I plan on purchasing a flat in Plymstock. My Solicitor is not on the bank solicitor panel. Is it possible for me to retain my Plymstock conveyancing solicitor notwithstanding that they are not on the mortgage company panel of approved conveyancing solicitors?
You will need to use a conveyancing practitioner to complete the formalities when you need a loan to buy your property. The lawyer will carry out all the relevant legal checks on the property, make sure that you will be registered as proprietor and ensure that all the necessary mortgage paperwork is dealt with. One may appoint a Plymstock solicitor of your choosing. Nevertheless, where the solicitor appointed is not on the bank conveyancing panel further costs will arise as separate legal representation will be required by them. Bank panel applications can be submitted, so if your solicitor has not historically sought membership they should take the chance to apply.
My Solicitor in Plymstock has never been on on the Leeds Building Society Approved Panel. Is it possible for me to use my family solicitor notwithstanding that they are not on the Leeds Building Society panel of approved conveyancing solicitors?
The limited options open to you here include:
- Complete the purchase with your existing Plymstock solicitors but Leeds Building Society will need to use a lawyer on their panel. This will inevitably rack up the total conveyancing charges and cause frustration.
- Choose an alternative practitioner to act in the conveyancing, obviously checking they are Leeds Building Society approved.
- Try to convince your Leeds Building Society solicitor to seek to join the Leeds Building Society panel
I am due to move property in December. Will my conveyancing solicitor call the removal company on the day of completion. On a separate note, can you suggest a removal company in Plymstock. Conveyancing lawyer was organised prior to coming across this site.
On the afternoon of completion you will need to collect the keys from the selling agent however this should only occur when the sellers lawyers confirm to the agent that they have the completion monies and the keys can be collected. You can tell the removal company that you are ready to move in. We are not in a position to recommend a specific removal organisation but can help you locate a residential property solicitor in Plymstock or a legal practice with expertise in conveyancing in Plymstock.
I have paid off my mortgage with Principality. I assume I don't need a Plymstock conveyancing practitioner on the Principality panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?
If you have finished paying off your Principality 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 Principality mortgage from the register. Principality, 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 Principality has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- Principality has instructed the Land Registry to do so
My offer was accepted on a property in Plymstock on 12/9/2025, valuation was booked 4 days later, all came back fine. Conveyancer instructed, so all that was missing was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to RBS and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the RBS conveyancing panel. Are RBS entitled to hold back the Mortgage pending the lawyer being on the approved list?
A lender would not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for RBS to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the RBS conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
I am selling our home in Plymstock and according to the buyers it appears that there is a possibility that the property was constructed on contaminated land. A local conveyancer would know that there is no such problem. It does beg the question why the buyers used an online conveyancing outfit as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Plymstock. We have lived in Plymstock for many years we know that this is a non issue. Should we contact our local Authority to get clarification need.
It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing solicitor already. Are they able to advise? You must 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 health insurance to cover that same sickness)
I have been on the look out for a leasehold apartment up to £245,000 and identified one close by in Plymstock I like with a park and transport links nearby, the downside is that it only has 49 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Plymstock suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a lease with such few years left?
If you need a mortgage the shortness of the lease may be problematic. Reduce the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current proprietor has owned the property for a minimum of 2 years you can request that they commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor concerning this matter.
I am tempted by the attractive purchase price for a couple of flats in Plymstock both have in the region of fifty years left on the lease term. Should I regard a short lease as a deal breaker?
There are no two ways about it. A leasehold apartment in Plymstock is a wasting asset as a result of the reducing lease term. The closer the lease gets to zero years unexpired, the more it adversely affects the salability of the premises. The majority of buyers and lenders, leases with less than eighty years become less and less marketable. On a more upbeat note, leaseholders can extend their leases by serving a Section 42 Notice. One stipulation is that they must have owned the premises for two years (unlike a Section 13 notice for purchasing the freehold, when leaseholders can participate from day one of ownership). When successful, they will have the right to an extension of 90 years to the current term and ground rent is effectively reduced to zero. Before moving forward with a purchase of premises with a short lease term remaining you should talk to a solicitor specialising in lease extensions and leasehold enfranchisement. We are are happy to put you in touch with Plymstock conveyancing experts who will explain the options available to you during an initial telephone conversation free of charge. A more straightforward and quicker method of extending would be to contact your landlord directly and sound him out on the prospect of extending the lease. They may agree to a smaller lump sum and an increase in the ground rent, but to shorter extension terms in return. You need to ensure that the agreed terms represent good long-term value compared with the standard benefits of the Section 42 Notice and that onerous clauses are not inserted into any redrafting of the lease.
Plymstock Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Questions you should consider before buying
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This information is important as a) areas may result in problems for the building as the communal areas may start to deteriorate if maintenance remain unpaid b) if the leasehold owners have an issue with the managing agents you will want to know about it How much is the ground rent and service charge? It is important to be aware whether window replacement or some other major work is coming up that will be shared between the leasehold owners and will dramatically impact the level of the maintenance costs or require a specific payment.