About to place an offer on a leasehold flat in East Sheen. The estate agents assure me that it is standard for flats in East Sheen to have less than 75 years unexpired on the lease. I am getting a mortgage with Chelsea Building Society. Is this going to be acceptable if the lease has 70 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 21/2/2026 the requirements read as follows :
Two weeks ago we had a mortgage agreed in principle with Kent Reliance. East Sheen conveyancing lawyers were instructed. What is the average time that one could expect to receive a mortgage offer from Kent Reliance?
There is no definitive answer here. Have Kent Reliance completed the valuation? Have you advised Kent Reliance as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel? It is not unusual for a mortgage offer to take a month to come through.
I am due to exchange contracts on my apartment. I had a double glazing fitted in December 2007, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My purchaser’s mortgage company, HSBC are being problematic. The East Sheen solicitor who is on the HSBC conveyancing panel is recommending indemnity insurance as a solution but HSBC are requiring a building regulation certificate. Why do HSBC have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?
It is probably the case that HSBC have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why HSBC 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.
I've read lots of house buying guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local East Sheen solicitor - who is on the Barclays conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?
Barclays will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Barclays will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your solicitor will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your East Sheen postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Barclays, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in East Sheen.
I appreciate that there are debates on Chancel Insurance on online forums. Am I compelled to take this when purchasing a house in East Sheen? or Apparently there is a law dating back centuries that could mean that homeowners residing in a parish church boundary may be liable to contribute towards maintenance towards the chancel in proximity to the church. Is this relevant for conveyancing in East Sheen?
Unless a prior acquisition of the property took place after 12 October 2013 you may take it that lawyers handling conveyancing in East Sheen to remain encouraging a chancel search and or insurance against a claim.
How does conveyancing in East Sheen differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build premises in East Sheen contact us having been asked by the developer to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the residence is completed. This is because developers in East Sheen typically 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 conveyancing solicitors 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 accustomed to new build conveyancing in East Sheen or who has acted in the same development.
My partner and I are purchasing a garden flat in East Sheen. When we first instructed conveyancing practitioner, they told us that they were on all major UK lender panels. Our mortgage broker called today to advise that they are not on the Lloyds approved list. Were it to be true, what should we do? Do we just choose a new conveyancer that is on their panel or should we pay for dual representation, with Lloyds selecting their own preferred lawyer.
Where you are purchasing a property needing a mortgage it is conventional for the purchaser’s solicitors to also represent the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a solicitor has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the conveyancer to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the property lawyer has to satisfy. Some mortgage companies now insist their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Accreditation Scheme. Your solicitor should contact Lloyds and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own solicitors to act. You don't have to instruct a firm on Lloyds's conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred East Sheen lawyers, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it may delay matters as you are adding another conveyancer into the mix.