The owners have rather brash sellers who has recommended a lock out contract with a non-refundable deposit 10k. Are such contracts generally advanced for Morpeth conveyancing transactions?

There are two primary drawbacks with signing a lock out agreement (sometimes known as an exclusivity agreement) is that it takes away the focus from moving forward with the conveyancing work, so unless it requires little or no negotiation then it could transpire to be a hindrance. It is not strongly advocated by Morpeth conveyancing lawyers for this reason. The other main negative is the extent of the remedies available - a jilted buyer should not expect to obtain an injunction to stop the vendor selling to another buyer, so the only remedy available under the agreement will be the recovery of abortive charges and, in restricted situations, the additional payment of damages.

My husband and I are buying a purpose built flat in Morpeth with a homeloan from .We like our Morpeth conveyancing solicitor but says he's not listed on their approved list of firms. It seems we are left with no choice but to instruct a panel firm or retain our preferred solicitor and pay for a panel lawyer to represent them. We feel as though this is unjust; Can we not simply insist that use our lawyer?

No, not really. The mortgage offered to you contains various provisions, a common one being that lawyers will be on the conveyancing panel. Until recently, most banks 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 lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up as part of conveyancing in Morpeth?

Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Morpeth. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’

I'm purchasing a new build house in Morpeth with the aid of help to buy. The developers would not reduce the price so I negotiated 6k of fixtures and fittings instead. The sale representative suggested that I not to tell my solicitor about the deal as it would impact my loan with the bank. Should I keep quiet?.

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.

I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold element on a property I have offered on two weeks back in what should have been a straight forward, chain free conveyancing. Morpeth is where the house is located. Can you shed any light on this issue?

Flying freeholds in Morpeth are not the norm but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Morpeth you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds very carefully. Your lender may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Morpeth may decide that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold property.