We are about to exchange contracts for a leasehold flat in Long Buckby. We encountered a problem. Our loan offer with Santander runs out on 3/12/2025 but the vendors are suggesting a completion date of 5/12/2025. Can one extend the mortgage offer?

The person best placed to address this concern is your lawyer who will hopefully assess whether he or she is corresponding with the lender, owner’s representatives, property agents or conceivably all parties given what has gone on in your house move to date.

I have 71 years left on my lease and need a lease extension for my flat in Long Buckby. Conveyancing solicitors on the Chelsea Building Society panel can deal with such extensions correct?

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. Chelsea Building Society have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook in relation to minimum unexpired lease terms. As of 3/10/2025 the requirements read as follows :

We had chosen conveyancers locally in Long Buckby on the Co-operative solicitor panel. They have just invoiced me a further sum for dealing with the Co-operative mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee specified by Co-operative?

Provided it is contained in their Terms of Engagement or Quote then yes your conveyancer is entitled to levy a fee for this. This charge is not dictated by Co-operative but by your Long Buckby conveyancing practitioner. Plenty of firms on the Co-operative panel will quote an ‘acting for lender’ fee and others do not.

The formalities of my remortgage has taken place for my property in Long Buckby. Conveyancing was satisfactory but I would like to complain about the lender. How does one go about formally complaining?

Most lenders have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Team at head office. Ordinarily complaints to a lender are resolved effectively and efficiently. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service who will take matters further.

Having read lots of house buying guides, I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Long Buckby 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 normal?

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. You may wish to consider appointing your own Long Buckby surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.

I need to instruct a conveyancing solicitor for residential conveyancing in Long Buckby. I have land on a web site which looks to be the ideal offering If it is possible to get all this stuff done via web that would be ideal. Do I need to be wary? What should out be looking out for?

As usual with these online conveyancers you need to read ALL the small print - did you notice the extra charge for dealing with the mortgage?

Having had my offer accepted I require leasehold conveyancing in Long Buckby. Before I get started I want to be sure as to the remaining lease term.

If the lease is registered - and most are in Long Buckby - then the leasehold title will always include the basic details of the lease, namely the date; the term; and the original parties. From a conveyancing perspective such details then enable any prospective buyer and lender to confirm that any lease they are looking at is the one relevant to that title. For any other purpose, such as confirming how long the term was granted for and calculating what is left, then the register should be sufficient on it's own.

Long Buckby Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Questions you should ask Prior to Purchasing

It would be sensible to find out as much as possible regarding the managing agents as they can either make your living at the property much easier or uncomfortable. Being a leasehold owner you are frequently in the clutches of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to every day matters such as the upkeep of the communal areas. Enquire of prospective neighbours whether they are happy with them. On a final note, find out the dates that the maintenance charges are due to the appropriate party and specifically how they are spending the funds. Plenty Long Buckby leasehold flats will be liable to pay a service bill for maintenance of the block set by the landlord. Where you buy the apartment you will have to meet this contribution, normally quarterly accross the year. This can be anything from a couple of hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for bigger purpose-built blocks. There will also be a ground rent for you to pay annual, normally this is not a significant figure, say approximately £25-£75 but you should to enquire as occasionally it could be surprisingly expensive. The best form of lease arrangement is a share of the freehold. In this arrangement the tenants benefit from being in charge if their destiny and although a managing agent is often employed where the building is larger than a house conversion, the managing agent retained by the leaseholders.