Much to our surprise we have been told by our financial adviser that my Hebburn lawyer is not on the mortgage company Conveyancing panel. What can I do to check?

You need to contact your Hebburn conveyancer. It is reasonable to expect your lawyer to inform you what has happened. Where they are not on the panel they could put your in touch with solicitors on the conveyancing panel for your bank.

Can you clarify what the consequences are if my solicitor is expelled from the UBS Solicitor panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in Hebburn?

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 at a cost.

We are planning to move house in March. Will my conveyancing solicitor call the removal company on the completion day. Incidentally, can you put forward a removal company in Hebburn. Conveyancing firm was organised before I stumbled across this page.

On the day of completion you will need to collect the keys from your estate agent however this can only be done when the sellers solicitors inform the agent that the monies to complete are in and the keys can be collected. After that you can advise the removal men that you are ready to move in. As a matter of policy we do not suggest a specific removal company but can assist you in finding a residential property solicitor in Hebburn or a solicitor that specialises in conveyancing in Hebburn.

The formalities of my purchase has taken place for my property in Hebburn. Conveyancing was of an acceptable standard but I would like to complain about the lender. Who do I contact should I wish to lodge a complaint?

Most lenders have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Team at head office. Ordinarily complaints to a lender are resolved very quickly. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR with full details of your complaint.

I am selling my apartment. I had a double glazing fitted in May 2008, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's lender, Nationwide are being pedantic. The Hebburn solicitor who is on the Nationwide conveyancing panel is happy to accept ‘lack of building regulation’ insurance but Nationwide are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do Nationwide have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that Nationwide have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Nationwide may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.

I am a negotiator for a busy estate agency in Hebburn where we have experienced a number of flat sales jeopardised as a result of leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have received inconsistent advice from local Hebburn conveyancing solicitors. Can you confirm whether the owner of a flat can initiate the lease extension process for the buyer?

As long as the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the buyer need not have to sit tight for 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done before, or simultaneously with completion of the sale.

An alternative approach is to extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the buyer.

Hebburn Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Questions you should ask Prior to Purchasing

It would be wise to discover as much as possible concerning the company managing the building as they can either make life much simpler or much more difficult. Being a leasehold owner you are often in the clutches of the managing agents from a financial perspective and when it comes to every day matters such as the tidiness of the communal areas. Ask other tenants if they are happy with them. Finally, find out the dates that you are obliged pay the maintenance charge to the appropriate party and specifically what you get for your money. Is there a share of the freehold? Many Hebburn leasehold properties will have a service charge for the upkeep of the block invoiced by the management company. If you acquire the apartment you will have to meet this contribution, usually quarterly throughout the year. This could be anything from a few hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for buildings with lifts and large common grounds. In all likelihood there will be a ground rent to be met annual, this is usually not a exorbitant amount, say approximately £25-£75 but you should to check as occasionally it could be many hundreds of pounds.

I pay a service charge for my appartment in Hebburn. Due to losing my job and other issues I fell behind with payments. I negotiated a payment schedule but there remains approximately £3000 remaining to be paid.

I now wish to dispose of the property and I am worried this will hold me back if I have to settle the amount due first. Do I have to settle before - is this viable?

Your solicitor will hopefully be in a position to negotiate with the appropriate parties, with a new to seeing if they would accept settlement from completion monies. Here is an example of why it is sensible to use a conveyancer in Hebburn as they are likely to have an established relationship with the management company.