We were just about to exchange contracts for a ground floor flat in Purley. We encountered a stumbling block. Our mortgage offer with The Royal Bank of Scotland runs out on 23/3/2026 but the sellers are insisting on a completion date of 25/3/2026. Can one prolong the mortgage offer?
The person best placed to deal with your concern is your conveyancer who is in a position to assess whether he or she is should be discussing with the mortgage company, seller’s lawyers, property agents or possibly all parties given the circumstances your house move as of today.
As someone unfamiliar with the Purley conveyancing process what’s the number one tip you can impart for the legal transfer of property in Purley
Not many law firms or advisers will tell you this but conveyancing in Purley or throughout South London is an adversarial process. In other words, when it comes to conveyancing there exists plenty of opportunity for confrontation between you and others involved in the transaction. For instance, the seller, estate agent and on occasion a lender. Appointing a lawyer for your conveyancing in Purley an important selection as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the ONE party in the legal process whose interest is to look after your legal interests and to keep you safe.
We are witnessing a distinct ongoing adversarial element to conveyancing- someone must be at fault for the process taking so long. We recommend that you your first instinct should be to trust your conveyancer above the other players in the conveyancing process.
Various online forums that I have visited warn that are the number one cause of delay in Purley house deals. Is that correct?
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) published findings of research by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not feature within the common causes of delays during the legal transfer of property. Local searches are unlikely to feature in any holding up conveyancing in Purley.
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified as part of conveyancing in Purley?
Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Purley. 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…’
I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold issue on a house I put an offer in last month in what was supposed to be a straight forward, chain free conveyancing. Purley is where the house is located. Can you offer any assistance?
Flying freeholds in Purley are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Purley you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds thoroughly. Your lender may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Purley may ascertain 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.
I've recently bought a leasehold property in Purley. Am I liable to pay service charges for periods before my ownership?
Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.
If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).
I have had difficulty in trying to purchase the freehold in Purley. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal adjudicate on premiums?
in cases where there is a missing landlord or where there is disagreement about what the lease extension should cost, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 it is possible to make an application to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to decide the sum to be paid.
An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement case for a Purley flat is The Woodlands 95 Purley Park Road in April 2009. The Tribunals own valuation produced the figure of £37,912. This case affected 6 flats. The unexpired term was 78.32 years.