My lawyer has discovered a a problem with the lease for the flat we are purchasing in Southend. The seller’s lawyers have put forward defective title insurance as a solution. We are happy with insurance and will cover the costs. Our conveyancing practitioner says that he must check that the lender is happy with this solution. Are we the client or is the mortgage company ?
The short answer to your last question is that, notwithstanding the risk of a conflict of interest, you and the mortgage company are the client. Your solicitor must comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook provisions. The UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook conditions require your lawyer to disclose issues such as defects with the lease so that the lender can be afforded the opportunity to check with their valuer as to the extent that the value of the property is affected. Should you refuse to allow your lawyer to make the appropriate notification then your conveyancing practitioner will have no choice but to discontinue acting for you.
I have 71 years left on my lease and need a lease extension for my flat in Southend. Conveyancing solicitors on the Virgin panel can deal with such extensions correct?
Most leasehold conveyancing experts should be able to deal with a lease extension. if you are securing a mortgage then your lender may insist that the lease be extended before competition. Virgin have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook in relation to minimum unexpired lease terms. As of 18/9/2026 the requirements read as follows :
My wife and I purchased a renovated Edwardian property in Southend. Conveyancing solicitor acted for me and Barclays . I did a free Land Registry search last week and I saw two entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold with the matching address. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?
You need to review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Southend and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they mortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with mortgage companies. You can also enquire as to the position with the conveyancing practitioner who conducted the conveyancing.
I am looking for a leasehold apartment up to £245,000 and identified one near me in Southend I like with a park and railway links nearby, the downside is that it only has 61 years on the lease. There is not much else in Southend in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a short lease?
Should you need a mortgage the shortness of the lease will likely be problematic. Reduce the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current proprietor has owned the property for at least twenty four months you may ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor regarding this.
Am I better off to choose a Southend conveyancing lawyer based in the vicinity that I am buying? I have an old university friend who can handle the legal work but his firm is located a couple of hundredkilometers drive away.
The primary upside of using a local Southend conveyancing firm is that you can attend the office to sign documents, present your identification documents and pester them if necessary. They will also have local knowledge which is a plus. That being said nothing is more important than finding someone that will do a good and efficient job. If if people you trust used your friend and on the whole were content that must surpass using an unfamiliar Southend conveyancing solicitor just because they are Southend based.
We are expecting to complete on the purchase a house in Southend but as a consequence of wreckage from the recent storms I have negotiated recompense from the owner of four thousand pounds by way of a adjustment in the price. This was going to be dealt with as part of the conveyancing process however my bank will not permit this. Why were they approached?
The conveyancing practitioner listed on the bank approved list is required to inform the bank of any amendments to the sale figure. In the event that you did not allow your solicitor to notify the reduction to your mortgage company then they would need to refrain from acting for you and the lender.