We are a couple about to exchange contracts for a garden flat in County Durham. We encountered a snag. The mortgage offer with Leeds Building Society runs out on 20/9/2024 but the owners are suggesting a completion date of 24/9/2024. Can one extend the loan offer?

The best person to address this question is your solicitors who will hopefully calculate whether they corresponding with the mortgage broker, owner’s conveyancers, estate agents or possibly all three taking into account what has happend in your house move to date.

We are buying a house and need a conveyancing solicitor in County Durham who is on the RBS solicitor panel. Could you point me in the right direction as regards a firm?

Our service is limited to being a directory service for firms who wish to be listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for RBS . We don't recommend any particular firms conducting conveyancing in County Durham.

Me and my partner are purchasing a flat in County Durham. I might seem paranoid but how we can trust a conveyancer? On the day of competition we will need to deposit our life savings into their account. What is the protection we have from them run away with our monies?

Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.

Is it the case that all County Durham solicitor firms on the HSBC conveyancing panel are overseen by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?

As solicitors, in order to be on the HSBC conveyancing panel they would need to be overseen by the SRA. The majority of lenders do list licenced conveyancers on their panel and in such a situation the firms would be overseen by the CLC.

I have instructed a County Durham lawyer having made sure that they are on the Lloyds conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?

Lloyds will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Lloyds will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your conveyancer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your County Durham postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Lloyds, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in County Durham.

I'm purchasing my first flat in County Durham with the aid of help to buy. The sellers would not reduce the price so I negotiated 6k of additionals instead. The sale representative suggested that I not inform my solicitor about this deal as it will jeopardize my mortgage with Nottingham Building Society. Is this normal?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer 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've recently found out that there is a flying freehold element on a house I put an offer in two weeks back in what was supposed to be a quick, chain free conveyancing. County Durham is the location of the property. What do you suggest?

Flying freeholds in County Durham are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside County Durham you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds very carefully. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in County Durham 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 property.