Do I have to pop into the offices of the solicitor to execute the mortgage deed? If so, I will appoint a lawyer who conducts conveyancing in Gateshead so that I can pop in to their offices if necessary.

As opposed to twenty years ago, almost all mortgage companies no longer oblige their conveyancing panel solicitor to witness the borrowers signature. You will still be obliged to supply identification documents and there are still manifest benefits to choosing a locally based ayer, in your situation a conveyancing solicitor in Gateshead.

We are getting a further advance on our mortgage from Barclays as we want to carry out renovations to our property in Gateshead. Do we need to choose a high street Gateshead solicitor on the Barclays conveyancing panel to deal with the legals?

Barclays do not ordinarily instruct firms on their approved list of lawyers to handle such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Barclays list.

I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with Principality. I assume I don't need a Gateshead solicitor on the Principality panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?

If you have finished paying off your Principality 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 Principality mortgage from the register. Principality, 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:

1. but are not moving to another property
2. where Principality has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. Principality has instructed the Land Registry to do so

I have a mortgage with Leeds Building Society for my property in Gateshead. Conveyancing was finalised a year ago. Should I wish to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform Leeds Building Society?

You must advise Leeds Building Society in advance of renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of Leeds Building Society’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will permit you to let out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Leeds Building Society directly. You need not do this via a Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel lawyer.

I bought my house on 3 October and my personal details are still not registered. Any reason for this? My conveyancing solicitor in Gateshead expressed confidence that it will be formalised in less than a month. Are properties in Gateshead uniquely lengthy to register?

As far as conveyancing in Gateshead is concerned, registration is no quicker or slower than the rest of the country. As opposed to being determined by geographic area, timeframes can differ subject to who lodges the application, whether there are errors and if the Land registry must send notices to any interested persons or bodies. Currently approximately three quarters of such applications are completed in less than three weeks but some can be subject to extensive delays. Historically registration occurs after the purchaser is living at the premises thus an expedited registration is not always primary concern but if there is a degree of urgency associated with the registration then you or your conveyancer must communicate with the Registry to express the reasoning for an expedited registration.

I'm buying a new build house in Gateshead with a loan from Alliance & Leicester . The sellers refused to reduce the amount so I negotiated £7000 of extras instead. The house builders rep told me not disclose to my conveyancer about the side-deal as it could impact my mortgage with the lender. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

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.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold issue on a house I put an offer in two weeks back in what was supposed to be a straight forward, chain free conveyancing. Gateshead is the location of the property. Can you offer any advice?

Flying freeholds in Gateshead are not the norm but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Gateshead you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds thoroughly. Your lender may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Gateshead 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 premises.