We're in Newburn, First time buyers purchasing with a mortgage (lender is Co-operative , and our lawyer is on the Co-operative conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?

The fact that your lawyer is on the Co-operative conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no property lawyer should guarantee a timeframe for your conveyancing, due to third parties outside of your control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain.

Forgive me if this question is silly but I am unseasoned as a 1st time purchaser of a ground floor flat in Newburn. Do I receive the keys to the premises on completion from my conveyancer? If this is the case, I will appoint a local conveyancing solicitor in Newburn?

On the day of completion you will not be required to attend the conveyancers office in Newburn. Conveyancing lawyers for you will electronically transfer the purchase money to the owner’s lawyers, and shortly after the monies have arrived, you should be invited to collect the keys from the selling Agents and move into your new home. Usually this occurs early afternoon.

My lawyer has informed me that breach of easement insurance is needed on my purchase. What is the typical level of cover needed for conveyancing in Newburn?

The right level of breach of easement indemnity insurance should be dictated by who your lender. It would differ for example between Barclays and The Mortgage Works. Conveyancing lawyers as opposed to borrowers take out such policies.

Can you point me to a directory of Bank of Ireland panel solicitors in Newburn on the Council of Mortgage Lender’s Website?

No. There is no such facility on the CML or Building Society Association websites. Very few lending institutions make their panel listings available over the internet. Where you are seeking to appoint a Newburn conveyancing practitioner on the Bank of Ireland please make the most of our tool.

Just acquired a detached house in Newburn , how long will it take for the Land Registry to register my proprietorship? My Newburn conveyancing solicitor has been very slow, so I want to be sure that my purchase is recorded.

As far as conveyancing in Newburn is concerned, registration is no quicker or slower than the rest of England and Wales. As opposed to being determined by geographic area, timeframes can adjust depending on the party submitting the application, whether there are errors and whether the Land registry communicate with any third persons or bodies. Currently in the region of 80% of such applications are fully dealt with in less than three weeks but some can be subject to longer hold-ups. Historically registration is effected after the new owner has moved in to the premises therefore 'speed' is not always primary concern but where there is a degree of urgency associated with the registration then you or your lawyers can communicate with the Registry to express the reasoning for the application to be prioritised.

I decided to have a survey done on a property in Newburn prior to appointing conveyancers. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold element to the house. Our surveyor has said that some lenders may not grant a mortgage on such a property.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Bank of Scotland has different instructions for example to Birmingham Midshires. Should you wish to telephone us we can check via the relevant mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Newburn. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Newburn to see if the conveyancing costs will increase in light of this.

Can you offer any advice when it comes to appointing a Newburn conveyancing firm to deal with our lease extension?

If you are instructing a conveyancer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Newburn conveyancing practice) it is essential that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We suggest that you speak with two or three firms including non Newburn conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. The following questions might be of use:

What volume of lease extensions have they conducted in Newburn in the last year?

Newburn Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Queries Prior to Purchasing

How many of the leaseholders are in arrears for their service charge payments? You should be aware if it is fewer than eighty years it will have adverse implications on the value of the apartment. It is worth checking with your bank that they are willing to go ahead with the loan given the lease term. A short lease means that you will probably need a lease extension sooner rather than later and you need to have some idea of how much this would cost. Remember, in most cases you would need to own the residence for a couple of years in order to be eligible to extend the lease. In the main the outlay for major works are not built into the maintenance charges, although a few managing agents in Newburn require leaseholders to contribute towards a reserve fund and this is used to offset against larger works.