We are about to exchange contracts for a garden flat in Woodford Green. We have hit a problem. The mortgage offer with Leeds Building Society runs out on 22/12/2025 but the sellers are putting forward a completion date of 24/12/2025. Can one extend the loan expiry date?
The person best placed to deal with your question is your lawyer who should assess whether they corresponding with the lender, seller’s solicitors, property agents or indeed all parties based on the history of your conveyancing as of today.
We're in Woodford Green, First timers purchasing with a mortgage (lender is Skipton , and our lawyer is on the Skipton conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?
The fact that your lawyer is on the Skipton conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no property lawyer should guarantee a timeframe for your conveyancing, due to third parties outside of your control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain.
I have been told that property searches are the primary cause of hinderance in Woodford Green conveyancing transactions. Is that correct?
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) published determinations of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure amongst the most frequent causes of delays in the conveyancing process. Local searches are not likely to be the root cause of holding up conveyancing in Woodford Green.
As co-executor for the estate of my father I am disposing of a property in Cardiff but live in Woodford Green. My solicitor (who is 235 miles from mehas requested that I sign a statutory declaration ahead of completion. Could you suggest a conveyancing solicitor in Woodford Green to attest this legal document for me?
Technically speaking you are unlikely to be required to have the documents witnessed by a conveyancing solicitor. Normally any notary public or solicitor will be fine regardless of whether they are based in Woodford Green
Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only Sixty One years left on my flat in Woodford Green. I now wish to get lease extension but my landlord is absent. What are my options?
On the basis that you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be extended by the Court. You will be obliged to prove that you or your lawyers have used your best endeavours to find the freeholder. On the whole an enquiry agent should be helpful to carry out a search and prepare a report which can be used as evidence that the freeholder is indeed missing. It is wise to seek advice from a conveyancer in relation to proving the landlord’s disappearance and the application to the County Court overseeing Woodford Green.
Following years of dialogue we cannot agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Woodford Green. Can we issue an application to the Residential Property Tribunal Service?
You certainly can. We can put you in touch with a Woodford Green conveyancing firm who can help.
An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement decision for a Woodford Green flat is 201 & 201a St. Barnabas Road in October 2013. The Tribunal decided that the price to be paid by the Applicants for the freehold interest is £20,071. This case affected 2 flats. The unexpired residue of the current lease was 69.26 years.
Am in the process of purchasing my 1st property in Woodford Green. Conveyancing lawyer already appointed. The mortgage adviser pointed out that a survey is not needed as the property was only built in 2002.
As the bare minimum you need a Home Buyer's Report. As the residence was built more than a decade ago the property will not benefit from a warranty, so you don't want to take a risk. Where a property of this age shows no signs of problems a Home Buyer's report may be sufficient. They will highlight any obvious issues and recommend further investigation if relevant. If there are any signs of problems get a full Building Survey from the beginning.