About to place a bid on a leasehold flat in Woolwich. The selling agents tell me that it is usual for flats in Woolwich to have less than 75 years left on the lease. I am obtaining a loan with Chelsea Building Society. Will the property be mortgageable given that the lease has 72 years left.
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. Chelsea Building Society have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook in relation to minimum unexpired lease terms. As of 18/10/2025 the requirements read as follows :
When it comes to lenders such as Aldermore, do Woolwich property lawyers face an annual charge to be on the conveyancing panel?
We are not aware of any bank fees to register on their list of approved firms, although some do charge an administration fee to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel submission.
My husband and I have organised a further advance on our home loan from Yorkshire BS as we wish to carry out improvements to our home in Woolwich. Do we need to appoint a local Woolwich solicitor on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel to handle the paperwork?
Yorkshire BS don't usually appoint firms on their approved list of lawyers to handle the formalities. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel.
My offer was accepted on an apartment in Woolwich on 9/9/2025, valuation was booked five days after, received a clean bill of health. Property lawyer appointed, so the only thing outstanding was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to TSB and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the TSB conveyancing panel. Can the lender hold off the offer?
A lender would not issue an offer until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for TSB to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the TSB conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
What does a local search inform me regarding the house my wife and I purchasing in Woolwich?
Woolwich conveyancing often commences with the applying for local authority searches directly from your local Authority or through a personal search company for instance Searches UK The local search is essential in every Woolwich conveyancing purchase; as long as you wish to avoid any nasty surprises after you move into your property. The search should provide information on, amongst other things, details on planning applications applicable to the premises (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of thirteen topic areas.
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified during conveyancing in Woolwich?
Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Woolwich. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’
How does conveyancing in Woolwich differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build premises in Woolwich approach us having been asked by the seller to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is constructed. This is because new home sellers in Woolwich tend to buy 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 conveyancers 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 used to new build conveyancing in Woolwich or who has acted in the same development.
I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold element on a house I put an offer in a fortnight ago in what should have been a simple, no chain conveyancing. Woolwich is where the house is located. Is there any guidance you can impart?
Flying freeholds in Woolwich are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Woolwich you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds diligently. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Woolwich 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.