About to place an offer on a leasehold property in Porthcawl. The estate agents tell me that it is normal for flats in Porthcawl to have less than 75 years left on the lease. I am obtaining a loan with Chelsea Building Society. Is this going to be a problem if the lease has 70 years to go.
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 7/8/2025 the requirements read as follows :
My husband and I have arranged the release of further funds on our home loan from Nottingham as we intend to carry out alterations to our home in Porthcawl. Are we obliged to select a local Porthcawl solicitor on the Nottingham conveyancing panel to deal with the paperwork?
Nottingham don't usually appoint firms on their conveyancing panel to handle the formalities. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Nottingham list.
About to purchase flat in Porthcawl. I have received an online quote from a licenced conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Lender if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.
They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that the Porthcawl solicitor is on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel.
I've digested plenty 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 Porthcawl solicitor - who is on the Skipton conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?
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 property 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 Porthcawl postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Skipton, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Porthcawl.
Me and my brother purchased a renovated Victorian house in Porthcawl. Conveyancing lawyer acted for me and Virgin Money. I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are two entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold under the exact same address. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?
You need to assess the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Porthcawl and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they remortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with buyers. You can also check the situation with your conveyancing practitioner who conducted the work.
How does conveyancing in Porthcawl differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in Porthcawl contact us having been asked by the builder to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is ready to move into. This is because builders in Porthcawl tend to purchase 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 property lawyers 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 Porthcawl or who has acted in the same development.
My wife and I purchased a leasehold flat in Porthcawl. Conveyancing and Lloyds TSB Bank mortgage organised. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the reversionary interest in the property. Attached was a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1995. The conveyancing practitioner in Porthcawl who acted for me is not around. Any advice?
The first thing you should do is make enquiries of the Land Registry to make sure that the individual purporting to own the freehold is indeed the registered owner of the freehold reversion. There is no need to incur the fees of a Porthcawl conveyancing lawyer to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for £3. Rest assured that regardless, even if this is the rightful freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.
I bought a ground floor flat in Porthcawl, conveyancing having been completed 6 years ago. How much will my lease extension cost? Comparable properties in Porthcawl with an extended lease are worth £201,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 levied per year. The lease ends on 21st October 2089
With 64 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to span between £14,300 and £16,400 plus legals.
The figure above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive investigations. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other concerns that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.