About to place a bid on a leasehold apartment in Stocksfield. The property agents tell me that it is usual for flats in Stocksfield to have less than 75 years left on the lease. I am getting a loan with Tesco Bank. Is this going to be a problem if the lease has Seventy One 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. Tesco Bank have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook in relation to minimum unexpired lease terms. As of 25/10/2025 the requirements read as follows :

We previously selected conveyancing lawyers based in Stocksfield on the Santander solicitor panel. They are now charging me an additional sum for dealing with the Santander mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by Santander?

As unfair as it may appear, as long as it’s in their Terms of Engagement or estimate then yes your conveyancing practitioner can charge a fee for this. This charge is not dictated by Santander but by your Stocksfield conveyancing practitioner. Numerous firms on the Santander panel will charge an ‘acting for lender’ fee but some practices incorporate it on their overall fee.

I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with Coventry BS. I assume I don't need a Stocksfield solicitor on the Coventry BS panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?

If you have finished paying off your Coventry BS mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Coventry BS mortgage from the register. Coventry BS, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:

1. but are not moving to another property
2. where Coventry BS has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. Coventry BS has instructed the Land Registry to do so

Principality have agreed my mortgage in principle, my offer on a house in Stocksfield has been agreed to, now what?

Your property agent will want to be informed of your property lawyer's details (ensure that the conveyancing practitioners are on the bank’s approved list). Call up Principality or your broker and complete any outstanding forms. Principality will sellect a valuer who will get in touch with the estate agent or vendor to arrange a time for the valuation to happen. Once carried out (assuming no problems) it takes on average ten days to receive the mortgage offer. Principality will issue the offer to you and your conveyancing practitioners. The transaction will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Stocksfield.

Various web forums that I have frequented warn that are the main reason for obstruction in Stocksfield conveyancing transactions. Is this right?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) published conclusions of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure amongst the most frequent causes of hindrances during the legal transfer of property. Local searches are unlikely to feature in any slowing down conveyancing in Stocksfield.

What makes your site different to alternative online quote calculators for conveyancing in Stocksfield?

At this site obtain a conveyancing quote from a Solicitor or Licensed Conveyancer that understands the nuances for your conveyancing in Stocksfield. Unlike many estate agents and many comparison sites we are not in the business of charging firms a commission if you select them for your conveyancing in Stocksfield

I work for a long established estate agent office in Stocksfield where we see a few flat sales derailed as a result of leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have been given conflicting advice from local Stocksfield conveyancing solicitors. Can you shed some light as to whether the seller of a flat can start the lease extension process for the buyer?

Provided that the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the proposed purchaser can avoid having to sit tight for 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done prior to, or at the same time as completion of the sale.

An alternative approach is to agree the lease extension with the freeholder either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the buyer.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Stocksfield - Sample of Queries Prior to buying

For many Stocksfield leaseholds the outlay for major works tend not to be included within service charges, although some managing agents in Stocksfield obliged tenants to contribute towards a reserve fund created for the specific purpose of establishing a fund for major works. The best form of lease arrangement is a share of the freehold. In this arrangement the lessees enjoy control and although a managing agent is usually employed where it is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent retained by the leaseholders. What is the name of the managing agents?