I can't travel far from Southborough. Is there a reason why all Southborough property lawyers aren't included on all lender panels?
Banks highlight the fact that solicitor-led fraud is thought to be responsible for millions of pounds of fraud every year.The removal of law firms from lender panels started with the rise in mortgage fraud, which prompted a thematic review by the FSA in 2011. Its conclusions included recommendations for lending institutions to review their conveyancing panels, which kicked off a major policy change in the sector. This led to banks and building societies purging less reputable firms off their official list of approved property lawyers .
I have Fifty Six years unexpired on my lease and need a lease extension for my flat in Southborough. Conveyancing solicitors on the Tesco Bank 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. Tesco Bank have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook in relation to minimum unexpired lease terms. As of 7/9/2025 the requirements read as follows :
How can we know in advance if a Southborough conveyancing solicitor on the Skipton panel is any good?
When it comes to conveyancing in Southborough getting recommendations is a sensible start. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one which is cheap as chips. We would always advocate that you speak with the lawyer carrying out your transaction.
I recently had an offer accepted on an apartment in Southborough. My financial adviser suggested a conveyancer. I paid an upfront payment of £200. A couple of days later, the conveyancer called me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?
You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Clydesdale panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.
I've read lots of mortgage guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Southborough solicitor - who is on the RBS conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?
RBS will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually RBS will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own Southborough surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.
Due to the advice of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a house in Southborough before appointing conveyancers. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold aspect to the house. Our surveyor has said that some lenders tend not grant a mortgage on such a house.
It varies from the lender to lender. Santander has different requirements for example to Birmingham Midshires. Should you wish to telephone us we can look into this further via the relevant lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Southborough. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Southborough to see if the conveyancing will be more expensive.
I've recently bought a leasehold property in Southborough. Am I liable to pay service charges for periods before my ownership?
Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner 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 ensure 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 am the proprietor of a a ground floor purpose built flat in Southborough. In the absence of agreement between myself and the landlord, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal determine the amount due for the purchase of the freehold?
if there is a missing landlord or where there is dispute 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 arrive at the premium.
An example of a Lease Extension decision for a Southborough property is 1 Southlands Court Southlands Road in September 2013. The Leasehold Valuation Tribunal determined that the premium to be paid by the tenant on the grant of a new lease, in accordance with section 56 and Schedule 13 of the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 was £30,541 This case affected 1 flat. The remaining number of years on the lease was 50.57 years.
What are my options where I am dissatisfied with the solicitor who did our conveyancing in Southborough?
We live in an imperfect world, and unfortunately sometimes things do go wrong. Nevertheless there is recourse where you were unhappy with your conveyancing in Southborough. This varies from trying to resolve matters directly with them, through to reporting a conveyancing practitioner to their regulator. If you remain unhappy you may consider getting in touch with the Legal Ombudsman.