The solicitor who helped my former purchase has sent a quote for £995 for no sale no fee conveyancing in Brecon. I am selling a Victorian house for £150,000. Are the quoted fees excessive? Is it above what I should be paying for conveyancing in Brecon?
The charges are a little high. If you are willing to invest time contrasting prices you might reduce the fees slightly by say £100 plus VAT. That being said, you mightlive to rue opting for an an untested conveyancer. Don't forget to enquire that the solicitor can act for your lender. Do use our comparison tool to locate a Brecon conveyancing company on the banks approved list of lawyers which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Brecon.
About to place a bid on a leasehold property in Brecon. The estate agents say that it is usual for flats in Brecon to have less than 75 years left on the lease. I am expecting a loan with The Mortgage Works. Is this going to be acceptable if the lease has Seventy One years unexpired.
Most leasehold conveyancing experts should be able to deal with a lease extension. if you are securing a mortgage then your lender may insist that the lease be extended before competition. The Mortgage Works have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook in relation to minimum unexpired lease terms. As of 9/12/2025 the requirements read as follows :
Where the unexpired lease term is different to that recorded on the mortgage offer, the following clarifies if we need to be informed:
Second hand property:
- If the unexpired lease term on the offer is 85 years or more - only advise us if the actual lease term is less than 85 years
- if the unexpired lease term on the offer is less than 85 years – advise us if the actual lease term is different than reported
- For equity share applications - advise us if the actual lease term is different than reported on the offer
New build property:
- If the unexpired lease term stated on the offer is 125 years (flat) / 250 years (house) or more - only advise us if the actual lease term is less than 125 years (flat) / 250 years (house)
- For equity share applications - always advise us if the actual lease term is different than reported on the offer
Lease terms such as ground rent and event fees must be reasonable at all times during the term of the lease and adhere to our requirements below. If you’re unsure as to whether the terms of a lease are unreasonable or onerous, please refer the details to us in plain English for Valuer consideration. If the potentially onerous terms are in relation to the ground rent please include the current ground rent figure per annum, how often it will be reviewed and the price structure it will be reviewed against. See the guidance below.
SECOND HAND PROPERTIES
Unacceptable - advise Issuing Office (Will be declined):
- Unexpired lease term less than 70 years
- Less than 30 years remaining at the end of the mortgage term
- Ground Rent greater than 0.5% of the property value
- Ground Rent doubles less than every 20 years (e.g. doubles every 5, 10 or 15 years) - acceptable if doubles every 20 years or more
- Ground Rent is compounded RPI
- Ground Rent review period less than or equal to 5 years
Refer to Issuing Office (Valuer will consider any impact on valuation figure and marketability):
- Unexpired lease term is 70 to 85 years
- Ground Rent greater than 0.1% and less than or equal to 0.5% of the property value
- Ground Rent escalation is linked to any indices greater than RPI
- Ground Rent escalation is linked to the value of the building*
- Ground Rent review period is greater than 5 and less than 10 years
- Event clauses exist for normal use e.g. changing the carpet, installing a TV aerial etc
- Estate Rent Charges greater than £500 p/a (please provide details of what the charges cover)
- Service Charges greater than 1.0% of property value p/a (please provide details of what the charges cover)
- Anything that appears onerous, unusual or out of the ordinary
Acceptable (no requirement to advise Issuing Office):
- Unexpired lease term greater than 85 years
- Ground Rent less than or equal to 0.1% of the property value
- Ground Rent review period greater than or equal to 10 years
- Ground Rent escalation less than or equal to RPI
NEW BUILD PROPERTIES (includes office conversions)
Unacceptable - advise Issuing Office (will be declined):
- Unexpired lease term less than 125 years on a new build flat or less than 250 years on a new build house
- Any lease which is subject to a ground rent (or annual rent) being charged which is more than on a peppercorn basis
- Any lease which is subject to a ground rent (or annual rent) being reviewed and altered on any review basis or methodology
Refer to Issuing Office (Valuer will consider any impact on valuation figure and marketability):
- Event clauses exist for normal use e.g. changing the carpet, installing a TV aerial etc
- Estate Rent Charges greater than £500 p/a (please provide details of what the charges cover)
- Service Charges greater than 1.0% of property value p/a (please provide details of what the charges cover)
- Anything else appears onerous, unusual or out of the ordinary
Acceptable (no requirement to advise Issuing Office):
- Unexpired lease term greater than or equal to 125 years on a new build flat or greater than or equal to 250 years on a new build house
- A lease subject to a peppercorn ground rent (annual rent) charges
For the avoidance of doubt, any new build properties completed but not sold pre 30 June 2022 will only be acceptable if the lease conforms to the above guidance
* Where the Ground Rent escalation is linked to the value of the building, please provide the following:
- How is the value of the block/unit currently calculated and if the assessment relates to the block(s), how is the Ground Rent calculated/apportioned per property?
- The current valuation and Ground Rent for each unit
- What is the mechanism for future valuations of the block and how is the Ground Rent calculated/apportioned?
- What is the right of appeal? And is this a documented process within the lease?
- Who bears the cost of the valuation (and appeal) process?
- Confirmation the review period is not less than twenty years
LEASE EXTENSIONS
We require all lease extensions to be completed under the Leasehold Reform Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 and to meet the above criteria as a minimum. Where you become aware that it does not meet these requirements, please refer to the Issuing Office
Please ensure that all lender enquiries are submitted (with full documentation/requirements) at least 2 weeks prior to exchange to allow sufficient time for review and decisioning.
We are close to exchanging contracts on the sale of our home in Brecon and according to the buyers it appears that there is a possibility that the property was built on contaminated land. Any local conveyancer would know this is not the case. It does beg the question why the purchasers are using an online conveyancing firm rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Brecon. We have lived in Brecon for three years we know that this is a non issue. Should we contact our local Authority to get clarification that there is no issue.
It would appear that you have a conveyancing solicitor already. Are they able to advise? You need to enquire of your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out health insurance to cover that same illness)
The deeds to our house are lost. The lawyers who did the conveyancing in Brecon 4 years ago have long since closed. What are my next steps?
Assuming the title is registered the information relating to your ownership will be held by HMLR under a Title Number. It is possible to perform a search at the Land Registry, find your property and order current copies of the Registered Entries for a small fee. Where the property is Leasehold then the Land Registry will in most cases retain a certified copy of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be ordered for twenty pounds.
Over the last few months I have been searching for a leasehold apartment up to £195,000 and found one close by in Brecon I like with open areas and railway links in the vicinity, however it's only got 52 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Brecon suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error acquiring a short lease?
Should you need a home loan the shortness of the lease may be an issue. Reduce the offer by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current proprietor has owned the property for at least twenty four months you may request that they commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer regarding this matter.
Should I instruct a Brecon conveyancing solicitor who is local to the property I am hoping to buy? I have an old university friend who can conduct the legal formalities but his firm is located over three hundred miles away.
The primary upside of using a local Brecon conveyancing practice is that you can drop in to sign documents, deliver your ID and apply pressure on them if necessary. Having local Brecon know how is a benefit. However nothing is more important than finding someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If other friends have used your friend and they were content that must surpass using an unfamiliar Brecon conveyancing solicitor just because they are based in the area.