I require conveyancing for an apartment in a fairly new development (6 years built) in Battersea. Almost all the appartments have already been occupied. Do I need carry out the conveyancing searches for my conveyancing in Battersea?
Conveyancing Searches are a critical link in the Battersea conveyancing process. There are numerous companies who offer Battersea conveyancing searches, as well straight from the local authority. These are generally termed personal search organisation and they produce, not surprisingly, personal searches. However, all Local Authority Search conveyancing products have one thing in common - they must obtain their data from the local authority.
What happens if my lawyer’s firm is removed from the Aldermore Solicitor panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in Battersea?
The first thing to point out is that, this is very unlikely to happen. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have to instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by a regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit for a fee.
If you had a top tip for selecting a conveyancing solicitor in Battersea what would it be?
We would encourage you not to base your choice on the lowest Battersea conveyancing costs illustration. 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 know exactly what you’ll have to pay in advance.
I have paid off my mortgage with Leeds Building Society. I assume I don't need a Battersea solicitor on the Leeds Building Society panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?
If you have finished paying off your Leeds Building Society mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Leeds Building Society mortgage from the register. Leeds Building Society, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:
- but are not moving to another property
- where Leeds Building Society has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- Leeds Building Society has instructed the Land Registry to do so
I had an offer accepted on an apartment in Battersea on 20/7/2026, valuation was booked five days later, all came back fine. Property lawyer instructed, so all that was missing was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Yorkshire BS and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel. Can the lender hold off the offer?
A lender would not issue an offer until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Yorkshire BS to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
How does conveyancing in Battersea differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build residence in Battersea approach us having been asked by the developer to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is completed. This is because new home sellers in Battersea typically buy the real estate, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are accustomed to new build conveyancing in Battersea or who has acted in the same development.
I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold issue on a property I have offered on a fortnight ago in what was supposed to be a simple, no chain conveyancing. Battersea is the location of the property. Can you offer any guidance?
Flying freeholds in Battersea are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Battersea you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds thoroughly. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Battersea may ascertain 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.
We are in the process of purchasing a property in Battersea. Conveyancing is not yet done but we would like keep our purchase price private from the likes of Nestoria. what can I do to ensure this is not noted?
HM Land Registry are legally bound to disclose price paid information on a register of the title for residential properties nationwide including premises in Battersea. The Title Register is an open document, so the Land Registry would be breaching their statutory duty if they did not allow access to the register.
In essence you can ask the Land Registry to hide the price paid data but the response would be in the negative.