What is the most effective way to find the right lawyer to give a quality service for my conveyancing in Belford?

First ask relatives who they would recommend.

Second, use a comparison service on the internet for conveyancing in Belford. Telephone two or three from the list and request that they email you their conveyancing fees and discuss your needs with the solicitor who will conduct your legal process in advance ofmaking your decision.

Third is to use this site to help you find the right lawyers taking into account your personal expectations including location,speed, complexity and who the proposed lender is. Don't take the bait of £100 conveyancing in Belford

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

There are many recorded licenced Conveyancers in Belford and Solicitor partnerships in Belford to choose from It is important to make clear that the two are supervised by regulatory bodies with both specialising in the legal work in the home buying process. Both can deal with other property legal work such as remortgage conveyancing, enfranchisement and transfer of equity conveyancing.

I have a mortgage with Lloyds for my property in Belford. Conveyancing has been completed a year ago. Should I wish to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a BTL mortgage or inform Lloyds?

Your original mortgage agreement with Lloyds will provide that you need their approval prior to letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of Lloyds’s mortgage conditions. It may be that Lloyds will allow you to rent out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Lloyds directly. You need not do this via a Lloyds conveyancing panel solicitor.

After much negotiation I have agreed a price on a house in Belford. My mortgage broker recommended their conveyancers. I paid an advanced payment of £200. Shortly after, the lawyer contacted me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Yorkshire BS panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

Various web forums that I have come across warn that are a common cause of stalling in Belford conveyancing transactions. Is that correct?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) has noted the conclusions of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure amongst the common causes of delays in the conveyancing process. Searches are not likely to feature in any holding up conveyancing in Belford.

I'm buying a new build house in Belford with a mortgage from Bank of Scotland. The sellers refused to reduce the amount so I negotiated £7000 of fixtures and fittings instead. The property agent advised me not disclose to my lawyer about the deal as it will affect my mortgage with the bank. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

I am tempted by the attractive purchase price for a two maisonettes in Belford both have approximately fifty years unexpired on the leases. Should I regard a short lease as a deal breaker?

A lease is a legal document that entitles you to use the premises for a period of time. As a lease gets shorter the value of the lease reduces and results in it becoming more expensive to extend the lease. This is why it is advisable to increase the term of the lease. More often than not it is difficult to sell a property with a short lease as mortgage lenders less inclined to grant a loan on properties of this type. Lease enfranchisement can be a protracted process. We recommend you seek professional assistance from a conveyancer and surveyor with experience in this area.

I own a 1 bedroom flat in Belford, conveyancing was carried out 7 years ago. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Equivalent flats in Belford with over 90 years remaining are worth £216,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 invoiced every year. The lease terminates on 21st October 2095

You have 70 years remaining on your lease we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £9,500 and £11,000 as well as professional fees.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of detailed due diligence. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be additional concerns 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 placing reliance on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.