I am about to put a bid on a leasehold property in Fulwood. The selling agents say that it is standard for flats in Fulwood to have less than 75 years unexpired on the lease. I am obtaining a mortgage with Platform. Will the property be mortgageable given that the lease has 72 years unexpired.

Most leasehold conveyancing experts should be able to deal with a lease extension. if you are securing 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 30/1/2025 the requirements read as follows :

I am the only recipient of my late father’s estate with all property in now in my sole name, including the house in Fulwood. Conveyancing formalities meant that the Land Registry date was in December. I want to move. I do know about the Mortgage Lenders 6 month 'rule', which means that my proprietorship may be treated the same way as though I had purchased the property in December. Do I have to wait half a year to sell?

The CML handbook requires conveyancers to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." By the strict wording you might be impacted by that. How practical a view lenders take of it, depend on the lender as this requirement principally exists to identify subsales or the quick reselling of properties.

How can we know in advance if a Fulwood conveyancing solicitor on the Virgin Money panel is any good?

When it comes to conveyancing in Fulwood obtaining recommendations is a good starting point. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one which is cheap as chips. We would always suggest that you speak with the lawyer handling your conveyancing.

I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Fulwood. I have a mortgage agreed with RBS. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have one. Any advice?

It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with RBS, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the RBS conveyancing panel.

Is it necessary to take out insurance to cover chancel repairs when purchasing a residence in Fulwood?

Unless a previous purchase of the premises completed after 12 October 2013 you could take it that solicitors carrying out conveyancing in Fulwood to continue to advocate a chancel search and or chancel repair liability insurance.

Am I right to be wary about estate agents that I am dealing with are suggesting an online conveyancing firm rather than a local Fulwood conveyancing company?

As with lots of service providers, often recommendations from connections can be most helpful. But there are numerous parties with a keen interest in a conveyancing transaction; estate agents, mortgage brokers and mortgage companies might all suggest lawyers to appoint. On occasion the lawyers might be known to one of the organisations as being good in their field, but occasionally there is an underlying commercial relationship behind the recommendation. You are at liberty to choose your own lawyer. You need to be aware that many mortgage providers specify a panel list of lawyers you must use for the mortgage related work in your transaction.

I am employed by a reputable estate agency in Fulwood where we see a number of flat sales derailed due to leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have been given conflicting advice from local Fulwood conveyancing firms. Can you clarify whether the seller of a flat can start the lease extension process for the purchaser on completion of the sale?

Provided that the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to kick-start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the buyer need not have to wait 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done before, or simultaneously with completion of the sale.

An alternative approach is to agree the lease extension with the freeholder 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.

I purchased a 1 bedroom flat in Fulwood, conveyancing having been completed in 2008. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Comparable flats in Fulwood with over 90 years remaining are worth £190,000. The ground rent is £45 per annum. The lease finishes on 21st October 2087

With 62 years left to run the likely cost is going to be between £17,100 and £19,800 plus legals.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed due diligence. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.