We note that you have a post code search directory listing law firms on the Skipton conveyancing panel. Do companies pay you a commission if I instruct them for our own conveyancing in West Sussex?

We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the Skipton conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in West Sussex.

Can you clarify what the consequences are if my solicitor is expelled from the Nottingham Solicitor panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in West Sussex?

First, this is a very rare occurrence. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have to instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by a regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit for a fee.

Have just purchased a probate house at auction in West Sussex. Conveyancing is needed. What happens now?

Given that you have now to in every practical sense signed on the dotted line you will need to hire the services of a conveyancing practitioner quickly as you are facing a pending a drop dead date to complete the conveyancing. An auction property will ordinarily have a bespoke auction pack. This should include the copy title deeds, local authority and drainage searches. Where you are dealing with leasehold premises the auction pack should provide a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and other conveyancing documentation relating to a leasehold property. You need to hand this to your appointed conveyancing solicitor ASAP. Do make sure that you have funds in place to complete the transaction on the set completion date.

Forgive me if this question is silly but I am unseasoned as a first time buyer of a two bedroom flat in West Sussex. Do I pick up the keys to the property on completion from my lawyer? If so, I will appoint a High Street conveyancing solicitor in West Sussex?

There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Your solicitors will transfer the completion advance to the vendor’s conveyancers, and once they have received this, you should be able to pick up the keys from the selling Agents and move into your new home. This tends to happen between 1 and 3pm.

My offer was accepted on a property in West Sussex on 17/7/2025, valuation was booked five days after, all came back fine. Conveyancer appointed, so the only thing outstanding was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Barclays and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Barclays conveyancing panel. Are Barclays entitled to hold back the Mortgage pending the lawyer being on the approved list?

A lender would not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Barclays to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Barclays conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.

I am looking for a leasehold apartment up to £245,000 and identified one round the corner in West Sussex I like with amenity areas and station in the vicinity, however it's only got 61 years on the lease. There is not much else in West Sussex for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a short lease?

If you need a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term may be an issue. Reduce the price by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing owner has owned the property for at least 2 years you can ask them to start the process of the extension and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor regarding this.

What advice can you give us when it comes to choosing a West Sussex conveyancing practice to deal with our lease extension?

If you are instructing a conveyancer for your lease extension (regardless if they are a West Sussex conveyancing firm) it is most important that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We advise that you make enquires with two or three firms including non West Sussex conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. The following questions could be useful:

How many lease extensions have they carried out in West Sussex in the last twenty four months? How experienced is the firm with lease extension legislation?

West Sussex Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Questions you should ask before buying

Be sure to find out if there are any onerous prohibitions in the lease. By way of example it is fairly common in West Sussex leases that pets are not permitted in certain buildings in West Sussex. If you love the apartmentin West Sussex but your dog can’t make the move with you then you have a very hard determination. The best form of lease structure is if the freehold interest is in the ownership of the leaseholders. In this situation the lessees have being in charge if their destiny and notwithstanding that a managing agent is often employed if the building is larger than a house conversion, the managing agent retained by the leaseholders. Are any of leasehold owners in dispute over their service charge payments?