Can you help? My Old Town conveyancer is informing me me that he is legally obliged toorder Old Town conveyancing searches resulting from the fact thatthe firm are on the Virgin Moneyconveyancing panel. Is this really necessary?

You have limited options available to you. Given that you are taking out a loan with a lender your property lawyer has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your conveyancer would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of your bank’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to comply with the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook provisions . Even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out Old Town conveyancing searches.

I am told that my conveyancing solicitors will need to check that the building insurance when buying a house in Old Town. My lender is Nationwide Building Society

Nationwide Building Society have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 25/1/2026, the requirements read as follows :

I'm buying my first flat in Old Town with the aid of help to buy. The developers refused to move on the price so I negotiated 6k of additionals instead. The house builders rep told me not reveal to my lawyer about the deal as it could affect my mortgage with the lender. Is this normal?.

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.

I opted to have a survey completed on a house in Old Town prior to appointing solicitors. I have been told that there is a flying freehold aspect to the house. The surveyor advised that some lenders tend not grant a loan on this type of home.

It varies from the lender to lender. Santander has different instructions for example to Birmingham Midshires. If you e-mail us we can look into this further via the relevant lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Old Town. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.

I own a leasehold flat in Old Town. Conveyancing and Virgin Money mortgage are in place. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the reversionary interest in the property. Attached was a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1995. The conveyancing practitioner in Old Town who acted for me is not around. Any advice?

First contact HMLR to be sure that the individual claiming to own the freehold is in fact the new freeholder. You do not need to incur the fees of a Old Town conveyancing practitioner to do this as it can be done on-line for £3. You should note that in any event, even if this is the legitimate freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

I bought a 2 bed flat in Old Town, conveyancing was carried out in 2000. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Comparable properties in Old Town with a long lease are worth £170,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 invoiced every year. The lease expires on 21st October 2104

You have 78 years left to run the likely cost is going to be between £7,600 and £8,800 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to advice on a more accurate figure without more comprehensive due diligence. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. 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. You should not take any other action based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.