Why is leasehold purchase conveyancing in Stroud is more expensive?
Stroud leasehold properties involve far more paperwork than a freehold purchase, and therefore takes more time to examine and advise upon.Conveyancing will involve the lease having to be checked which is usually a lengthy document, queries raised to ensure that the covenants and conditions have been observed. If it is a flat there will be a management company in existence and the accounts of this will need to be checked and enquiries raised to ensure it is operating efficiently and that all monies due have been paid by the Seller to the company and if not ensuring that money is paid up to date or the appropriate undertakings obtained.
About to place an offer on a leasehold apartment in Stroud. The property agents assure me that it is standard for flats in Stroud to have less than 75 years remaining. I am obtaining a loan with Accord Mortgages. Will the property be mortgageable given that the lease has 69 years left.
Most leasehold conveyancing experts should be able to deal with a lease extension. if you are getting a mortgage then your lender may insist that the lease be extended before competition. Accord Mortgages have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook in relation to minimum unexpired lease terms. As of 19/10/2025 the requirements read as follows :
We are planning to move house in November. Will my conveyancing solicitor liaise with the removal company on the day of completion. As an aside, can you suggest a removal company in Stroud. Conveyancing solicitor was organised before I stumbled across this page.
On the day of completion you can pick up the house keys from your estate agent however this should only occur once the previous owners conveyancers confirm to the agent that they acknowledge receipt of the completion payment and the keys can be passed over. You can tell the removal men that they can start moving you in. As a matter of policy we do not suggest a particular removal company but can assist you in finding a conveyancing in Stroud or a solicitor that specialises in conveyancing in Stroud.
I happen to be the single recipient of my late father’s will and I have everything in my name now, including the my former home in Stroud. Conveyancing formalities meant that the Land Registry date was in September. I now wish to sell up. I understand that there is a Mortgage Lenders 6 month 'rule', meaning my property ownership could be regarded the same way as if I'd bought the house in September. Is the property unsalable for six months?
The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ handbook mandates conveyancers to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." By the strict wording you might be impacted by that. Some lenders would take a practical view as this requirement is principally there to identify the purchase and immediately sell or the quick reselling of property.
Having read lots 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 Stroud solicitor - who is on the UBS conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?
UBS will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually UBS 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 Stroud 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.
I own a 4 bedroom Georgian property in Stroud. Conveyancing lawyer acted for me and Virgin Money. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are two entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold under the exact same 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 as there may be 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 Stroud and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they sell they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with purchasers. You can also check the situation with the conveyancing lawyer who completed the work.
I am looking for a ground for flat up to £305k and identified one round the corner in Stroud I like with a park and railway links nearby, however it only has 49 years on the lease. There is not much else in Stroud suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a short lease?
Should you need a mortgage that many years may be problematic. Reduce the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing owner has owned the property for at least 2 years you could ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer regarding this matter.
Last June I purchased a leasehold flat in Stroud. Am I liable to pay service charges for periods before my ownership?
In a situation 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. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure 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 own a studio flat in Stroud, conveyancing was carried out half a dozen years ago. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Corresponding properties in Stroud with over 90 years remaining are worth £227,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 yearly. The lease runs out on 21st October 2097
With only 72 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £9,500 and £11,000 as well as professional fees.
The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to advice on the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive investigations. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other issues that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.