I am about to put a bid on a leasehold flat in Willesden. The estate agents tell me that it is usual for flats in Willesden to have less than 75 years unexpired on the lease. I am getting a mortgage with Chelsea Building Society. Will the property be mortgageable given that the lease has 69 years to go.
Most leasehold conveyancing experts should be able to deal with a lease extension. if you are obtaining a mortgage then your lender may insist that the lease be extended before competition. Chelsea Building Society have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook in relation to minimum unexpired lease terms. As of 26/9/2026 the requirements read as follows :
Can you point me to a directory of Nottingham panel conveyancers in Willesden on the Council of Mortgage Lender’s Website?
No. There is no such tool on the Council of Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association sites. A small selection of lending institutions make their panel listings open the public on the web. If you are seeking to appoint a Willesden conveyancer on the Nottingham please use our tool.
Intending to buy a apartment in Willesden. I have received an online quote from a licenced conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Building Society if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.
They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that the Willesden conveyancer is on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel.
After shopping around on the internet I have found a Willesden conveyancer having made sure that they are on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?
Clydesdale will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Clydesdale 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 solicitor 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 Willesden postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Clydesdale, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Willesden.
A colleague suggested that if I am buying in Willesden I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?
This is a search is sometimes quoted for as part of the standard Willesden conveyancing searches. It is a large report of more than thirty pages, listing and detailing significant information about Willesden around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime details, Willesden Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information concerning Willesden.
Due to the input of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a property in Willesden in advance of instructing conveyancers. I have been told that there is a flying freehold element to the house. Our surveyor advised that some banks will not grant a loan on such a property.
It varies from the lender to lender. Lloyds has different instructions for example to Nationwide. Should you wish to telephone us we can look into this further via the appropriate lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Willesden. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Willesden to see if the conveyancing will be more expensive.
I am 17 days into a freehold purchase having been recommend to solicitors by the high street agent to do our conveyancing in Willesden. I am am extremely frustrated with the level of service. Could you you assist me in finding new conveyancers?
A conveyancer would need to be really bad to suggest changing them. Has the mortgage been generated? If so you need to inform them of the new solicitor and ensure the offer are issued to the new lawyers. The conveyancer needs to be on the banks approved list to avoid supplemental costs and frustration. So that should be your starting point. Our search tool will assist you in finding a lender approved solicitor for your conveyancing in Willesden
Completion is due on our sale of a £475,000 maisonette in Willesden in just under a week. The freeholder has quoted £360 for Landlord’s certificate, building insurance schedule and previous years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge an administration fee for a flat conveyance in Willesden?
Willesden conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes more often than not involves the purchaser’s conveyancer submitting questions for the landlord to answer. Although the landlord is under no legal obligation to answer these enquiries most will be content to assist. They are at liberty to charge a reasonable charge for responding to enquiries or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average costs for the information that you are referring to is £350, in some situations it exceeds £800. The administration charge levied by the landlord must be sent together with a summary of rights and obligations in respect of administration charges, otherwise the invoice is technically not due. In reality one has little choice but to pay whatever is demanded should you wish to complete the sale of your home.
I have given up trying to purchase the freehold in Willesden. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal adjudicate on premiums?
if there is a missing freeholder or where there is dispute about the premium for a lease extension, under the relevant legislation you can apply to the LVT to judgment on the price payable.
An example of a lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Willesden flat is First Floor Flat 47 Huddlestone Road in December 2010. the Tribunal a valuation of £13,000 for a lease extension having been asked to consider the premium following a vesting order being granted by Willesden County Court On 14th September 2009 This case was in relation to 1 flat. The unexpired term as at the valuation date was 71.87 years.