I am obtaining a offer of a home loan from Nat West. I intend to retain the legal services of a Licensed Conveyancer in Shildon. Does the Nat West Solicitor panel exclude conveyancers regulated by the CLC?

The Nat West conveyancing panel is, like many other lenders, represented by the Council or Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association, open to Licensed Conveyancers regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.

I am looking for a flat up to £305k and identified one near me in Shildon I like with amenity areas and transport links in the vicinity, however it only has 51 years unexpired on the lease. There is not much else in Shildon for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a short lease?

Should you need a mortgage that many years will likely be a potential deal breaker. Discount the price by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing proprietor has owned the premises for a minimum of 2 years you can ask them to start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor concerning this matter.

My husband and I are FTB’s - had an offer accepted, but the estate agent advised that the seller will only move forward if we use their chosen lawyers as they need a ‘quick sale’. Our preferred option is to instruct a high street conveyancer used to conveyancing in Shildon

We suspect that the seller is unaware of this request. If they want ‘a quick sale', turning down a genuine purchaser is counter productive. Speak to the vendors direct and explain that (a)you are motivated buyers (b)you are ready to go, with mortgage lined up © you are unencumbered (d) you intend to proceed fast (e)but you are going to use your preferred Shildon conveyancing firm - not the ones that will earn their estate agent a referral fee or meet his conveyancing targets demanded by senior management.

Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Shildon from the point of view of expediting the sale process?

• Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Shildon can be bypassed where you get in touch lawyers the minute you market your property and request that they start to collate the leasehold documentation needed by the purchasers’ solicitors.
The majority of landlords or Management Companies in Shildon charge for providing management packs for a leasehold premises. You or your lawyers should discover the fee that they propose to charge. The management pack sought as soon as you have a buyer, thus reducing delays. The average time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most common cause of delay in leasehold conveyancing in Shildon. You believe that you know the number of years remaining on your lease but it would be advisable double-check via your conveyancers. A purchaser's lawyer will not be happy to advise their client to to exchange contracts if the remaining number of years is under 75 years. It is therefore important at an as soon as possible that you identify whether the lease for your property needs extending. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your premises on the market for sale. If you are supposed to have a share in the freehold, you should make sure that you hold the original share document. Arranging a replacement share certificate can be a time consuming process and frustrates many a Shildon conveyancing deal. If a new share certificate is necessary, do contact the company director and secretary or managing agents (where applicable) for this sooner rather than later. If there is a history of conflict with your landlord or managing agents it is very important that these are settled before the property is marketed. The purchasers and their solicitors will be nervous about purchasing a flat where there is an ongoing dispute. You will have to accept that you will have to pay any arrears of service charge or resolve the dispute prior to the buyers completing the purchase. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled ahead of the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You are still duty bound to disclose particulars of the dispute to the buyers, but it is better to present the dispute as historic as opposed to unresolved.

I own a leasehold flat in Shildon, conveyancing was carried out March 2012. How much will my lease extension cost? Comparable properties in Shildon with over 90 years remaining are worth £211,000. The ground rent is £45 levied per year. The lease ends on 21st October 2092

You have 67 years left to run the likely cost is going to span between £10,500 and £12,000 as well as legals.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.

Is it necessary during the course of the conveyancing process to have a meeting at the offices of the lender conveyancing panel solicitor to execute the mortgage deed? If so, I will choose one who does conveyancing in Shildon so that I can pop in to their offices when needed.

Most conveyancing panel lawyers for the lender undertake all of the work via the post, internet or over the phone. This means that they can undertake your Conveyancing Transaction no matter where you live in England or Wales. YOu dont have to use a conveyancing solicitor in Shildon. it would nevertheless be wise to check if you can still book an appointment to go into appointed conveyancing lawyer if you prefer.