We were just about to sign contracts for a leasehold flat in Frognal. We have hit a snag. Our loan offer with Halifax runs out on 16/9/2025 but the owners are suggesting a completion date of 18/9/2025. Is it possible to prolong the mortgage expiry date?

The best person to address this concern is your lawyer who will determine if he or she is corresponding with the mortgage company, owner’s representatives, property agents or conceivably all three based on the circumstances your transaction to date.

Is there a search tool that I can use to discover of the solicitor conducting my conveyancing in Frognal is on the mortgage lender’sconveyancing panel? I am looking to avoid the situation of having one lawyer for me and one for Clydesdale thus paying £192.00 in further legal costs.

You should take advantage of the search tool on this site. Pick the mortgage company and type ‘Frognal’ or your preferred area and you will see numerous solicitors located in Frognal or by proximity to you.

My partner and I have organised the release of further funds on our home loan from Skipton as we want to carry out renovations to our house in Frognal. Are we obliged to appoint a high street Frognal solicitor on the Skipton conveyancing panel to handle the legals?

Skipton would not normally appoint a member of their approved list of lawyers to deal with the formalities. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Skipton panel.

After months of negotiation I have agreed a price on an apartment in Frognal. My mortgage broker pressured me to appoint their lawyer. I paid an advanced payment of £175. Soon after, the lawyer called me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Barclays conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Barclays panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

Leeds Building Society have agreed my mortgage in principle, my offer on a property in Frognal has been accepted, what happens next?

Your estate agent will want to be informed of your solicitor's details (ensure that the solicitors are on the bank’s panel). Telephone Leeds Building Society or your financial adviser and finish off any outstanding documentation. Leeds Building Society will sellect a valuer who will get in touch with the estate agent or vendor to schedule a time for the valuation to happen. Once conducted (assuming no problems) it takes approximately a fortnight to get a mortgage offer. Leeds Building Society will issue the offer to you and your conveyancers. The transaction will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Frognal.

I am purchasing my first flat in Frognal with a mortgage from Nationwide Building Society. The sellers would not move on the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of fixtures and fittings instead. The sale representative suggested that I not reveal to my conveyancer about the deal as it could impact my loan with Nationwide Building Society. Is this normal?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

I decided to have a survey done on a house in Frognal in advance of instructing lawyers. I have been told that there is a flying freehold overhang to the property. My surveyor advised that some banks will not grant a mortgage on a flying freehold premises.

It varies from the lender to lender. Santander has different requirements for example to Nationwide. If you call us we can check via the appropriate lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Frognal. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.