We are buying a house and require a conveyancing solicitor in Northumberland who is on the Barclays solicitor panel. Can you recommend a local solicitor?

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

Do I need to attend the offices of the solicitor to execute the legal charge? If so, I will appoint a lawyer who conducts conveyancing in Northumberland so that I can pop in to their offices when needed.

Whereas this was necessary 15 years ago, the vast majority lenders no longer oblige their conveyancing panel solicitor to witness the borrowers signature. It will still be necessary for you to supply ID documents and there are still manifest advantages to instructing a locally based practitioner, in your situation a conveyancing solicitor in Northumberland.

What is the difference between a licensed conveyancer and conveyancing solicitor in Northumberland

There are many registered licenced Conveyancers in Northumberland and Solicitor partnerships in Northumberland offering conveyancing We would stress that both are regulated professionals specialising in the legal work in the home buying process. They may both also conduct other property legal work such as remortgage conveyancing, lease extensions and transfer of equity conveyancing.

I happen to be the sole beneficiary of my late grandmother’s will with all property in now in my sole name, including the my former home in Northumberland. Conveyancing formalities meant that the Land Registry date was in March. I plan to dispose of the property. I understand that there is a Mortgage Lenders 6 month 'rule', meaning my property ownership may be treated the same way as if I'd bought the house in March. Do I have to wait 6 months to sell?

The CML handbook mandates solicitors to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." Technically you may be caught by that. Most banks would take a sensible view as this requirement is chiefly there to pick up on subsales or the wholesaling and assigning of property.

Our sealed bid on a semi in Northumberland has been accepted, but there is a chain. The sellers have put an offer on on an apartment, but it’s not yet agreed to, and are looking at other flats in the pipeline. I have instructed a high street conveyancing solicitor in Northumberland. What do I do now? At what stage should I apply for the mortgage with HSBC?

It is usual to have apprehensions where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket prematurely (home loan application is in the region of £1k, then survey, Northumberland conveyancing search charges, etc). The first thing to do is check that your solicitor is on the HSBC approved list. As to the next steps this very much depends on the circumstances of your case, desire for the property and on the state of the market. In a rising market the majority of buyers would apply for a home loan with HSBC and arrange for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they request their conveyancer to press on with searches.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a flat up to £195,000 and found one near me in Northumberland I like with open areas and transport links nearby, the downside is that it only has 52 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Northumberland in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a short lease?

Should you need a mortgage that many years will be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing owner has owned the property for at least 2 years you can ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor concerning this matter.

Back In 2001, I bought a leasehold house in Northumberland. Conveyancing and The Mortgage Works mortgage organised. I have received a letter from someone saying they have taken over the freehold. Attached was a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1993. The conveyancing practitioner in Northumberland who acted for me is not around. Any advice?

The first thing you should do is make enquiries of the Land Registry to be sure that the individual claiming to own the freehold is indeed the registered owner of the freehold reversion. You do not need to incur the fees of a Northumberland conveyancing practitioner to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for a few pound. You should note that regardless, even if this is the legitimate freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

Northumberland Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Queries before buying

Are any of leasehold owners in arrears of their service charge payments? On the whole the outlay for major works tend not to be built into the service charges, albeit that there some managing agents in Northumberland ask leasehold owners to pay into a reserve fund created for the specific intention of establishing a fund for larger repairs or maintenance. What is the service charge and ground rent on the apartment?