I am told that my conveyancing solicitors will need to check that the building insurance when buying a house in Handsworth. My lender is Chelsea Building Society

Chelsea Building Society have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 8/9/2025, the requirements read as follows :

My colleague recommended that if I am buying in Handsworth I should ask my conveyancer to execute a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?

A search of this type is usually quoted for as part of the standard Handsworth conveyancing searches. It is not a small report of about 40 pages, listing and detailing significant information about Handsworth around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Handsworth Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime details, Handsworth Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data about Handsworth.

Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to our property can not be found. The lawyers who handled the conveyancing in Handsworth 5 years ago no longer exist. What do I do?

You no longer need to have the physical deeds to establish that you are the owner of your registered land or property, given that the Land Registry have everything they need in a digital format.

I need to appoint a conveyancing solicitor for some conveyancing in Handsworth. I happened to stumble across a site which looks to be the ideal offering If it is possible to get all this stuff done via email that would be ideal. Should I 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?

What are your top tips when it comes to appointing a Handsworth conveyancing practice to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

If you are instructing a property lawyer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Handsworth conveyancing firm) it is imperative that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We advise that you talk with two or three firms including non Handsworth conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. The following questions could be useful:

What are the costs for lease extension conveyancing? Can they put you in touch with clients in Handsworth who can give a testimonial?

I am the registered owner of a garden flat in Handsworth, conveyancing formalities finalised in 2010. Can you let me have an estimate of the premium that my landlord can legally expect in return for granting a renewal of my lease? Corresponding properties in Handsworth with a long lease are worth £211,000. The ground rent is £50 charged once a year. The lease terminates on 21st October 2093

With only 68 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to span between £9,500 and £11,000 as well as costs.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to advice on the actual costs in the absence of detailed investigations. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward based on this information without first getting professional advice.