I'm in the process of viewing flats in Riddlesdown and I am now considering a potential offer. Is it too early to have a solicitor in place? I am planning to take a home loan with Barclays.
It would be sensible to instigate your search sooner rather than later. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and forward their contact information on to the estate agent. As you are obtaining a mortgage with Barclays, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the Barclays conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.
My offer was accepted on an apartment in Riddlesdown on 8/12/2025, valuation was booked 3 days after, received a clean bill of health. Solicitor instructed, so all that was missing was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Nationwide and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Nationwide conveyancing panel. Can the lender hold off the offer?
A lender would not issue an offer until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Nationwide to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Nationwide conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
I have finally had an offer on a maisonette in Riddlesdown accepted, the vendors do nevertheless have a dependent purchase. The owners have placed an offer on on an apartment, however it’s not been accepted yet, and have viewings of other flats in the pipeline. I have instructed a high street conveyancing solicitor in Riddlesdown. What should be my next step? When should I get the mortgage application with TSB started?
It is normal to have anxieties where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur costs too early (home loan application is in the region of one thousand pounds, then valuation, Riddlesdown conveyancing search costs, etc). The first thing to do is check that your property lawyer is on the TSB approved list. As to the subsequent steps this very much depends on the uniqueness of your case, motivation for this property and on the state of the market. During a buoyant market the majority of buyers will apply for a home loan with TSB and arrange for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they request their conveyancing practitioner to move forward with the conveyancing in Riddlesdown.
I opted to have a survey done on a house in Riddlesdown ahead of instructing solicitors. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold element to the property. My surveyor advised that some lenders will refuse to issue a mortgage on this type of premises.
It varies from the lender to lender. HSBC has different instructions for example to Nationwide. Should you wish to telephone us we can check with the relevant lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Riddlesdown. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.
My brother has recommend that I appoint his lawyers for conveyancing in Riddlesdown. Should I find my own property lawyer?
There are no two ways about it the best way to choose a conveyancing lawyer is to have feedback from friends or family who have actually previously instructed the solicitor you're considering.
Notwithstanding our best efforts, we have been unsuccessful in negotiating a lease extension in Riddlesdown. Can this matter be resolved via the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal?
You certainly can. We are happy to put you in touch with a Riddlesdown conveyancing firm who can help.
An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement matter before the tribunal for a Riddlesdown flat is The Woodlands 95 Purley Park Road in April 2009. The Tribunals own valuation produced the figure of £37,912. This case was in relation to 6 flats. The number of years remaining on the existing lease(s) was 78.32 years.
Are there common deficiencies that you see in leases for Riddlesdown properties?
Leasehold conveyancing in Riddlesdown is not unique. All leases are unique and legal mistakes in the legal wording can result in certain sections are wrong. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:
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A provision for the recovery of money spent for the benefit of another party.
You could encounter a problem when selling your property if you have a defective lease as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. National Westminster Bank, Coventry Building Society, and Platform Home Loans Ltd all have express conveyancing instructions when it comes to what is expected in a lease. Where a lender has been advised by their lawyers that the lease is problematic they may refuse to provide security, obliging the buyer to withdraw.
My conveyancing in Riddlesdown is set to complete this Friday, yet the owners I am purchasing from wishes to vacate on the Saturday afternoon. Can I agree to this?
You can't complete on a Saturday because the bank systems are not operating.