I am about to put a bid on a leasehold apartment in Chelmsford. The estate agents advise that it is standard for flats in Chelmsford to have less than 75 years remaining. I am taking out a mortgage with The Mortgage Works. Will the property be mortgageable given that the lease has 72 years left.

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. The Mortgage Works have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook in relation to minimum unexpired lease terms. As of 1/12/2025 the requirements read as follows :

Are all Chelmsford Conveyancing Quality Solicitors on the Coventry BS conveyancing list of approved practices?

A selection of banks and building societies now utilise the accreditation scheme as the kick off point for Panel approval such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS membership however gives no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. Nevertheless,the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for solicitors wishing to join their approved list of conveyancing solicitors.

The mortgage over my property is with Kent Reliance for my property in Chelmsford. Conveyancing has been completed months ago. Should I wish to rent out my property and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform Kent Reliance?

Kent Reliance must be informed of your intention before letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of Kent Reliance’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will permit you to let out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Kent Reliance directly. You need not do this via a Kent Reliance conveyancing panel lawyer.

I recently had an offer accepted on a house in Chelmsford. My financial adviser pressured me to appoint their conveyancer. I paid an upfront payment of £175. A few days later, the property lawyer contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the TSB 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 TSB 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.

Should commercial conveyancing searches reveal planned roadworks that could impact a commercial estate in Chelmsford?

Many commercial conveyancing solicitors in Chelmsford will carry out a SiteSolutions Highways report as it dramatically cuts the time that conveyancers invest in researching accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in Chelmsford. The search result sets out definitive information 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 Chelmsford.

For every commercial conveyancing transaction in Chelmsford it is crucial to investigate the adoption status of roads surrounding a site. The absence of identifying developments where adoption procedures have not been dealt with adequately can result in delays to Chelmsford commercial conveyancing deals as well as present a risk to future intentions for the site. These searches are not ordered for residential conveyancing in Chelmsford.

I have been on the look out for a ground for flat up to £235,500 and identified one round the corner in Chelmsford I like with amenity areas and transport links nearby, however it only has 51 years on the lease. There is not much else in Chelmsford in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a lease with such few years left?

If you require a home loan the shortness of the lease will be an issue. Reduce the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing owner has owned the property for at least twenty four months you can ask them to start the process of the extension and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer regarding this.

I need to find a conveyancing solicitor for leasehold conveyancing in Chelmsford. I have chance upon a web site which appears to be the perfect offering If there is a chance to get all the legals done via email that would be preferable. Should I be concerned? What are the potential pitfalls?

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?