Will my conveyancing lawyers need to check that the building insurance for my purchase of a house in St Austell. My lender is Chelsea Building Society
Chelsea Building Society have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 24/5/2026, the requirements read as follows :
We are buying a detached bungalow in St Austell. Our aim is to carry out an extension to the side at the house.Will legal investigations on the property involve checks to determine if these alterations are permitted?
Your conveyancer should check the deeds as conveyancing in St Austell can sometimes identify restrictions in the title documents which restrict certain changes or require the consent of a 3rd party. Certain extensions call for local authority planning permissions and approval under the building regulations. Certain areas are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which often prevent or impact extensions. You should check these issues with a surveyor prior to committing yourself to a purchase.
I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with HSBC. I assume I don't need a St Austell lawyer on the HSBC panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.
If you have finished paying off your HSBC mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the HSBC mortgage from the register. HSBC, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:
- but are not moving to another property
- where HSBC has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- HSBC has instructed the Land Registry to do so
I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in St Austell off the council. I have a mortgage agreed with UBS. Conveyancing is not something I have any knowledge of. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have one. Any advice?
It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with UBS, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the UBS conveyancing panel.
I used Stirling Law a few years ago for my conveyancing in St Austell. Now, I need my files however the law firm is no longer operating. What do I do?
You should contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in St Austell of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously retained, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
I am looking for a flat up to £245,000 and identified one close by in St Austell I like with amenity areas and railway links in the vicinity, however it's only got 49 years unexpired on the lease. There is not much else in St Austell in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a short lease?
If you need a home loan the remaining unexpired lease term may be a potential deal breaker. Discount the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing proprietor has owned the premises for at least twenty four months you can request that they commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor concerning this.
I have been advised by a couple of local property agents in St Austell to choose a solicitor using your seach tool. Is there a financial incentive for Estate Agents to recommend your lawyers over and above another?
We don’t offer any financial incentive for directing people to this site. We thought it would be too underhand a fee as home movers will think, ‘How come the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not receiving any benefit too?’ So we decided to step away from that.
My father has urged me to use his conveyancers in St Austell. Should I find my own solicitor?
There are no two ways about it the best way to find a conveyancing practitioner is to have guidance from friends or family who have used the conveyancer you're contemplating using.