Some advice if I may. My Shirehampton solicitor is advising me that he has toapply for Shirehampton conveyancing searches asthe firm are on the Nat Westapproved lawyer panel. Do I not have any say here?
You have limited options available to you. Given that you are taking out a loan with a lender your conveyancer has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your property lawyer would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of your bank’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to follow the CML Handbook provisions . Even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out Shirehampton conveyancing searches.
I am about to put an offer on a leasehold flat in Shirehampton. The selling agents tell me that it is standard for flats in Shirehampton to have less than 75 years remaining. I am obtaining a mortgage with The Mortgage Works. Is this going to be a problem if the lease has 69 years to go.
Most leasehold conveyancing experts should be able to deal with a lease extension. if you are getting a mortgage then your lender may insist that the lease be extended before competition. The Mortgage Works have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook in relation to minimum unexpired lease terms. As of 1/5/2026 the requirements read as follows :
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
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 70 years
- 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 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 70 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 1.0% 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
- 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
- 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 reviewed and altered on any review basis or methodology
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 1.0% 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 the 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.
Various online forums that I have frequented warn that are the number one cause of obstruction in Shirehampton house deals. Is there any truth in this?
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) released findings of research by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure amongst the common causes of hindrances during the legal transfer of property. Local searches are unlikely to be the root cause of holding up conveyancing in Shirehampton.
I bought my apartment on 14 June and the transaction details is not yet registered. Should I be concerned? My conveyancing solicitor in Shirehampton said it will be concluded inside ten days. Are transfers in Shirehampton particularly slow to register?
As far as conveyancing in Shirehampton is concerned, registration is no quicker or slower than the rest of the country. As opposed to being determined by geographic area, timeframes can adjust subject to who lodges the application, whether there are errors and whether the Land registry communicate with any interested parties. At present approximately three quarters of such applications are fully addressed in less than three weeks but some can be subject to protracted hold-ups. Historically registration takes place after the purchaser is living at the property therefore post completion formalities is not usually primary concern yet where there is a degree of urgency associated with the registration then you or your lawyers can contact the land registry and explain the circumstances.
I have been pointed in your direction by a couple of local estate agents in Shirehampton to get a quote from a conveyancer on your site. Is there a financial upside for Estate Agents to offer your site rather than a competitor’s?
We refuse to offer any financial incentive for pointing buyers and sellers in our direction. We found it would be just too difficult to pay a commission as a client could think, ‘Why is the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not getting any benefit too?’ So we decided to step away from that.
My husband and I are novice buyers - agreed a price, but the agent has warned us that the vendor will only proceed if we appoint their recommended conveyancers as they are insisting on a ‘quick sale’. Our preferred option is to instruct a high street conveyancer with experience of conveyancing in Shirehampton
We suspect that the seller is not behind this ultimatum. If they desire ‘a quick sale', turning down a genuine purchaser is counter productive. Bypass the agents and go straight to the sellers and make sure they understand (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are excited to move forward, with mortgage lined up © you are chain free (d) you wish to move quickly (e)however you are going to instruct your own,trusted Shirehampton conveyancing solicitors - not the ones that will provide the negotiator at the agency a commission or achieve conveyancing thresholds demanded by corporate headquarters.