We are purchasing our first property. The lawyer has e-mailedto enquire if we would like to take out supplemental conveyancing searches. We are really unsure what's appropriate for conveyancing in Wynyard

The extent of Wynyard conveyancing searches depends primarily on the premises, the location, the likelihood of any of these risks, your familiarity of the locality and risks, your general attitude to risk. What matters is that you adequately appreciate what information the searches could provide. You may then decide if you personally think you need that search. Where you are unclear, ask your conveyancer to recommend.

My uncle advised me that in purchasing a property in Wynyard there could be various restrictions preventing external changes to a property. Is this right?

We are aware of anumerous of properties in Wynyard which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to execute external alterations. Part of the conveyancing in Wynyard should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.

I happen to be the single beneficiary of my late grandmother’s estate with all property in now in my sole name, including the my former home in Wynyard. The Wynyard property was put into my name in February. I want to move. I understand that there is a Mortgage Lenders 6 month 'rule', meaning my property ownership could be treated the same way as if I'd bought the property in February. Is the property unsalable for six months?

The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ handbook requires conveyancers to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." By the strict wording you could be impacted by that. Most mortgage companies would take a sensible view as this provision is chiefly there to pick up on subsales or the flipping of property.

After what feels like an age I have had an offer on a maisonette in Wynyard accepted, but there is a chain. The owners have put an offer on a property, however it’s not been accepted yet, and are looking at other properties booked. I have instructed a high street conveyancing solicitor in Wynyard. What should be my next step? When should I get the mortgage application with HSBC going?

It is understandable to have anxieties where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket prematurely (home loan application is approx £1k, then survey, Wynyard conveyancing search costs, etc). First, you should check that your lawyer is on the HSBC conveyancing panel. As to the subsequent phase this very much dictated by the uniqueness of your transaction, attraction to this property and on the state of the market. In a buoyant market some purchasers will apply for the mortgage with HSBC and arrange for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they request their conveyancer to move forward with searches.

I have recentlybecome aware that Wolstenholmes have been shut down. They carried out my conveyancing in Wynyard for a purchase of a leasehold flat 10 months ago. How can I establish that the property is not still registered in the name of the former proprietor?

The easiest method to check if the property is in your name, you can carry out a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Wynyard conveyancing specialists.

I am looking for a ground for flat up to £305k and found one round the corner in Wynyard I like with open areas and transport links in the vicinity, however it only has 51 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Wynyard suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a short lease?

Should you require a home loan that many years will likely be an issue. Reduce the price by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current proprietor has owned the premises for at least 2 years you may ask them to start the process of the extension and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor about this matter.

Am I better off to appoint a Wynyard conveyancing lawyer based in the location that I am hoping to buy? I have an old university friend who can conduct the conveyancing however his firm is located a couple of hundredmiles drive away.

The primary upside of using a local Wynyard conveyancing practice is that you can pop in to sign documents, deliver your identification documents and apply pressure on them where appropriate. Having local Wynyard know how is a plus. That being said nothing is more important than finding someone that will do a good and efficient job. If you know people who used your friend and the majority were happy that must trump using an unfamiliar Wynyard conveyancing solicitor solely due to them being round the corner.