We were just about to exchange contracts for a semi detached house in Chipping Sodbury. We have hit a stumbling block. Our mortgage offer with Barclays runs out on 4/9/2025 but the owners are insisting on a completion date of 8/9/2025. Is it possible to prolong the loan offer?

The best person to address this question is your solicitors who will calculate whether they corresponding with the mortgage broker, owner’s lawyers, estate agents or conceivably all three given the history of your house move as of today.

We see that you have a search directory listing solicitors on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel. Do companies pay you a commission if I appoint them for our conveyancing in Chipping Sodbury?

We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in Chipping Sodbury.

The Chipping Sodbury conveyancing lawyers that I recently instructed on my house acquisition in Chipping Sodbury have without warning shut down. They were on acting for me because I needed a solicitor on the Principality conveyancing panel and my family Chipping Sodbury lawyer was not. I gave my credit card details for them to take £195 for searches. What are my options?

If you have an estate agent involved then let them know immediately so that they can let the sellers know that there may be a slight delay due to reasons beyond your control. Most sellers would be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You will need to appoint new lawyers that are on the Principality conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money, it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new lawyers should be in a position to help.

It is unclear whether my lender obliges me to make sure the lease term for the flat is extended prior to the completion date. I have called my Chipping Sodbury building society branch on a couple of occasions and was told they are content with the situation and they will lend. My Chipping Sodbury conveyancing solicitor - who is on the bank conveyancing panel- called and was told they would not lend in accordance with their published requirements. Who do I believe?

Provided that the lawyer is on the lender approved list, they must comply with the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook requirements for the lender. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the bank 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 mortgage company to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years remaining.

I am selling my apartment. I had a double glazing fitted in April 2007, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's lender, Bank of Ireland are being difficult. The Chipping Sodbury solicitor who is on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel is saying indemnity insurance will be fine but Bank of Ireland are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do Bank of Ireland have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that Bank of Ireland have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Bank of Ireland may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.

My sealed bid on a detached house in Chipping Sodbury has been agreed to, but there is a chain. The sellers have put an offer on on an apartment, however it’s not yet tied up, and are looking at other flats booked. I have instructed a local conveyancing solicitor in Chipping Sodbury. What should be my next step? At what stage do I apply for the mortgage with Nationwide?

It is usual to have apprehensions where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur costs too early (home loan application is approx £1k, then valuation, Chipping Sodbury conveyancing search charges, etc). The first course of action is to check that your conveyancer is on the Nationwide approved list. Regarding the next steps this very much dictated by the specifics of your transaction, desire for this property and on the state of the market. During a hot market some purchasers would apply for the mortgage with Nationwide and arrange for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they ask their solicitor to proceed with the conveyancing in Chipping Sodbury.

About to purchase a new build apartment in Chipping Sodbury. Conveyancing is a frightening process at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build legal work.

Set out below is a sample of a few leasehold new build questions that you can expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Chipping Sodbury

Please supply a car parking plan. Will the freehold then be transferred for a nominal consideration (not exceeding £100) to the Management Company? The Vendor must covenant to keep unoccupied units in good repair until long leases are granted therefore. Has the Lease plan been approved by the Land Registry and if not when will they be lodged for this purpose? Will control of the Management Company (if any) be handed over to purchasers on completion of the last sale or earlier?