Recently been in touch with my conveyancing lawyer in Becontree Heath who completed the legal work two years ago and wanted a conveyancing costs illustration based on an identical type of house sale & purchase (a leasehold premises and a freehold property) of similar values with a loan from Alliance & Leicester . It looks as though am now being charged double. Should I look for a cheaper online property lawyer?
The quote is slightly on the high side. If you shop around you could get the conveyancing a bit cheaper by perhaps £100 plus VAT. That being said, if you were pleased with the legal work the firm provided you mightlive to regret opting for an an unknown solicitor. If is important to ensure that the firm can represent Alliance & Leicester . Do make use of our search tool to choose a Becontree Heath conveyancing firm on the Alliance & Leicester approved list of lawyers, which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Becontree Heath.
The owners of the house we are hoping to buy hired a conveyancing solicitor in Becontree Heath who has suggested a lock out contract with a deposit 6,000. Are such agreements promoted for Becontree Heath conveyancing transactions?
This form of agreement is not the norm in Becontree Heath, conveyancers will often direct clients away from them as they detract from focusing on the main conveyancing focus and if you end up losing your deposit then the lawyer is left exposed. Secondly, there is no assurance that just because the proprietor has entered into an exclusivity agreement they will complete the sale with you. They may be in contravention of the agreement if they receive sufficient offer to do so because a wronged party with the benefit of a exclusivity agreement will still have to show losses as a consequence of the breach and this may not amount to the financial benefit that the owner may obtain by breaking the agreement, no matter how morally reprehensible the behaviour is.
When reading consumer advice sites for a recommended solicitor in Becontree Heath, most advise that I must look for a CQS assured solicitor. What is CQS?
The Law Society's Conveyancing Quality Scheme is the recognised kitemark for legal experts in the legal transfer of properties, trusted by some of the UK's biggest mortgage companies. Four years ago the Conveyancing Quality Scheme was officially recognised by the Building Societies Association (BSA). The scheme does not cover licenced conveyancers. Becontree Heath is one of the numerous areas in England and Wales where there are CQS solicitors.
Are all Becontree Heath Conveyancing Quality Solicitors on the Kent Reliance conveyancing list of approved firms?
It is true that some lenders now make use of the accreditation scheme as the kick off point for Panel membership such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS membership however is no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. Nevertheless,the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for solicitor practices wishing to remain on their approved list of firms.
It is not clear whether my bank obliges me to make sure the lease term for the flat is extended prior to the completion date. I have telephoned my Becontree Heath bank branch on numerous occasions and was reassured it wasn't an issue and they would lend. My Becontree Heath conveyancing solicitor - who is on the bank conveyancing panel- telephoned and was told they will not lend in accordance with their published requirements. Who do I believe?
As long as the lawyer is on the mortgage company panel, they must comply with the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook provisions for the bank. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the bank will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the mortgage company to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years remaining.
My offer was accepted on a house in Becontree Heath on 8/9/2025, valuation was booked 3 days after, all came back fine. Property lawyer retained, so the only thing outstanding was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Lloyds and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Lloyds conveyancing panel. Are Lloyds entitled to hold back the Mortgage pending the lawyer being on the approved list?
A lender would not issue an offer until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Lloyds to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Lloyds conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
I'm remortgaging my existing house to a BTL loan with Chelsea Building Society and intend to use the remaining equity as a down payment on another house. The neighborhood we are interested in is Becontree Heath. Will your lawyers be able to act for both sets of lenders and tie in the conveyances?
Make use of our search tool on this page to check that the lawyers are on the relevant lender panels. On the basis that they are your lawyer will be able to tie up the two deals but you should have a chat with you lawyer and specify your expectations and requirements.
Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only 72 years unexpired on my lease in Becontree Heath. I now wish to extend my lease but my landlord is absent. What options are available to me?
On the basis that you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for an order 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 demonstrate that you or your lawyers have done all that could be expected to locate the landlord. For most situations an enquiry agent would be useful to try and locate and to produce an expert document which can be used as proof that the landlord can not be located. It is advisable to get professional help from a solicitor in relation to devolving into the landlord’s absence and the vesting order request to the County Court covering Becontree Heath.
Having spent months of correspondence we cannot agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Becontree Heath. Can we issue an application to the Residential Property Tribunal Service?
Absolutely. We can put you in touch with a Becontree Heath conveyancing firm who can help.
An example of a Lease Extension decision for a Becontree Heath premises is 49 Aldborough Road South in July 2012. The Tribunal decided that the premium payable for the grant of the new lease was £13,925 This case affected 1 flat. The unexpired term was 61.36 years.