We are a couple about to exchange contracts for a ground floor flat in Sherwood. We encountered a problem. The loan offer with Platform Home Loans Ltd runs out on 25/4/2025 but the owners are suggesting a completion date of 29/4/2025. Can one extend the loan offer?

The person best placed to address this concern is your solicitors who will hopefully determine whether he or she is corresponding with the mortgage broker, seller’s representatives, property agents or indeed all three based on the history of your transaction to date.

Can you explain why leasehold purchase conveyancing in Sherwood costs more?

Sherwood leasehold conveyancing transactions usually involve additional investigations than freeholds including investigating the Lease, liaising with the Landlord such as serving relevant notices on the Landlord or managing agent, obtaining up-to-date service charge and management information, obtaining Landlord’s consents and reviewing management accounts and formation documents.

In researching online forums for a high-quality solicitor in Sherwood, most post that I must use a CQS kitemarked lawyer. Can you explain what CQS is?

Sherwood Conveyancing Quality Scheme law firms have been granted certification under the Law Society's Scheme (CQS) CQS was created to promote high standards in the home moving process. CQS enables home movers to recognise practices who provide a quality residential conveyancing. Sherwood is one of locations in England and Wales in which CQS have offices. The conveyancing scheme requires solicitors to undergo a strict assessment, compulsory training, self-certification, random audits and annual reviews in order to maintain CQS status. It is available to solicitors and not licensed conveyancers and has the support of the Council of Mortgage Lenders.

Will commercial conveyancing searches disclose planned roadworks that may impact a commercial estate in Sherwood?

Its becoming the norm that commercial conveyancing solicitors in Sherwood will execute a SiteSolutions Highways report as it dramatically cuts the time that conveyancers spend in investigating accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in Sherwood. The search result provides definitive data on the adoption status of roads, footpaths and verges, as well as the implication of traffic schemes and the rights of way surrounding a commercial development sites in Sherwood.

For each commercial conveyancing transaction in Sherwood it is critical to investigate the adoption status of roads surrounding a site. The absence of identifying developments where adoption procedures have not been addressed adequately could cause delays to Sherwood commercial conveyancing transactions as well as pose a risk to future intentions for the site. These searches are not ordered for domestic conveyancing in Sherwood.

Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Sherwood from the point of view of speeding up the sale process?

• Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Sherwood can be avoided if you instruct lawyers as soon as your agents start advertising the property and ask them to put together the leasehold documentation needed by the purchasers’ conveyancers.
In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s approval? In particular have you laid down wooden flooring? Most leases in Sherwood state that internal structural changes or installing wooden flooring require a licence from the Landlord acquiescing to such alterations. Should you fail to have the consents in place do not communicate with the landlord without checking with your solicitor in advance. A minority of Sherwood leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this applies to your lease, you should notify your estate agents 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 yearly 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 service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their lawyers. If there is a history of conflict with your landlord or managing agents it is essential that these are settled before the property is put on the market. The purchasers and their solicitors will be concerned about purchasing a property where there is an ongoing dispute. You may need to swallow your pride and pay any arrears of service charge or resolve the dispute prior to the buyers completing the purchase. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled prior to the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You are still duty bound to disclose particulars of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is better to reveal the dispute as historic as opposed to ongoing.

I am the registered owner of a ground floor flat in Sherwood, conveyancing was carried out half a dozen years ago. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Equivalent flats in Sherwood with a long lease are worth £227,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 yearly. The lease terminates on 21st October 2097

With just 72 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £9,500 and £11,000 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more comprehensive investigations. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.