I plan on acquiring property in Barkingside. My Solicitor is not listed on the lender conveyancing panel. Am I still permitted to use my Barkingside conveyancing solicitor notwithstanding that they are not on the bank list of approved lawyers?
You will need to use a conveyancing practitioner to deal with the formalities when you take out a mortgage to purchase your property. The conveyancing practitioner will conduct all the essential investigations on the property, make sure that you will be properly registered as the owner and ensure that all the necessary mortgage documentation is in order. One may select a Barkingside lawyer of your choice. Nevertheless, where the lawyer selected is not a member of the bank conveyancing panel supplemental costs will be incurred as separate legal representation will be required by them. Lender panel applications can be submitted, so where your solicitor has not in the past sought membership they can do so.
I have 70 years unexpired on my lease and require a lease extension for my flat in Barkingside. Conveyancing solicitors on the Accord Mortgages panel can deal with such extensions right?
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 1/10/2025 the requirements read as follows :
My friend suggested that where I am purchasing in Barkingside I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?
This is a search is sometimes included in the estimate for your Barkingside conveyancing searches. It is a large report of more than thirty pages, listing and detailing important information about Barkingside around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Barkingside Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime statistics, Barkingside Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data regarding Barkingside.
The deeds to my house are lost. The lawyers who conducted the conveyancing in Barkingside 5 years ago no longer exist. What do I do?
As long as you have a registered title the information relating to your ownership will be retained by HMLR with a Title Number. It is easy to conduct a search at the Land Registry, find your property and get current copies of the property title for less than a fiver. If the title is Leasehold then the Land Registry will usually hold a file duplicate of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be obtained for £20 inclusive of VAT.
I have attempted and failed to negotiate with my landlord to extend my lease without getting anywhere. Can I apply to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal? Can you recommend a Barkingside conveyancing firm to represent me?
if there is a missing landlord or where there is dispute about the premium for a lease extension, under the relevant statutes you can apply to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to determine the price.
An example of a Lease Extension case for a Barkingside property is 104 Coventry Road in July 2014. The Tribunal determined that the lease extension permium should be £22,896.15 This case related to 1 flat. The unexpired term as at the valuation date was 60.29 years.
What makes a Barkingside lease defective?
Leasehold conveyancing in Barkingside is not unique. Most leases are drafted differently and drafting errors can result in certain provisions are wrong. The following missing provisions could result in a defective lease:
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Insurance obligations Repairing obligations to or maintain elements of the property
A defective lease can cause issues when trying to sell a property as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. HSBC Bank, Skipton Building Society, and Barclays Direct all have express requirements when it comes to what is expected in a lease. If a mortgage lender believes that the lease is problematic they may refuse to grant the mortgage, forcing the purchaser to pull out.
My wife and I are buying a 2 bedroom flat in Barkingside. At the point of instructing our solicitor, we were told they were on all major UK mortgage company panels. The mortgage broker emailed today to advise that they don't appear to be on the Coventry BS approved list. Should that be true, what should we do? Do we simply choose a different solicitor that is on their panel or do we pay for separate representation, with Coventry BS appointing their own approved lawyer.
When buying a property with mortgage finance it is normal for the buyer’s solicitors to also act for the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a solicitor has to be on that lender's list of approved lawyers. An application has to be made by the conveyancer to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the conveyancing practitioner has to meet. Some building societies now require their panel firms to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Accreditation Scheme. Your conveyancing practitioner should call Coventry BS to find out if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own solicitors to act. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on Coventry BS's conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Barkingside solicitors, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it may delay matters as you are adding another conveyancer into the equation.