My financial adviser has asked me for my Thorpe Astley lawyer’ panel reference for the HSBC conveyancing panel. Can you suggest how I find this out. I have e-mailed my local Thorpe Astley office but they don't know it.

Have you tried calling your Thorpe Astley conveyancing practitioner about this?. They maintain a central record lender panel numbers.

My partner and I swapping mortgage lender for our apartment in Thorpe Astley with Kent Reliance. We have a son approaching twenty who lives with us. Our solicitor requested us to identify anyone over the age of 17 other than ourselves who reside at the property. Our lawyer has now e-mailed a document for our son to sign, waiving any legal rights in the event that the flat is repossessed. I have a couple of questions (1) Is this form unique to the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel as he did not need to sign this form when we purchased 4 years ago (2) Does our son by signing this extinguish his entitlement to inherit the property?

On the face of it your lawyer has done nothing wrong as it is established procedure for any occupier who is aged 17 or over to sign the necessary Consent Form, which is purely to state that any rights he has in the property are postponed and secondary to Kent Reliance. This is solely used to protect Kent Reliance if the property were re-possessed so that in such circumstances, your son would be legally obliged to leave. It does not impact your son’s right to inherit the apartment. Please note that if your son were to inherit and the mortgage in favour of Kent Reliance had not been discharged, he would be liable to take over the loan or pay it off, but other than that, there is nothing stopping him from keeping the property in accordance with your will or the rules of intestacy.

About to place a bid on a leasehold property in Thorpe Astley. The selling agents assure me that it is the norm for flats in Thorpe Astley to have less than 75 years left on the lease. I am expecting a mortgage with Bank of Ireland. Is this going to be a problem if the lease has Seventy One years remaining.

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. Bank of Ireland have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook in relation to minimum unexpired lease terms. As of 12/7/2025 the requirements read as follows :

Various internet forums that I have visited warn that are the main cause of hinderance in Thorpe Astley house deals. Is there any truth in this?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) has noted the findings of research by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure amongst the common causes of delays during the legal transfer of property. Local searches are not likely to be the root cause of slowing down conveyancing in Thorpe Astley.

I work for a reputable estate agency in Thorpe Astley where we see a number of leasehold sales jeopardised due to short leases. I have received inconsistent advice from local Thorpe Astley conveyancing firms. Could you clarify whether the vendor of a flat can commence the lease extension formalities for the buyer?

As long as the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the proposed purchaser can avoid having to sit tight for 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed prior to, or simultaneously with completion of the disposal of the property.

Alternatively, it may be possible to extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the buyer.

Thorpe Astley Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Queries Prior to Purchasing

The answer will be important as a) areas can cause problems for the building as the communal areas may start to deteriorate where services are not paid for b) if the tenants have an issue with the running of the building you will need to have all the details Best to be warned whether a new roof is being installed or some other significant cost is pending that will be shared amongst the leasehold owners and could well dramatically increase the the maintenance costs or result in a one off invoice. Please inform me if there are any major works in the near future that will likely increase the maintenance costs?