I have just over seventy years unexpired on my lease and require a lease extension for my apartment in Chippenham. Conveyancing solicitors on the Virgin panel can deal with such extensions right?

Most leasehold conveyancing experts should be able to deal with a lease extension. if you are obtaining a mortgage then your lender may insist that the lease be extended before competition. Virgin have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook in relation to minimum unexpired lease terms. As of 12/10/2025 the requirements read as follows :

My wife and I own a 4 bedroom Victorian house in Chippenham. Conveyancing practitioner acted for me and Barclays . I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are a couple of entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold with the exact same address. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?

You need to assess the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Chippenham and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they sell they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with buyers. You can also check the situation with the conveyancing solicitor who conducted the purchase.

How does conveyancing in Chippenham differ for newly converted properties?

Most buyers of new build residence in Chippenham contact us having been asked by the housebuilder to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the house is constructed. This is because house builders in Chippenham usually acquire the site, 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 Chippenham or who has acted in the same development.

We are a couple of weeks into a leasehold purchase having been directed to conveyancers by the selling agent to do our conveyancing in Chippenham. I am am very frustrated with the level of service. Can you help me find new solicitors?

A lawyer would have to be really poor in order to consider replacing them. Has your loan offer been issued? In the event that it has you will need to make them aware of the replacement lawyer and ensure the loan are issued to the new lawyers. The solicitor ideally needs to be on the banks panel to avoid escalating expenses and delays. So that should be your first question of the new lawyers. The search tool will help you find a bank approved solicitor for your home move in Chippenham

Expecting to complete next month on a studio apartment in Chippenham. Conveyancing solicitors have said that they report fully within the next couple of days. What should I be looking out for?

The report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Chippenham should include some of the following:

You should have a good understanding of the building insurance provisions What options are open to you if another tenant in the building is in violation of a provision in their lease? Alterations to the property You would want to receive a copy of the lease Does the lease prohibit wood flooring?

Chippenham Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Queries before Purchasing

Be sure to discover if there are any onerous prohibitions in the lease. For example plenty of leases prohibit pets being permitted in in a block in Chippenham. If you love the apartmentin Chippenham yet your cat is not allowed to move with you then you will be presented with a hard determination. For many Chippenham leaseholds the cost for major works are not included within service charges, albeit that some managing agents in Chippenham obliged tenants to contribute towards a reserve fund and this is used to offset against major works. Who are the managing agents?