We were just about to sign contracts for a leasehold flat in Desborough. We encountered a problem. The loan offer with National Westminster Bank runs out on 13/1/2025 but the vendors are suggesting a completion date of 15/1/2025. Is it possible to extend the mortgage expiry date?

The best person to address this concern is your lawyer who is in a position to calculate whether they corresponding with the mortgage company, owner’s solicitors, estate agents or possibly all parties taking into account the history of your transaction as of today.

I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with Kent Reliance. I assume I don't need a Desborough conveyancing practitioner on the Kent Reliance panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?

If you have finished paying off your Kent Reliance mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Kent Reliance mortgage from the register. Kent Reliance, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:

1. but are not moving to another property
2. where Kent Reliance has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. Kent Reliance has instructed the Land Registry to do so

Planning on purchasing a maisonette in Desborough. I have received an online quote from a licenced conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Lender if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.

They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that the Desborough lawyer is on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel.

I was told three weeks ago that my mortgage has been agreed to by Skipton. Is it usual for Skipton to only issue the offer once my solicitor in Desborough is approved on their conveyancing panel? Skipton have asked my solicitor to see a copy of their Professional Indemnity Insurance Schedule.

A lender would not issue an offer until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Skipton to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Skipton conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a leasehold apartment up to £195,000 and identified one round the corner in Desborough I like with amenity areas and transport links nearby, the downside is that it only has 51 years on the lease. There is not much else in Desborough for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a lease with such few years left?

Should you need a home loan the shortness of the lease will be problematic. Discount the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current proprietor has owned the property for at least 2 years you could request that they start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer about this matter.

I need to appoint a conveyancing solicitor for some conveyancing in Desborough. I have land on a web site which seems to have the perfect solution If it is possible to get all formalities done via phone that would be preferable. Do I need to be wary? What should out be looking out for?

As usual with these online conveyancers you need to read ALL the small print - did you notice the extra charge for dealing with the mortgage?

Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Desborough from the perspective of saving time on the sale process?

• Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Desborough can be reduced where you appoint lawyers the minute you market your property and request that they start to collate the leasehold information which will be required by the purchasers’ conveyancers.
Some Desborough leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this applies to your lease, it would be prudent to place the estate agents on notice to make sure that the purchasers obtain bank and professional references. The bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is able to meet the annual service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the actual amount of the service charge so that they can pass this information on to the purchasers or their solicitors. The majority of freeholders or Management Companies in Desborough levy fees for providing management packs for a leasehold home. You or your lawyers should enquire as to the actual amount of the charges. The management information can be applied for on or before finding a buyer, thus reducing delays. The typical amount of time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most frequent reason for frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Desborough. If you have carried out any alterations to the premises would they have required Landlord’s approval? Have you, for example installed wooden flooring? Most leases in Desborough state that internal structural changes or laying down wooden flooring calls for a licence issued by the Landlord acquiescing to such changes. Where you fail to have the consents in place do not communicate with the landlord without contacting your solicitor in advance. You believe that you know the number of years left on your lease but it would be wise to double-check by asking your conveyancers. A purchaser's lawyer will not be happy to advise their client to where the lease term is under 80 years. It is therefore essential at an as soon as possible that you consider whether the lease requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your home on the market for sale.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Desborough - Examples of Queries Prior to Purchasing

For many Desborough leaseholds the outlay for major works tend not to be included within service charges, albeit that there some managing agents in Desborough ask tenants to contribute towards a reserve fund and this is used to offset against larger works. The majority of Desborough leasehold apartments will be liable to pay a service bill for the upkeep of the block levied on behalf of the management company. Should you acquire the property you will have to meet this amount, usually periodically during the year. This can be anything from several hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for large purpose-built blocks. There will also be a rentcharge to be met yearly, ordinarily this is not a significant amount, say around £25-£75 but you need to enquire as on occasion it could be many hundreds of pounds. What is the the remaining lease term?