Recently been in touch with my conveyancing solicitor in Shrivenham who completed the legal work two years ago asking for a conveyancing quote based on an identical type of house sale & purchase (a leasehold residence and a freehold property) of almost identical values with a mortgage from Platform Home Loans Ltd. I am now being charged double. Should I hunt for a cheaper internet firm of conveyancing solicitor?
The estimate does seem a tad overpriced. If you you were to look around you could shave off some of the cost by perhaps £100 plus VAT. On the other hand, assuming were happy with the service the firm offered you maylive to rue choosing an an untested solicitor. Don't forget to enquire the solicitor can represent Platform Home Loans Ltd. You can utilise our search tool to find a Shrivenham conveyancing firm on the Platform Home Loans Ltd conveyancing panel, which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Shrivenham.
We have very assertive vendors who has suggested a preliminary agreement with a non-refundable deposit 10k. Are such agreements sensible?
Lock out contracts are agreements binding a home vendor and prospective buyer giving the buyer the sole right to the sale of the premises within an agreed time frame. Essentially, a lock out is a document stating that you should receive a contract at a later date being the main conveyancing contract. It is generally utilised for buyer confidence though in many situations, the seller may enjoy an upside from such agreements as well. There are various positives and negatives to using them but you should to check with your lawyer but beware that it may result in costing you more in conveyancing fees. In light of these reasons these agreements are unusual when it comes to conveyancing in Shrivenham.
I have Fifty Six years left on my lease and need a lease extension for my flat in Shrivenham. Conveyancing solicitors on the Nationwide Building Society panel can deal with such extensions correct?
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 26/7/2025 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.
Forgive me if this question is silly but I am unseasoned as FTB of a garden flat in Shrivenham. Do I pick up the keys to the house on completion from my solicitor? If this is the case, I will instruct a local conveyancing solicitor in Shrivenham?
On the day of completion you do not need to go to the conveyancers office in Shrivenham. Your solicitors will arrange to send the purchase money to the vendor’s lawyers, and shortly after the monies have arrived, you will be able to collect the keys from the selling Agents and move into your new home. This tends to happen early afternoon.
When it comes to mortgage companies such as Kent Reliance, do Shrivenham conveyancing practitioners incur a yearly amount to be on the list of approved solicitors?
We are not aware of any lender fees to register on their panel, although some do levy an administration fee to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.
I had a mortgage agreed in principle with Aldermore. Shrivenham conveyancing lawyers are selected. What is the average time that one could expect to receive a mortgage offer from Aldermore?
Some lenders take longer than others. Have Aldermore completed the valuation? Have you informed Aldermore as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Aldermore conveyancing panel? It is not unusual for a mortgage offer to take a month to come through.
What is different about your site and other online quote calculators when it comes to conveyancing in Shrivenham?
At this site obtain a conveyancing quote via a Solicitor or Licensed Conveyancer that has a full understanding of the nuances of your conveyancing in Shrivenham. Unlike many estate agents and brokerage sites we are not in the business of charging firms a fee if you instruct them for your home move in Shrivenham
I have recently realised that I have Fifty years left on my flat in Shrivenham. I need to extend my lease but my landlord is can not be found. What options are available to me?
On the basis that you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be extended by the Court. You will be obliged to prove that you or your lawyers have used your best endeavours to locate the lessor. In some cases an enquiry agent should be useful to carry out a search and prepare a report which can be used as evidence that the freeholder can not be located. It is wise to seek advice from a conveyancer in relation to devolving into the landlord’s absence and the application to the County Court overseeing Shrivenham.
Shrivenham Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Queries before Purchasing
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Best to be warned whether changing the roof or some other significant cost is due in the foreseeable future to be shared amongst the tenants and could well dramatically impact the level of the service fees or require a specific payment. How many of the leaseholders are in arrears for their maintenance charge payments?