We are hoping to buy a 3 bedroom apartment in Birtley with a mortgage. We would like to retain our Birtley conveyancer, however the lender says he's not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the lender panel solicitors or keep our Birtley lawyer and pay for one of their panel firms to act for them. This feels very unfair; are we not able to require that the lender use our Birtley solicitor ?

No, not really. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the bank’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your Birtley conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

Me and my wife are purchasing our first house. The conveyancer has calledto check if we want to take out extra conveyancing searches. We are really unsure what's relevant for conveyancing in Birtley

The range of Birtley conveyancing searches should be triggered based primarily on the premises, the location, the probability of any of these risks, your familiarity of the locality and risks, your general attitude to risk. What is important is that you adequately appreciate what information each search could give you. You may then make a decision if you consider that you need that information. Where you are uncertain, ask your solicitor to recommend.

Do I need to pay for insurance to address the risk of chancel repairs when acquiring a property in Birtley?

Unless a prior purchase of the property completed post 12 October 2013 you could assume that conveyancing practitioners conducting conveyancing in Birtley to continue to suggest a chancel search and or chancel repair liability insurance.

Is it possible to change conveyancer as I need to retain a firm on the Bank of Scotland conveyancing list. I had appointed a family conveyancing solicitor in Birtley round the corner but the firm is not approved by Bank of Scotland

It would be our pleasure to assist you find a conveyancing solicitor in Birtley on the Bank of Scotland panel. Please note that the law firms that we on the directory do not pay us fee if you instruct them and are under regulation of the Solicitors Regulation Authority who regulate all conveyancing solicitors in Birtley. In making use of search facility on this page, you can scrutinise fees for conveyancing solicitors in Birtley and throughout England and Wales.

There are only 62 years remaining on my flat in Birtley. I need to extend my lease but my landlord is absent. What options are available to me?

On the basis that you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be extended by the Court. You will be obliged to demonstrate that you have made all reasonable attempts to locate the freeholder. On the whole a specialist should be useful to try and locate and to produce a report which can be used as proof that the landlord is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a conveyancer both on devolving into the landlord’s disappearance and the application to the County Court covering Birtley.

Birtley Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Queries before buying

Its a good idea to find out as much as possible concerning the managing agents as they can either make your life much easier or uncomfortable. As the proprietor of a leasehold property you are frequently at the mercy of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to daily matters like the upkeep of the common parts. Enquire of other people whether they are happy with their service. On a final note, investigate as to the dates that you are obliged pay the service charge to the managing agents and precisely how they are spending that money. How is the lease structured? It is important to be aware whether changing the roof or some other major work is due shortly that will be shared by the leasehold owners and will materially impact the level of the service charges or result in a one off invoice.