I am about to put an offer on a leasehold property in Buckinghamshire. The estate agents advise that it is normal for flats in Buckinghamshire to have less than 75 years left on the lease. I am expecting a loan with Platform. Will the property be mortgageable given that the lease has 72 years to go.

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 24/1/2025 the requirements read as follows :

What does a local search tell me concerning the house my wife and I purchasing in Buckinghamshire?

Buckinghamshire conveyancing often starts with the applying for local authority searches directly from your local Authority or through a personal search organisations such as Searchflow The local search plays an important role in many a Buckinghamshire conveyancing purchase; that is if you don’t want any nasty surprises after you move into your new home. The search will supply information on, amongst other things, details on planning applications applicable to the premises (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of 13 subject headings.

Due to the advice of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a property in Buckinghamshire before instructing solicitors. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold element to the property. The surveyor advised that some mortgage companies tend not grant a loan on this type of property.

It varies from the lender to lender. Bank of Scotland has different instructions from Birmingham Midshires. If you e-mail us we can check via the appropriate lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Buckinghamshire. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Buckinghamshire to see if the conveyancing will be more expensive.

My partner has recommend that I use his lawyers for conveyancing in Buckinghamshire. Should I use them?

There are no two ways about it it’s preferable to select a conveyancing practitioner is to seek recommendations from friends or relatives who have actually experience in using the firm you're considering.

I have just started marketing my ground floor flat in Buckinghamshire. Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed, however I have just had a quarterly service charge invoice – Do I pay up?

The sensible thing to do is clear the service charge as you normally would because all rents and maintenance payments should be apportioned as part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the purchaser for the period running from after the completion date to the subsequent invoice date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Buckinghamshire - A selection of Questions you should ask Prior to Purchasing

Are any of leasehold owners in arrears of their service charge liability? How much is the annual service fee and ground rent? You will want to discover as much as you can about the managing agents as they will either make your living at the property much easier or much more difficult. As the owner of a leasehold property you will be in the clutches of the managing agents from a financial perspective and when it comes to practical matters such as the upkeep of the common parts. You should not be shy to ask prospective neighbours what they think of their management. On a final note, be sure you discover the dates that the service fees are due to the relevant party and specifically what it includes.