We are a couple about to exchange contracts for a ground floor flat in Ashington. We encountered a snag. The mortgage offer with Nottingham Building Society runs out on 5/7/2024 but the sellers are putting forward a completion date of 9/7/2024. Is it possible to prolong the mortgage offer?

The person best placed to deal with your issue is your solicitors who will hopefully calculate whether he or she is better off negotiating with the mortgage broker, vendor’s conveyancers, selling agents or possibly all three given the circumstances your transaction as of today.

I am the registered owner of a freehold premises in Ashington but nevertheless invoiced for rent, why is this and what is this?

It is rare for properties in Ashington and has limited impact for conveyancing in Ashington but some freehold properties in England (particularly common in North West England) pay an annual sum known as a Chief Rent or a Rentcharge to a third party who has no other legal interest in the land.

Rentcharge payments are usually between £2.00 and £5.00 per year. Rentcharges have existed for many centuries, but the Rent Charge Act 1977 barred the generation of new rentcharges from 1977 onwards.

Old rentcharges can now be redeemed by making a lump sum payment under the Act. Any rentcharges that are still in existence post 2037 will be extinguished.

Will our conveyancer be making enquiries concerning flooding as part of the conveyancing in Ashington.

The risk of flooding is if increasing concern for lawyers specialising in conveyancing in Ashington. Plenty of people will purchase a house in Ashington, fully expectant that at some time, it may be flooded. However, aside from the physical damage, where a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, satisfactory insurance cover, or sell the property. Steps can be carried out during the course of a property purchase to forewarn the purchaser.

Conveyancers are not qualified to give advice on flood risk, but there are a various checks that can be carried out by the purchaser or by their solicitors which will give them a better appreciation of the risks in Ashington. The standard completed inquiry forms sent to a buyer’s conveyancer (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) includes a usual question of the owner to discover if the property has suffered from flooding. In the event that the residence has been flooded in past and is not notified by the owner, then a purchaser could commence a claim for damages as a result of such an misleading reply. The purchaser’s solicitors should also order an enviro report. This should disclose if there is a recorded flood risk. If so, more detailed investigations will need to be carried out.

We are four weeks into a leasehold purchase having been directed to a firm by the estate agent to carry out the conveyancing in Ashington. I am am extremely dissatisfied with the level of service. Could you you assist me in finding new lawyers?

They would have to be really poor to suggest replacing them. Has the mortgage been sent? If so you will need to make them aware of the new contact details and get the loan are re-sent. Your new conveyancer should be on the lenders approved list to avoid escalating charges and frustration. So that should be your starting point. The search tool should assist you in finding a lender approved lawyer for your home move in Ashington

A conveyancing company dealt with my conveyancing in Ashington four years past and was holding my registration documents but has since been shut down – What can I do to get hold of these?

Deeds, as such, no longer exist as the majority of properties in Ashington are recorded digitally at Land Registry. Where you need to show ownership or are disposing of or re-mortgaging your conveyancing practitioner can obtain up to date copies of the register from the Land Registry in any case.

If you feel there may be other documents or you have any other queries please e-mail your request with details of the transaction and documents you need to filerequest@clc-uk.org. The CLC will let you know what information they have and any additional information they may need before they are in a position to identify and send the documents to you. Following an intervention it may take some time for the CLC to access archived files and documents, but your request will be actioned with reasonable haste.