We have rather pushy sellers who has suggested a preliminary agreement with a non-refundable deposit of 5k. Are such arrangements promoted for Monkseaton conveyancing transactions?

This type of agreement is not the norm in Monkseaton, conveyancers are not keen on them as they divert attention from the primary focus, namely conveyancing and if you end up having your deposit forfeited then the lawyer at best left with an upset client and at worst a litigious one. Secondly, there is no assurance that just because the vendor has signed a lock out contract they will complete the sale with you. They may be tempted to break the agreement if they are offered sufficient incentive to do so because an aggrieved buyer with the benefit of a exclusivity agreement will still have to show losses as a consequence of the breach and these may not equalise the financial upside that the owner may secure by breaking the agreement, however morally condemnable the behaviour is.

It is a dozen years since I purchased my house in Monkseaton. Conveyancing lawyers have just been retained on the sale but I can't locate my title deeds. Is this a problem?

You need not be too concerned. Firstly the deeds may be with your mortgage company or they could be archived with the solicitor who handled the purchase. Secondly in all probability the title will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to prove you are the registered owner by your conveyancing lawyers acquiring up to date copy of the land registers. Almost all conveyancing in Monkseaton involves registered property but in the rare situation where your home is not registered it adds to the complexity but is not insurmountable.

My stepmother pointed out to me me that in buying a property in Monkseaton there could be a number of restrictions preventing external alterations to the property. Is this right?

There are a number of properties in Monkseaton which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to carry out external alterations. Part of the conveyancing in Monkseaton should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.

How can we know in advance if a Monkseaton conveyancing solicitor on the Nationwide panel is any good?

When it comes to conveyancing in Monkseaton obtaining recommendations is a sensible starting point. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one advertising the lowest fees. We would always advocate that you speak with the solicitor handling your conveyancing.

I was told four weeks ago that my mortgage has been agreed to by Lloyds. Is it usual for Lloyds to only issue the offer once my solicitor in Monkseaton is approved on their conveyancing panel? Lloyds have asked my solicitor to see a copy of their Professional Indemnity Insurance Schedule.

Mortgage companies tend not to not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Lloyds to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Lloyds conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.

I moved into my home on 13 January and my personal details is not yet on the land registry website. Should I be concerned? My conveyancing solicitor in Monkseaton expressed confidence that it should be dealt with in a couple of weeks. Are transfers in Monkseaton uniquely lengthy to register?

There is nothing unique when it comes to conveyancing in Monkseaton registration formalities. As opposed to being determined by geographic area, timescales can differ according to the party submitting the application, whether it is in order and whether the Land registry communicate with any interested persons or bodies. Currently in the region of 80% of such applications are fully dealt with in less than three weeks but occasionally there can be extensive hold-ups. Registration occurs once the buyer is living at the property therefore an expedited registration is not typically primary concern yet where there is a degree of urgency associated with the registration then you or your solicitor should communicate with the Registry to express the reasoning for an expedited registration.

I'm buying my first flat in Monkseaton with a loan from Barclays . The builders refused to reduce the price so I negotiated 6k of fixtures and fittings instead. The house builders rep suggested that I not disclose to my lawyer about this side-deal as it will affect my loan with the bank. Is this normal?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder 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.