We were just about to sign contracts for a leasehold flat in Hither Green. We have hit a stumbling block. The loan offer with Santander runs out on 30/6/2025 but the vendors are putting forward a completion date of 2/7/2025. Can one extend the mortgage offer?
The best person to address this concern is your lawyer who is in a position to calculate whether they better off negotiating with the mortgage company, owner’s solicitors, property agents or indeed all three given what has happend in your transaction to date.
When it comes to lenders such as Principality, do Hither Green property lawyers incur an annual charge to be on the conveyancing panel?
We are unaware of any mortgage company fees to be on their list of approved firms, although some do charge an administration fee to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.
The mortgage over my property is with Nottingham for my property in Hither Green. Conveyancing has been completed a year ago. If I am intending to rent out my property and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform Nottingham?
Nottingham must be informed of your intention in advance of letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of Nottingham’s mortgage conditions. It may be that Nottingham will permit you to let out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Nottingham directly. You need not do this via a Nottingham conveyancing panel firm.
After what seems like an age I have had an offer on an apartment in Hither Green agreed to, the owners do nevertheless have a tied purchase. The owners have offered on somewhere, but it’s not yet tied up, and have viewings of other flats in the pipeline. I have instructed a bricks and mortar conveyancing solicitor in Hither Green. What should be my next step? At what stage do I apply for the mortgage with Lloyds?
It is normal to have concerns where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur expenses prematurely (mortgage application is in the region of one thousand pounds, then valuation, Hither Green conveyancing search costs, etc). First, you must ensure that your lawyer is on the Lloyds approved list. Concerning the next stages this very much dictated by the specifics of your transaction, desire for the property and on the state of the market. In a rising market many buyers would apply for the mortgage with Lloyds and pay for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they ask their conveyancing practitioner to press on with searches.
I used Arc property Solicitors several years ago for my conveyancing in Hither Green. I now require my papers however the law firm is no longer operating. What do I do?
You should contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Hither Green of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously hired, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
How does conveyancing in Hither Green differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in Hither Green come to us having been asked by the housebuilder to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is finished. This is because developers in Hither Green tend to purchase the real estate, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancing solicitors as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are accustomed to new build conveyancing in Hither Green or who has acted in the same development.
Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a property I put an offer in last month in what was supposed to be a straight forward, chain free conveyancing. Hither Green is the location of the property. Is there any advice you can impart?
Flying freeholds in Hither Green are not the norm but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Hither Green you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds very carefully. Your lender may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Hither Green may determine 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 premises.
After months of dialogue we simply can't agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Hither Green. Can we issue an application to the Residential Property Tribunal Service?
in cases where there is a absentee landlord or if there is dispute about the premium for a lease extension, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the LVT to make a decision on the price.
An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement decision for a Hither Green flat is 18 Handen Road in April 2013. On 26 October 2012 District Judge Zimmels sitting at the Lambeth County Court made a Vesting Order that the Applicants be granted the right to acquire the freehold upon such terms and at such price determined by the LVT. The Tribunal arrived a figure of £39,535 as a valuation for the enfranchisement. This case related to 3 flats. The remaining number of years on the lease was 69.05 years.
What makes a Hither Green lease defective?
There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Hither Green. Most leases are individual and drafting errors can result in certain sections are not included. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:
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A provision for the recovery of money spent for the benefit of another party. A provision to repair to or maintain parts of the property
You may encounter a problem when selling your property if you have a defective lease as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. Birmingham Midshires, Virgin Money, and Nottingham Building Society 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 provide security, obliging the purchaser to withdraw.