Can you help? My Blakedown lawyer is advising me that she is duty bound toorder Blakedown conveyancing searches resulting from the fact thatthe firm are on the Nat Westconveyancing panel. Do I not have any options here?

Unfortunately both you and your lawyer have little choice here. As you are obtaining a mortgage with a mortgage company your property lawyer has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your solicitor would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of your lender’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to comply with the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook specifications . Even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out Blakedown conveyancing searches.

I can not fathom if my mortgage offer requires a lease extension. I have telephoned my Blakedown bank branch on a couple of occasions and was told they are content with the situation and they would lend. My Blakedown conveyancing solicitor - who is on the lender conveyancing panel- telephoned and was told they refuse to lend in accordance with their UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook minimum lease term requirements. I simply don't know who is right.

The conveyancer has to comply with the CML Handbook Part 2 provisions for your lender. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the lender will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the lender to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years left on the lease.

I had an offer accepted on a property in Blakedown on 15/10/2025, valuation was booked 3 days later, received a clean bill of health. Solicitor appointed, so all that was missing was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Nottingham and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Nottingham conveyancing panel. Are Nottingham entitled to hold back the Mortgage pending the lawyer being on the approved list?

Mortgage companies tend not to not issue an offer until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Nottingham to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Nottingham conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.

UBS have agreed my home loan in principle, my offer on a apartment in Blakedown has been agreed to, now what?

The property agent will wish to be informed of your solicitor's details (ensure that the lawyers are on the lender’s approved list). Telephone UBS or the broker and finalise any relevant forms. UBS will sellect a valuer who will get in contact with the estate agent or seller to arrange a slot for the valuation to take place. Once conducted (assuming no problems) it takes approximately a week to receive the mortgage offer. UBS will send the offer to you and your conveyancers. The legal work will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Blakedown.

I have been on the look out for a flat up to £195,000 and found one round the corner in Blakedown I like with a park and railway links in the vicinity, however it's only got 52 years on the lease. There is not much else in Blakedown in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a short lease?

Should you need a home loan the shortness of the lease may be an issue. Discount the price by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current proprietor has owned the premises for a minimum of 2 years you could request that they start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor about this matter.

We expect to complete the disposal of our £450,000 apartment in Blakedown on Monday in a week. The managing agents has quoted £360 for Landlord’s certificate, building insurance schedule and previous years service charge statements. Is the landlord entitled to charge exorbitant fees for a flat conveyance in Blakedown?

Blakedown conveyancing on leasehold flats ordinarily involves administration charges invoiced by managing agents :

Addressing conveyancing due diligence questions Where consent is required before sale in Blakedown Supplying insurance information Deeds of covenant upon sale Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your lawyer will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Blakedown leasehold property is £350. For Blakedown conveyancing transactions it is customary for the seller to pay for these costs. The landlord or their agents are under no legal obligation to answer such questions most will be willing to do so - albeit often at exorbitant prices where the fees bear little relation to the work involved. Unfortunately there is no law that requires fixed charges for administrative tasks. Neither is there any legal time frame by which they are required to provide the information.

I inherited a split level flat in Blakedown, conveyancing having been completed March 2012. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Similar flats in Blakedown with an extended lease are worth £185,000. The ground rent is £65 charged once a year. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2085

You have 60 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to range between £20,000 and £23,000 plus legals.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to provide a more accurate figure without more comprehensive due diligence. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional issues that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.

Why is it not possible to complete my conveyancing in Blakedown on Good Friday?

Because on completion the purchase price needs to be transferred electronically between the banks of the buyer and seller's property lawyer and currently this can only happen on a business day. So you can't complete on a saturday or sunday either.