I am about to put an offer on a leasehold apartment in Ilford. The selling agents say that it is usual for flats in Ilford to have less than 75 years left on the lease. I am taking out a mortgage with Platform. Will the property be mortgageable given that the lease has 69 years unexpired.

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. Platform have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook in relation to minimum unexpired lease terms. As of 8/9/2025 the requirements read as follows :

I am assisting my aunt sell her house in Ilford. Will the conveyancing solicitor commission the energy assessment or should I organise this?

After the abolition of Home Information Packs, energy assessments was left as a required element of moving house. An EPC must be to hand before the property is marketed. It is not a task that law firms normally arrange. Where you are using a Ilford conveyancing solicitor they might be willing to arrange energy performance certificates due to their contacts with long established local energy assessors

Are all Ilford Conveyancing Quality Solicitors on the Clydesdale conveyancing list of approved solicitors?

Some major lenders now use CQS as the starting point for Panel membership such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS accreditation however is no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. Nevertheless,the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for solicitors wishing to remain on their approved list of firms.

Having read lots of mortgage guides, I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Ilford solicitor - who is on the Co-operative conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?

Co-operative will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Co-operative 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 conveyancing practitioner 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 Ilford postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Co-operative, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Ilford.

What does commercial conveyancing in Ilford cover?

Ilford conveyancing for business premises covers a broad array of guidance, provided by regulated solicitors, relating to business premises. For instance, this type of conveyancing can cover the sale or purchase of freehold business premises or, more commonly, the assignment of existing leases or the drafting of new leasing arrangements. Commercial conveyancing solicitors can also offer advice on the sale of business assets, commercial mortgages and the termination of tenancies.

Am I better off to appoint a Ilford conveyancing practitioner in close proximity to the house I am hoping to buy? An old friend can perform the legal formalities however her office is 200kilometers drive away.

The benefit of a local Ilford conveyancing practice is that you can drop in to execute documents, hand in your identification documents and pester them where appropriate. Having local Ilford know how is a benefit. That being said it's more important to get someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If if people you trust instructed your friend and the majority were impressed that should outweigh using an unfamiliar Ilford conveyancing solicitor just because they are Ilford based.

My boyfriend is purchasing a ground floor flat in Ilford. He has received an estimate by the conveyancer recommended by the estate agents and it came to £1275 . It was ten years ago since I sold and purchased a home and it cost was £just under six hundred pounds. Have charges really escalated to that extent?

What does the conveyancing estimate include? Is it just for the legal fees, or what you will be paying in total (for example Ilford searches, land registry fees, etc)