I am told that my conveyancing solicitors will need to check that the building insurance for my purchase of a house in Thatcham. My lender is Accord Mortgages
Accord Mortgages have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 21/7/2025, the requirements read as follows :
Do I need to pay for insurance to protect me from financial exposure to chancel repairs when acquiring a residence in Thatcham?
Unless a previous purchase of the premises took place after 12 October 2013 you could assume that lawyers carrying out conveyancing in Thatcham to remain encouraging a chancel search and or insurance against a claim.
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up during conveyancing in Thatcham?
Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Thatcham. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’
I am looking for a ground for flat up to £195,000 and found one round the corner in Thatcham I like with a park and railway links nearby, however it's only got 52 years on the lease. There is not much else in Thatcham in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a lease with such few years left?
Should you need a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term may be a potential deal breaker. Discount the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing proprietor has owned the premises for a minimum of twenty four months you can ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer about this.
Am I best advised to instruct a Thatcham conveyancing lawyer in close proximity to the house I am hoping to buy? I have an old university friend who can handle the legal formalities but they are based a couple of hundredkilometers drive away.
The primary upside of using a high street Thatcham conveyancing practice is that you can visit the firm to sign paperwork, deliver your identification documents and pester them where appropriate. They will also have local insight which is a benefit. However it's more important to get someone that will do a good and efficient job. If other friends have used your friend and they were happy that should trump using an unknown Thatcham conveyancing solicitor solely due to them being based in the area.