The owners have very assertive vendors who has insisted on a exclusivity agreement with a down payment of 5k. Is it wise to enter into such agreements?
There are a couple of primary concerns with signing a lock out agreement (occasionally referred to as an exclusivity agreement) is that it diverts attention away from progressing with the conveyancing process, so unless it requires minimal or no negotiation then it could transpire to be a hindrance. It is not promoted by Ranmoor conveyancing lawyers as a result. A supplemental negative is the extent of the remedies available - an aggrieved purchaser is not likely to be granted an injunction to stop the vendor disposing of the property to a third party, so the only remedy open via the agreement will be the reimbursement of wasted charges and, in limited scenarios, the extra payment of penalties.
Finally the sale completed on my house in Ranmoor last November but our buyer keeps e-mailing every few hours to say his conveyancer needs to hear from mine. What are the post completion sale formalities following completion?
After completion of your disposal your lawyer should send the transfer deeds and all supplemental paperwork to the buyer’s conveyancer. Depending on the transaction, your solicitor should also confirm that the home loan has been repaid to the purchasers solicitors. There is unlikely to be post completion steps unique to conveyancing in Ranmoor.
I am about to put a bid on a leasehold flat in Ranmoor. The estate agents assure me that it is normal for flats in Ranmoor to have less than 75 years unexpired on the lease. I am taking out a mortgage with Nationwide Building Society. Will the property be mortgageable given that the lease has 72 years to go.
Most leasehold conveyancing experts should be able to deal with a lease extension. if you are obtaining 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 16/2/2026 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.
What is your number one tip for finding a conveyancing solicitor in Ranmoor
It would be unwise to be seduced by the lowest Ranmoor conveyancing quote. You really do get what you’re paying for when it comes to property lawyers. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you go into the conveyancing with your eyes wide open.
I am selling my flat. I had a double glazing fitted in December 2007, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My purchaser’s mortgage company, Nationwide are being difficult. The Ranmoor solicitor who is on the Nationwide conveyancing panel is saying indemnity insurance will be fine but Nationwide are requiring a building regulation certificate. Why do Nationwide have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?
It is probably the case that Nationwide have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Nationwide 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.
Kent Reliance have agreed my mortgage in principle, my offer on a house in Ranmoor has been agreed to, what happens next?
The estate agent will wish to be advised as to your property lawyer's details (ensure that the solicitors are on the bank’s approved list). Contact Kent Reliance or your broker and complete any relevant paperwork. Kent Reliance will sellect a valuer who will get in touch with the estate agent or vendor to book an appointment. Once conducted (assuming no problems) it takes approximately ten days for the mortgage offer to be issued. Kent Reliance will send the offer to you and your property lawyers. The legal work will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Ranmoor.
I own a renovated Georgian property in Ranmoor. Conveyancing practitioner represented me and Platform Home Loans Ltd. I did a free Land Registry search last week and I saw a couple of entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold with the matching address. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?
You need to read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Ranmoor and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they sell they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with purchasers. You can also enquire as to the situation with the conveyancing solicitor who conducted the conveyancing.
What can I do where I am not happy with the conveyancing practitioner who carried out our conveyancing in Ranmoor?
Occasionally the level of service you receive is not as you expect, and is is a fact of life that sometimes things do go wrong. Nevertheless there is recourse if you were unhappy with your conveyancing in Ranmoor. This varies from trying to resolve matters directly with them, through to reporting a lawyer to their governing body. If you remain dissatisfied you may consider getting in touch with the Legal Ombudsman.