My friend's uncle is a property lawyer. I hope that I will be offered friends and family fee for conveyancing, However if that does not come through, what kind of fees would I typically be looking at for conveyancing in Newcastle upon Tyne?

It’s a good idea to look for multiple conveyancing estimates. Make use of our search tool on this page. The estimates seem to contrast greatly but the service one can expect are distinct between conveyancers as is the case with the vast majority of professional services.

I am helping my mother sell her flat in Newcastle upon Tyne. Does the conveyancer order an EPC or it is for me to coordinate?

Following the demise of Home Packs, energy assessments was kept a required element of selling a house. An EPC must be commissioned before the property is marketed. It is not something that solicitors normally arrange. Where you are instructing a Newcastle upon Tyne conveyancing solicitor they might be able to arrange energy performance certificates given their relationships with reputable local assessors

After shopping around on the internet I have found a Newcastle upon Tyne conveyancing practitioner having made sure that they are on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?

Yorkshire BS will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Yorkshire BS 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 property lawyer 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 Newcastle upon Tyne postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Yorkshire BS, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Our sealed bid on a property in Newcastle upon Tyne has been accepted, the sellers do nevertheless have a tied purchase. The owners have offered on on an apartment, but it’s not yet agreed to, and have viewings of other apartments in the pipeline. I have chosen a nearby conveyancing solicitor in Newcastle upon Tyne. What should be my next step? At what point should I apply for the mortgage with Coventry BS?

It is usual to have concerns where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur costs too early (mortgage application is approx £1k, then valuation, Newcastle upon Tyne conveyancing search fees, etc). First, you should check that your lawyer is on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel. Concerning the subsequent phase this very much dictated by the circumstances of your transaction, attraction to the property and on the state of the market. In a rising market the majority of buyers will apply for a home loan with Coventry BS and pay for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they pay their lawyer to proceed with the conveyancing in Newcastle upon Tyne.

The estate agent has sent us the confirmation of our purchase of a new build flat in Newcastle upon Tyne. Conveyancing is a frightening process at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. What sort of enquires would be asked in new build legal work.

Here is a sample of a few leasehold new build questions that you may expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Newcastle upon Tyne

The Lease must contain a provision on behalf of the Vendor to pay the service charges in respect of unoccupied units in order to ensure that all services can be provided. Where there is an Undertaking being granted there is the risk of forfeiture of the Headlease subject to relief if one or more of the Underlessees are willing to accept the original Head Lessee’s obligations as otherwise relief will be denied to the Underlessees. The only alternatives are the Head Lessor agreeing not to forfeit the Headlease or the Head Lessee guaranteeing to the Underlessees that it will not be in breach of the Headlease. The Vendor must covenant to keep unsold units in good repair until long leases are granted therefore. Please provide evidence that the form of Lease proposed has been approved by the Land Registry. Where service of notices and proceedings can be at the property demised please confirm that this can be amended to include simultaneous services at the Lessees’ solicitors’ offices where the Lessee from time to time is not resident in the UK - such solicitors may be varied by notice in writing to the Landlord from time to time but otherwise will be as previously specified.

I've found a house that appears to be perfect, at a reasonable figure which is making it all the more appealing. I have just found out that the title is leasehold rather than freehold. I am assuming that there are particular concerns buying a leasehold house in Newcastle upon Tyne. Conveyancing advisers have not yet been appointed. Will my lawyers set out the implications of buying a leasehold house in Newcastle upon Tyne ?

Most houses in Newcastle upon Tyne are freehold and not leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local conveyancer who is familiar with the area who can assist with the conveyancing process. We note that you are purchasing in Newcastle upon Tyne so you should seriously consider looking for a Newcastle upon Tyne conveyancing solicitor and be sure that they have experience in transacting on leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the number of years remaining. As a leaseholder you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want to the property. The lease will likely included provisions such as obtaining the landlord’sconsent to conduct alterations. You may also be required to pay a maintenance charge towards the upkeep of the estate where the property is part of an estate. Your conveyancer will advise you fully on all the issues.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Newcastle upon Tyne - A selection of Queries before buying

Are any of leasehold owners in dispute over their service charge liability? Is there a share of the freehold? Does the lease contain onerous restrictions?

My partner and I have recently had an offer accepted on a flat and had meeting on Tuesday with the Post Office for the mortgage. They warned me that when it comes to choosing a lawyer that unless they are on their approved list of solicitors then we will have to pay out a further fee of £250+. This is is due to the fact that they will then have to instruct a conveyancer to act on their behalf in addition to the one we select for ourselves and we are liable for their costs. I have requested the Post Office to furnish me with a list so I can seek estimates only from their approved solicitors but was told that I need to check with each individual solicitor to see if they are on the panel. What would be the best way of going about this?

You can enquire of the Post Office what their criteria for panel membership is for a conveyancer.Then ask the solicitor of your choice whether they fit that criteria and have they acted on loans for the Post Office in the past. If the answer to those is yes, then just double check with the Post Office. Alternatively please use our search tool and we may be able to locate a conveyancer in Newcastle upon Tyne on the approved list for the Post Office.