Why is leasehold purchase conveyancing in Southmead is more expensive?

The conveyancing fees on a leasehold premises in Southmead is frequently more expensive than on a freehold transaction. This is because there is an amount of supplemental time required in corresponding with the freeholder and managing agents to collate the information concerning whether the rent and service charges have been paid and whether there are any major works due in the near future on repairs or maintenance of the building.

I can see plenty of information on this site regarding conveyancing in Southmead but what is your top tip for appointing the right conveyancer in Southmead

Do not opt for the cheapest Southmead conveyancing fees. You really do get what you pay for when it comes to conveyancing solicitors. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you go into the conveyancing with your eyes wide open.

I recently had an offer accepted on an apartment in Southmead. My mortgage broker suggested a property lawyer. I paid an on account payment of £150. Not long after, the solicitor contacted me to say that they were not on the Aldermore conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Aldermore panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

I had an offer accepted on a house in Southmead on 16/12/2025, valuation was booked 3 days after, all came back fine. Solicitor appointed, so all that was missing was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Barclays and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Barclays conveyancing panel. Can the lender hold off the offer?

Mortgage companies tend not to not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Barclays to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Barclays conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.

I am buying my first flat in Southmead benefiting from help to buy. The builders refused to budge the amount so I negotiated 6k of additionals instead. The estate agent advised me not reveal to my lawyer about this deal as it may jeopardize my loan with the lender. Should I keep quiet?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a leasehold apartment up to £195,000 and identified one near me in Southmead I like with amenity areas and station nearby, the downside is that it's only got 49 years on the lease. There is not much else in Southmead for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error acquiring a lease with such few years left?

If you need a mortgage that many years will be an issue. Discount the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current owner has owned the premises for a minimum of twenty four months you could ask them to start the process of the extension and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor about this.

I have been pointed in your direction by a couple of local estate agents in Southmead to choose a property lawyer on your site. What’s the financial inducement for Estate Agents to recommend your lawyers over and above another?

We don’t give any referral fee for sending work to this site. We thought it would be too underhand a fee because members of the public would think, ‘Why is the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not getting any benefit too?’ So we decided to step away from that.