I am about to put an offer on a leasehold property in Hook. The estate agents advise that it is standard for flats in Hook to have less than 75 years remaining. I am expecting a loan with Platform. Is this going to be a problem if the lease has Seventy One years remaining.
Most leasehold conveyancing experts should be able to deal with a lease extension. if you are securing a mortgage then your lender may insist that the lease be extended before competition. Platform have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook in relation to minimum unexpired lease terms. As of 15/8/2025 the requirements read as follows :
This question may be naive but I am unexperienced as FTB of a garden flat in Hook. Do I receive the keys to the premises on the completion date from my solicitor? If this is the case, I will appoint a local conveyancing solicitor in Hook?
On the day of completion you do not need to go to the conveyancers office in Hook. Your solicitors will arrange to send the purchase money to the seller's conveyancers, and once they have received this, you should be called to collect the keys from the property Agents and start moving into the property. This tends to happen between 1 and 3pm.
I have been told by my solicitor that lack of planning permission insurance is necessary on my purchase. What is the typical level of cover needed for conveyancing in Hook?
The appropriate level of lack of planning permission indemnity insurance should be dictated by who your lender. It would differ for example between Yorkshire Building Society and Chelsea Building Society. Conveyancing lawyers as opposed to members of the public take out such insurances.
I was told two weeks ago that my mortgage has been agreed to by Leeds Building Society. Is it usual for Leeds Building Society to only issue the offer once my solicitor in Hook is approved on their conveyancing panel? Leeds Building Society have asked my solicitor to see a copy of their Professional Indemnity Insurance Schedule.
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 Leeds Building Society to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
I have been told that property searches are the main reason for delay in Hook house deals. Is this right?
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) has noted the findings of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure within the common causes of hindrances during the legal transfer of property. Local searches are unlikely to feature in any holding up conveyancing in Hook.
I have recentlydiscovered that Wolstenholmes have been shut down. They conducted my conveyancing in Hook for a purchase of a leasehold apartment 9 months ago. How can I establish that my home is registered correctly in the name of the previous owner?
The quickest way to check if the premises is in your name, you can make a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Hook conveyancing specialists.
How do I search for a Hook solicitor on the Norwich and Peterborough Building Society conveyancing panel? I am a keen cyclist and am happy to travel upto 25miles to meet the solicitor.
You can use the tool on this page. Please choose the bank and your location and you will see a number of Hook conveyancing lawyers locally. We have detailed some Hook conveyancing firms at the bottom of this page and you can call them to verify whether they are on the Norwich and Peterborough Building Society member panel