The sellers of the property we are looking to purchase are using a conveyancing firm in Cramlington who has insisted on a lock out contract with a payment 10k. Are such agreements recommended for Cramlington conveyancing transactions?

This kind of arrangement isn't frequently used in Cramlington, conveyancers are often found to veer clients away from them as they detract from the primary objective, namely conveyancing and if you end up losing your deposit then the solicitor at best left with an upset client and at worst a litigious one. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that just because the vendor has entered into an exclusivity agreement they will sell to you. They may be tempted to break the contract if they are offered a big enough offer to do so because an aggrieved party with the benefit of a lockoutcontract will still have to show losses as a consequence of the breach and these may not equate the financial benefit that your vendor may obtain by breaking the contract, no matter how morally condemnable that may be.

As someone not used to the Cramlington conveyancing process what’s the number one tip you can impart for the house moving process in Cramlington

You may not hear this from too many lawyers but conveyancing in Cramlington or throughout Northumberland is an adversarial process. In other words, when it comes to conveyancing there exists plenty of opportunity for friction between you and others involved in the house moving process. E.g., the seller, property agent and sometimes your bank. Choosing a solicitor for your conveyancing in Cramlington an important selection as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the ONE party in the process whose responsibility is to act in your best interests and to protect you.

Every so often a third party with a vested interest may try and persuade you that it is in your interests to do things their way. For instance, the estate agent may claim to be helping by suggesting your conveyancer is dragging his heels. Or your financial adviser may tell you to do take action that is against your lawyers advice. You should always trust your lawyer above all other parties when it comes to the legal transfer of property.

We previously instructed solicitors located in Cramlington on the Lloyds solicitor approved list. They are now charging me a further sum for dealing with the Lloyds mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by Lloyds?

Provided it is contained in their Terms of Engagement or Quote then yes your conveyancing practitioner can levy a fee for this. The charge is not dictated by Lloyds but by your Cramlington conveyancing practitioner. Numerous firms on the Lloyds panel will quote an ‘acting for lender’ fee but some practices incorporate it on their overall fee.

It is unclear whether my lender obliges me to make sure the lease term for the flat is extended prior to the completion date. I have called my Cramlington bank branch on various occasions and was told they are content with the situation and they would lend. My Cramlington conveyancing solicitor - who is on the mortgage company conveyancing panel- called and was told they will not lend in accordance with their UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook minimum lease term requirements. I have no idea who is right.

As long as the lawyer is on the lender panel, she or he must follow the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook requirements for the lender. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the lender will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the mortgage company to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years left on the lease.

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

UBS will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually UBS 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. You may wish to consider appointing your own Cramlington surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.

I used Stirling Law several years past for my conveyancing in Cramlington. I now require my papers but cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?

You should contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Cramlington of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously used, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

I am a sole trader wishing to take over a lease of an office on the high street. Can you recommend lawyers offering no-sale-no charges for commercial conveyancing in Cramlington for under 2k?

We are happy to recommend firms who host a wealth of experience of commercial conveyancing in Cramlington, including the sale and purchase of businesses as well as simply premises. If you are hoping to acquire or lease a shop, pub, restaurant, office, retail unit or a whole business we will find you the right lawyer. As for the costs these will vary based on the structure and complexity of the proposed transaction. Please provide us with your contact information or email us so that we may furnish you with a fixed commercial conveyancing quote.