About to place a bid on a leasehold flat in Beaworthy. The selling agents assure me that it is the norm for flats in Beaworthy to have less than 75 years left on the lease. I am getting a mortgage with Nationwide Building Society. Is this going to be acceptable if the lease has 72 years to go.
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. Nationwide Building Society have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook in relation to minimum unexpired lease terms. As of 15/11/2025 the requirements read as follows :
- There must be at least 30 years remaining at the end of the mortgage term (regardless of the length of lease at the start).
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
- Where lending is over 85% of the purchase price/valuation on a second hand flat and the unexpired lease term on the offer is 90 years or more - only advise us if the actual lease term is less than 90 years.
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 55 years
- Unexpired lease term less than 90 years where we are lending more than 85% of the purchase price/valuation on a second hand flat
- 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 is 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 55 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% 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 (Minimum 90 years where we are lending more than 85% of the purchase price/valuation on a second hand flat)
- 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 (does not apply to Shared Ownership)
- 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 charged which is more than on a peppercorn basis
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% 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 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.
How can we tell if a Beaworthy conveyancing solicitor on the Coventry BS panel is any good?
When it comes to conveyancing in Beaworthy obtaining recommendations is a sensible starting point. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one advertising the lowest fees. We would always advocate that you speak with the solicitor handling your conveyancing.
My fiancee and I are in the process of viewing houses in Beaworthy and I am now considering a potential offer. Is it premature to have a solicitor in place? I intend to finance via a home loan with Nottingham.
You should start requesting conveyancing estimates from solicitors ASAP. After you have chosen your lawyer and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and forward their contact information on to the EA. As you are getting a mortgage with Nottingham, make sure you remember to check that your lawyer is on the Nottingham conveyancing panel.
I have finally had an offer on an apartment in Beaworthy agreed to, the owners do however have a tied purchase. The owners have placed an offer on on an apartment, but it’s not yet tied up, and have viewings of other properties in the pipeline. I have selected a nearby conveyancing solicitor in Beaworthy. What do I do now? When do I get the mortgage application with Bank of Ireland started?
It is understandable to have apprehensions where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur costs prematurely (mortgage application is approx one thousand pounds, then survey, Beaworthy conveyancing search fees, etc). First, you must check that your lawyer is on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel. Concerning the subsequent steps this very much dictated by the specifics of your transaction, attraction to the property and on the state of the market. In a rising market many buyers would apply for a home loan with Bank of Ireland and pay for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they request their lawyer to press on with the conveyancing in Beaworthy.
I know that there are debates on Chancel Insurance on online forums. Am I compelled to take this when acquiring a house in Beaworthy? or Apparently there is a law dating back centuries that could mean that house owners living in a parish church boundary will be compelled to pay for repairs towards the chancel within the church. Is this appropriate for conveyancing in Beaworthy?
Unless a previous purchase of the property took place post 12 October 2013 you may assume that solicitors handling conveyancing in Beaworthy to remain encouraging a chancel search and or insurance against a claim.
Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a house I put an offer in two weeks back in what was supposed to be a simple, chain free conveyancing. Beaworthy is the location of the property. What do you suggest?
Flying freeholds in Beaworthy are not the norm but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Beaworthy 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 Beaworthy 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.
I'm remortgaging my current property to a BTL loan with Barnsley Building Society and intend to use the remaining equity towards a second house. The area we are talking about is Beaworthy. Will your conveyancers be able to act for the two mortgage companies and tie in the transactions?
Make use of our search tool on this site to ensure that the conveyancers are approved by both banks. On the basis that they are your conveyancer will be able to connect the two transactions but you should talk with you solicitor and communicate your expectations and needs.