I am selling my ground floor flat in Brent Park and the estate agent has just called to warn that the buyers are swapping conveyancer. I am told that this is due to the fact that the mortgage company will only work with property lawyers on their conveyancing panel. Why would a leading mortgage company only work with specific solicitors rather the firm that they want to choose for their conveyancing in Brent Park ?
UK lenders have always had an approved set of law firms they are willing to work with, but in recent years big names such as Nationwide, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for decades.
Lending institutions blame a rise in fraud by way of justification for the cull – criteria have been stiffened as a smaller panel is easier to keep an eye on. No lender will say how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Some do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. The purchasers are not going to have any impact on this.
Why is leasehold purchase conveyancing in Brent Park costs more?
The conveyancing costs on a leasehold premises in Brent Park is often greater than on a freehold acquisition or disposal. This is because there is an amount of supplemental investigations required in liaising with the landlord and management company to collate the evidence about whether the rent and service fee have been discharged and whether there are any large sums expected to be spent in the near future on repairs or maintenance of the block.
I am told that my conveyancing solicitors will need to check that the building insurance for my purchase of a house in Brent Park. My lender is Virgin
Virgin have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 28/2/2026, the requirements read as follows :
Just had an offer accepted on a new build apartment in Brent Park. Conveyancing is daunting at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build conveyancing.
Set out below is a sample of a few leasehold new build enquiries that you can expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Brent Park
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Has the Lease plan been approved by the Land Registry and if not when will they be lodged for this purpose? Will the freehold then be transferred for a nominal consideration (not exceeding £100) to the Management Company? Please supply evidence that the form of Lease proposed has been approved by the Land Registry. The Vendor must covenant to keep unsold units in good repair until long leases are granted therefore.
I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold issue on a house I put an offer in a fortnight ago in what should have been a simple, chain free conveyancing. Brent Park is the location of the property. Can you shed any light on this issue?
Flying freeholds in Brent Park are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Brent Park you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds very carefully. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Brent Park may decide that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold residence.
I own a leasehold house in Brent Park. Conveyancing and Coventry Building Society mortgage went though with no issue. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the reversionary interest in the property. Attached was a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1993. The conveyancing practitioner in Brent Park who acted for me is not around. Do I pay?
The first thing you should do is contact the Land Registry to make sure that this person is indeed the registered owner of the freehold reversion. You do not need to incur the fees of a Brent Park conveyancing solicitor to do this as it can be done on-line for a few pound. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the legitimate landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.
After years of negotiations we simply can't agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Brent Park. Does the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal have jurisdiction to calculate the appropriate figures?
Where there is a missing landlord or where there is disagreement about the premium for a lease extension, under the relevant legislation you can apply to the LVT to decide the premium.
An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement decision for a Brent Park residence is 7 Craven Park in June 2009. The tribunal considered it unnecessary to value the garage as an independent investment or to value each flat separately, providing that the marriage value calculation uses only the participating flats. Accordingly, the price determined by the Tribunal was £41,140 This case affected 5 flats. The unexpired lease term was 73.14 years.