I am hoping to receive a mortgage offer from Nat West. I would like to retain the legal services of a Licensed Conveyancer in Ilford. Does the Nat West Conveyancing panel exclude conveyancers regulated by the CLC?

The Nat West approved solicitor list is, like many other lenders, associated to the Council or Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association, open to Licensed Conveyancers regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.

I am about to put an offer on a leasehold property in Ilford. The estate agents tell me that it is the norm for flats in Ilford to have less than 75 years left on the lease. I am taking out a loan with Platform. Will the property be mortgageable given that the lease has 70 years to go.

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. Platform have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook in relation to minimum unexpired lease terms. As of 24/8/2025 the requirements read as follows :

I am helping my sister sell her flat in Ilford. Does the conveyancing solicitor order the energy assessment or should I organise this?

Following the abolition of Home Information Packs, energy performance certificates was retained a compulsory part of moving property. An EPC must be to hand before the property is advertised. It is not something that solicitors ordinarily arrange. If you are using a Ilford conveyancing practitioner they might be able to arrange energy assessments given their relationships with reputable Ilford energy assessors

Is it correct that all Ilford CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors are on the Nottingham conveyancing panel?

A selection of banks and building societies now utilise CQS as the kick off point for Panel approval such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS membership however gives no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. That being said,the CML have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for solicitor practices wishing to remain on their approved list of conveyancing solicitors.

After shopping around on the internet I have found a Ilford conveyancing practitioner having checked that they are on the Skipton conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?

Skipton will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Skipton 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 lawyer 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 Ilford postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Skipton, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Ilford.

Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Ilford from the point of view of expediting the sale process?

• A significant proportion of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Ilford can be avoided where you get in touch lawyers the minute your agents start marketing the property and request that they start to put together the leasehold information needed by the buyers’ lawyers.
If you hold a share in a the Management Company, you should make sure that you are holding the original share document. Organising a new share certificate can be a time consuming process and slows down many a Ilford conveyancing transaction. Where a new share certificate is necessary, do contact the company director and secretary or managing agents (if applicable) for this at the earliest opportunity. If you have had conflict with your landlord or managing agents it is very important that these are resolved before the property is put on the market. The purchasers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a flat where there is a current dispute. You may have to bite the bullet and pay any arrears of service charge or settle the dispute prior to completion of the sale. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled prior to the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You are still duty bound to disclose particulars of the dispute to the buyers, but it is better to present the dispute as over as opposed to unresolved. A minority of Ilford leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this applies to your lease, it would be prudent to notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers put in hand financial (bank) and professional references. The bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is financially capable of paying the yearly service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their lawyers.

I have attempted and failed to negotiate with my landlord for a lease extension without success. Can I make an application to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal? Can you recommend a Ilford conveyancing firm to represent me?

Most definitely. We can put you in touch with a Ilford conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Ilford residence is 49 Aldborough Road South in July 2012. The Tribunal decided that the premium payable for the grant of the new lease was £13,925 This case affected 1 flat. The unexpired term was 61.36 years.

I'm buying a house in Ilford. I have found my conveyancer's company on the CLC list, but I can't see my conveyancer's name as listed on the regulator's website. Should I be concerned?

Not all staff in the law firm must be listed by the regulator. As long there is someone qualified to 'oversee' the conveyancing, the actual day-to-day activity can be conducted by unlicensed staff.