Can your site be used to find a Conveyancing solicitor in Shildon even if I’m not purchasing or selling a house, for example where I wish to acquire an office in Shildon with a mortgage from Chelsea Building Society?

Our search tool is primarily there to help choose residential conveyancing solicitors in Shildon but we have listed at the bottom of this page a selection of Shildon commercial conveyancing firms. You should enquire with the solicitors directly to see if they can also act for Chelsea Building Society

I am considering applying for a Barclays mortgage for purchase of a new build (under development) in Shildon with 70% LTV. Is it compulsory to choose a solicitor on the conveyancing panel for Barclays ?

There is nothing to stop you using your solicitor, but Barclays will insist on their interests being represented by a firm on their conveyancing panel. There is much more potential for delays and confusion with two solicitors involved, and it will undoubtedly be more expensive too.

I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold element on a house I put an offer in two weeks back in what was supposed to be a straight forward, chain free conveyancing. Shildon is where the house is located. Can you offer any advice?

Flying freeholds in Shildon 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 Shildon you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds very carefully. Your lender may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Shildon 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 residence.

How do I search for a Shildon solicitor on the Platform Home Loans Ltd conveyancing panel? I have a car and am happy to travel upto 25miles to meet the solicitor.

You can use the facility on this page. Please pick a bank and your location and you will see a number of Shildon conveyancing lawyers locally. We have listed some Shildon conveyancing firms towards the end of this page and you can telephone them to check whether they are on the Platform Home Loans Ltd approved list

I am a negotiator for a long established estate agency in Shildon where we see a number of leasehold sales derailed due to short leases. I have been given inconsistent advice from local Shildon conveyancing solicitors. Please can you confirm whether the seller of a flat can commence the lease extension formalities 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 kick-start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the proposed purchaser need not have to wait 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed prior to, or simultaneously with completion of the disposal of the property.

An alternative approach is to agree the lease extension with the freeholder 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 purchaser.

Shildon Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Queries Prior to Purchasing

Best to be warned whether a new roof is being put on or some other major work is pending that will be shared amongst the tenants and will materially impact the level of the service costs or result in a specific invoice. You should want to discover as much as you can regarding the company managing the block as they can either make your life much easier or problematic. Being a leasehold owner you are often at the mercy of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to day to day issues such as the tidiness of the common parts. You should not be shy to ask prospective neighbours whether they are happy with them. On a final note, investigate as to the dates that the service fees are due to the managing agents and specifically how they are spending the funds. Most Shildon leasehold properties will be liable to pay a service charge for the upkeep of the building set by the freeholder. Where you buy the apartment you will have to pay this charge, usually periodically accross the year. This could differ from a few hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for bigger purpose-built buildings. In all likelihood there will be a ground rent to be met yearly, ordinarily this is not a significant amount, say approximately £50-£100 but you need to check as on occasion it can be surprisingly expensive.