Will my conveyancing lawyers need to check that the building insurance for my purchase of a house in Southsea. My lender is Bank of Ireland

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

This question may be naive but I am new to the home buying as a first time purchaser of a two bedroom flat in Southsea. Do I pick up the keys to the property on the completion date from my conveyancer? If so, I will find a local conveyancing solicitor in Southsea?

On the day of completion you will not be required to attend the conveyancers office in Southsea. Conveyancing lawyers for you will arrange to send the completion advance to the vendor’s conveyancers, and shortly after the monies have arrived, you will be called to pick up the keys from the Estate Agents and start moving into the property. Usually this happens early afternoon.

We are purchasing a 4 bedroom semi-detached house in Southsea. Our aim is to an extension at the rear at the property.Will legal due diligence on the property include checks to see if these alterations are prohibited?

Your solicitor will review the deeds as conveyancing in Southsea can occasionally reveal restrictions in the title documents which prohibit categories of works or necessitated the consent of another owner. Many additions call for local authority planning permissions and approval in compliance with building regulations. Some areas are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which frequently prevent or impact extensions. You should check these things with a surveyor prior to committing yourself to a purchase.

I'm spending time viewing flats in Southsea and I am about to put in an offer. Is it too early to have a solicitor in place? I am planning to take a mortgage with TSB.

You should start requesting conveyancing quotes from solicitors ASAP. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their contact information on to the estate agent. As you are taking out a mortgage with TSB, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the TSB conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.

I need some fast conveyancing in Southsea as I have a deadline to complete within 3 weeks. A home loan is not required. Is it possible to escape the need for conveyancing searches to save fees and time?

As you are not obtaining a home loan you have the choice not to have searches carried out although no conveyancer would recommend that you don't. With lots of history conveyancing in Southsea the following are instances of issues that can show up and adversely affect future mortgageability: Enforcement Actions, Outstanding Fees, Outstanding Grants, Road Schemes,...

I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold issue on a house I put an offer in last month in what should have been a quick, no chain conveyancing. Southsea is the location of the property. What do you suggest?

Flying freeholds in Southsea are not the norm but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Southsea you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds diligently. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Southsea may determine that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold residence.

Fiveweeks into purchasing a residence in Southsea. Conveyancing lawyer has phoned to say the title is "Leasehold". Should this impact the salability of the house?

Southsea conveyancing does not usually involve leasehold houses. The main factor here is the length of lease and the ground rent. If there are hundred of years years remaining with a peppercorn rent, it's essentially freehold, so it shouldn't impact the saleability too much.

On the flip side, if it's, say, fifty five years it is bound to have a material impact on the value, and probably wouldn't be mortgageable. The remaining lease term and ground rent will be set out in the lease provided to your solicitor.