere to our requirements below. If you’re unsure as to whether the terms of a lease are unreasonable or onerous, please refer the details to us in plain English for Valuer consideration. If the potentially onerous terms are in relation to the ground rent please include the current ground rent figure per annum, how often it will be reviewed and the price structure it will be reviewed against. See the guidance below.
SECOND HAND PROPERTIES
Unacceptable - advise Issuing Office (Will be declined):
- Unexpired lease term less than 55 years
- Unexpired lease term less than 90 years where we are lending more than 85% of the purchase price/valuation on a second hand flat
- Less than 30 years remaining at the end of the mortgage term
- Ground Rent greater than 0.5% of the property value
- Ground Rent doubles less than every 20 years (e.g. doubles every 5, 10 or 15 years) - acceptable if doubles every 20 years or more
- Ground Rent is compounded RPI
- Ground Rent review period is less than or equal to 5 years
Refer to Issuing Office (Valuer will consider any impact on valuation figure and marketability):
- Unexpired lease term is 55 to 85 years
- Ground Rent greater than 0.1% and less than or equal to 0.5% of the property value
- Ground Rent escalation is linked to any indices greater than RPI
- Ground Rent escalation is linked to the value of the building*
- Ground Rent review period is greater than 5 and less than 10 years
- Event clauses exist for normal use e.g. changing the carpet, installing a TV aerial, etc
- Estate Rent Charges greater than £500 p/a (please provide details of what the charges cover)
- Service Charges greater than 1% of property value p/a (please provide details of what the charges cover)
- Anything that appears onerous, unusual or out of the ordinary
Acceptable (no requirement to advise Issuing Office):
- Unexpired lease term greater than 85 years (Minimum 90 years where we are lending more than 85% of the purchase price/valuation on a second hand flat)
- Ground Rent less than or equal to 0.1% of the property value
- Ground Rent review period greater than or equal to 10 years
- Ground Rent escalation less than or equal to RPI
NEW BUILD PROPERTIES (includes office conversions)
Unacceptable - advise Issuing Office (Will be declined)
- Unexpired lease term less than 125 years on a new build flat or less than 250 years on a new build house (does not apply to Shared Ownership)
- Any lease which is subject to a Ground Rent (or Annual Rent) being charged which is more than on a peppercorn basis
- Any lease which is subject to a Ground Rent (or Annual Rent) being charged which is more than on a peppercorn basis
Refer to Issuing Office (Valuer will consider any impact on valuation figure and marketability):
- Event clauses exist for normal use e.g. changing the carpet, installing a TV aerial etc
- Estate Rent Charges greater than £500 p/a (please provide details of what the charges cover)
- Service Charges greater than 1% of property value p/a (please provide details of what the charges cover)
- Anything else appears onerous, unusual or out of the ordinary
Acceptable (no requirement to advise Issuing Office):
- Unexpired lease term greater than or equal to 125 years on a new build flat or greater than or equal to 250 years on a new build house
- A lease subject to a peppercorn Ground Rent (Annual Rent) charges
For the avoidance of doubt, any New Build properties completed but not sold pre-30 June 2022 will only be acceptable if the Lease conforms to the above guidance.
* Where the Ground Rent escalation is linked to the value of the building, please provide the following:
- How is the value of the block/unit currently calculated and if the assessment relates to the block(s), how is the Ground Rent calculated/apportioned per property?
- The current valuation and Ground Rent for each unit
- What is the mechanism for future valuations of the block and how is the Ground Rent calculated/apportioned?
- What is the right of appeal? And is this a documented process within the lease?
- Who bears the cost of the valuation (and appeal) process?
- Confirmation the review period is not less than twenty years.
Lease Extensions
We require all Lease Extensions to be completed under the Leasehold Reform Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 and to meet the above criteria as a minimum. Where you become aware that it does not meet these requirements, please refer to Issuing Office.
Please ensure that all lender enquiries are submitted (with full documentation/requirements) at least 2 weeks prior to exchange to allow sufficient time for review and decisioning.
I require quick conveyancing in Pitstone as I have an ultimatum to exchange contracts in less than one month. A mortgage is not required. Can I escape the need for conveyancing searches to save money and time?
As you are not taking a mortgage you are at liberty not to do searches although no solicitor would advise that you don't. With lots of history conveyancing in Pitstone the following are examples of what can appear and adversely affect future saleability: Refused Planning Applications, Overdue Fees, Overdue Grants, Railway Schemes,...
Over the last few months I have been searching for a ground for flat up to £245,000 and identified one round the corner in Pitstone I like with a park and transport links in the vicinity, the downside is that it only has 49 years unexpired on the lease. There is not much else in Pitstone suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a short lease?
If you need a home loan the shortness of the lease will be an issue. Discount the offer by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing proprietor has owned the property for at least 2 years you can ask them to start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor about this matter.
I see that you have a post code search directory identifying law firms on the mortgage company conveyancing panel. Do Pitstone conveyancing firms pay you a commission if I instruct them for my own house purchase?
We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the mortgage company conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to the any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in Pitstone.