I am told that my conveyancing solicitors will need to check that the building insurance for my purchase of a house in Southport. My lender is Chelsea Building Society
Chelsea Building Society have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 12/9/2025, the requirements read as follows :
Are all Southport Conveyancing Quality Solicitors on the Skipton conveyancing panel?
Some major lenders now utilise the accreditation scheme as the starting point for Panel approval such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS accreditation however gives no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. Nevertheless,the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for firms wishing to join their approved list of conveyancing solicitors.
Can you point me to a directory of Kent Reliance panel conveyancers in Southport on the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook Website?
No. There is no such facility on the Council of Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association sites. A small selection of lending institutions make their panel listings visible online. Where you are looking for a Southport property lawyer on the Kent Reliance please make the most of our tool.
I currently have a mortgage with Virgin Money for my property in Southport. Conveyancing has been completed some time ago. If I am intending to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform Virgin Money?
Your original mortgage agreement with Virgin Money will provide that you need their approval in advance of letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of Virgin Money’s mortgage conditions. It may be that Virgin Money will permit you to let out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Virgin Money directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a Virgin Money conveyancing panel solicitor.
My wife and I purchased a semi-detached Victorian house in Southport. Conveyancing practitioner acted for me and HSBC Bank. I did a free Land Registry search last week and I saw two entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold under the matching property. I'd like to know for sure, how can I find out??
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 Southport and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they buy they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with mortgage companies. You can also question the position with your conveyancing solicitor who completed the work.
Is it possible to swap solicitor as I have to find one who is on the Nationwide Building Society conveyancing panel. I hired a local conveyancing solicitor in Southport round the corner but she is not approved by Nationwide Building Society
It would be our pleasure to assist you find a conveyancing solicitor in Southport on the Nationwide Building Society panel. Please note that the solicitors that we work with do not pay us commission if you instruct them and are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority who oversee all conveyancing solicitors in Southport. In utilising search facility on this site, you can scrutinise charges for conveyancing solicitors in Southport and throughout England and Wales.
When it comes to leasehold conveyancing in Southport what are the most frequent lease problems?
Leasehold conveyancing in Southport is not unique. All leases are unique and drafting errors can sometimes mean that certain provisions are wrong. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:
-
Insurance obligations
You may encounter difficulties when selling your property if you have a defective lease as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. HSBC Bank, Leeds Building Society, and Platform Home Loans Ltd all have very detailed conveyancing instructions when it comes to what is expected in a lease. If a mortgage lender believes that the lease does not cover certain provisions they may refuse to grant the mortgage, forcing the purchaser to pull out.
I bought a ground floor flat in Southport, conveyancing was carried out December 1995. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Comparable flats in Southport with over 90 years remaining are worth £176,000. The ground rent is £50 yearly. The lease terminates on 21st October 2104
With 79 years unexpired the likely cost is going to range between £8,600 and £9,800 plus costs.
The figure above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt additional concerns that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.
Partway through the sale of a leasehold flat in Southport. Conveyancing lawyers are doing their job but we are being charged a fortune from the freeholder. To date we have issued a cheque for £268 for a leasehold management pack and then another £118 for responses to queries supplied by the buyers property lawyer.
You will not have any say over the level of the bill for this information however the typical costs for the information for Southport leasehold premises is £350. When it comes to Southport conveyancing sales it is usual for the owner to cover the charges. The freeholder or their agents are not duty bound to address these questions most will be content to do so - albeit often at exorbitant prices where the fees bear little relation to the work involved. Regretfully there is no legislation that requires set charges for administrative tasks. There is no prescriptive time limit by which they are obliged to issue answers.