As someone clueless as to the Seaham conveyancing process what is your top tip you can give me for the house moving process in Seaham

Not many law firms or advisers will tell you this but conveyancing in Seaham and elsewhere in England and Wales is an adversarial experience. Put another way, when it comes to conveyancing there is plenty of room for conflict between you and other parties involved in the transaction. For instance, the vendor, estate agent and on occasion your mortgage company. Appointing a solicitor for your conveyancing in Seaham is a critical decision as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the SOLE person in the process whose responsibility is to act in your best interests and to keep you safe.

We are witnessing a worrying ongoing adversarial element to conveyancing- someone must be at fault for the process taking so long. You must always trust your solicitor ahead of all other parties in the home moving process.

I have been referred to a conveyancing solicitor in Seaham. I need to find out whether they are on the Halifax conveyancing panel. Could you assist?

You should contact the conveyancer and enquire whether they are on the lender panel. Alternatively you should get in touch with Halifax who may be able to assist.

How does conveyancing in Seaham differ for new build properties?

Most buyers of new build premises in Seaham come to us having been asked by the developer to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is finished. This is because house builders in Seaham tend to acquire the real estate, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancing solicitors as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are accustomed to new build conveyancing in Seaham or who has acted in the same development.

I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold element on a house I have offered on a fortnight ago in what was supposed to be a simple, no chain conveyancing. Seaham is the location of the property. What do you suggest?

Flying freeholds in Seaham are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Seaham you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds diligently. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Seaham may decide 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.

Planning to sign contracts shortly on a garden flat in Seaham. Conveyancing lawyers assured me that they report fully on Monday. What should I be looking out for?

The report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Seaham should include some of the following:

Whether your lease has a provision for a reserve account for major works? Who has the liability to repair and maintain the building. It is important that you know who is liable for the repair and maintenance of all parts of the block and estate Whether the landlord has obligations to ensure rights of quiet enjoyment over your premises and do you know what it means in practice? Defining your rights in relation to the communal areas in the building.E.G., does the lease grant a right of way over an accessway or hallways? You should receive a copy of the lease

I invested in buying a 2 bed flat in Seaham, conveyancing formalities finalised half a dozen years ago. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Similar flats in Seaham with an extended lease are worth £176,000. The ground rent is £50 levied per year. The lease finishes on 21st October 2105

With 80 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £7,600 and £8,800 plus costs.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more detailed due diligence. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.