I am told that my conveyancing solicitors will need to check that the building insurance for my purchase of a house in Spondon. My lender is Chelsea Building Society
Chelsea Building Society have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 4/9/2025, the requirements read as follows :
I am purchasing a property in Spondon. A rare aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. TSB have issued a mortgage offer so presumably this is not a concern to them. Why is my solicitor raising questions about the panel?
Given that you are obtaining a mortgage with TSB your lawyer must follow the conveyancing instructions set out in Section 2 of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for TSB. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook sets out minimum specifications for solar panel roof-space leases, and conveyancing practitioners are required to report to TSB where a lease fails to comply with these conditions. The conditions relate to the installation of panels on properties nationwide and is not isolated to Spondon.
I can not work out if my lender obliges me to make sure the lease term for the flat is extended prior to the completion date. I have called my Spondon building society branch on a couple of occasions and was told they are content with the situation and they would lend. My Spondon conveyancing solicitor - who is on the mortgage company conveyancing panel- telephoned to say that they refuse to lend in accordance with their UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook minimum lease term requirements. Who do I believe?
Provided that the property lawyer is on the lender approved list, she or he must adhere to the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook specifications for the bank. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the mortgage company will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the mortgage company to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years left on the lease.
Having digested plenty of mortgage guides, I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Spondon solicitor - who is on the Co-operative conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?
Co-operative will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Co-operative 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. Your lawyer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Spondon postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Co-operative, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Spondon.
I have todaydiscovered that Wolstenholmes have closed. They carried out my conveyancing in Spondon for a purchase of a leasehold flat 9 months ago. How can I be sure that the property is in my name in the name of the previous owner?
The easiest method to check if the premises is in your name, you can make a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Spondon conveyancing specialists.
How does conveyancing in Spondon differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build property in Spondon come to us having been asked by the housebuilder to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the house is ready to move into. This is because builders in Spondon typically buy the land, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancing solicitors as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are used to new build conveyancing in Spondon or who has acted in the same development.
Over the last few months I have been searching for a ground for flat up to £305k and found one near me in Spondon I like with amenity areas and station nearby, however it's only got 49 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Spondon in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error acquiring a short lease?
Should you need a home loan that many years will likely be a potential deal breaker. Discount the price by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing proprietor has owned the property for at least twenty four months you may ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor regarding this.
Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Spondon from the perspective of expediting the sale process?
- A significant proportion of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Spondon can be avoided where you appoint lawyers the minute your agents start advertising the property and request that they start to collate the leasehold documentation which will be required by the purchasers’ lawyers. If you hold a share in a the freehold, you should ensure that you are holding the original share certificate. Organising a duplicate share certificate can be a lengthy formality and delays many a Spondon home move. Where a duplicate share is needed, you should approach the company director and secretary or managing agents (where applicable) for this as soon as possible. You may think that you are aware of the number of years left on your lease but it would be wise to double-check by asking your solicitors. A purchaser's lawyer will be unlikely to recommend their client to where the lease term is below 80 years. In the circumstances it is important at an as soon as possible that you identify whether the lease for your property needs extending. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your home on the market for sale. A minority of Spondon leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this applies to your lease, you should notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers put in hand financial (bank) and professional references. The bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are able to meet the annual service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the actual amount of the service charge so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their lawyers.
Leasehold Conveyancing in Spondon - Examples of Questions you should ask Prior to Purchasing
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This question is useful as a) areas can result in problems for the building as the communal areas may start to deteriorate where repairs remain unpaid b) if the leaseholders have an issue with the running of the building you will need to know about it Most Spondon leasehold flats will incur a service bill for maintenance of the block invoiced on behalf of the management company. Should you buy the flat you will have to meet this amount, normally periodically accross the year. This can differ from a couple of hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for bigger purpose-built buildings. There will also be a rentcharge to be met annual, this is usually not a large sum, say about £25-£75 but you need to enquire as occasionally it can be many hundreds of pounds. How is the lease structured?