It is a dozen years since I purchased my home in Spennymoor. Conveyancing lawyers have recently been retained on the sale but I can't locate my deeds. Is this a major issue?

You need not be too concerned. First the deeds may be kept by the mortgage company or they could still be with the lawyers who acted in your purchase. Secondly the chances are that the title will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to prove you own the property by your conveyancing lawyers obtaining up to date copy of the land registers. Most conveyancing in Spennymoor relates to registered property but in the unlikely event that your home is unregistered it is more tricky but is resolvable.

I am aiming to move house in January. Should my conveyancing solicitor liaise with the removal company on the completion day. As an aside, can you recommend a removal company in Spennymoor. Conveyancing firm was organised prior to coming across your site.

On the afternoon of completion you can collect the keys from the property agent however this should only take place once the sellers conveyancers inform the agent that the monies to complete are in and the keys can be passed over. Subsequently you will need to tell the removal men that they can start moving you in. As a matter of policy we do not suggest a particular removal company but can help you choose a conveyancing in Spennymoor or a firm with expertise in conveyancing in Spennymoor.

Please help - my lawyer says that flying freehold insurance is needed on my purchase. What is the level of cover for Spennymoor conveyancing?

The right level of flying freehold indemnity insurance depends on who your lender is. It would differ for example between Lloyds TSB Bank and The Mortgage Works. Conveyancing solicitors as opposed to borrowers take out such policies.

We have a mortgage agreed in principle with Nationwide. Spennymoor conveyancing solicitors have been selected. What is the average time that one could expect to receive a mortgage offer from Nationwide?

Some lenders take longer than others. Have Nationwide conducted the survey? Have you advised Nationwide as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Nationwide conveyancing panel? It is not unusual for a mortgage offer to take a month to come through.

A friend advised me that if I am buying in Spennymoor I should ask my conveyancer to perform a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?

This is a search is sometimes quoted for as part of the standard Spennymoor conveyancing searches. It is a large document of about 40 pages, listing and detailing important information about Spennymoor around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Spennymoor Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime details, Local Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data regarding Spennymoor.

I am looking for a flat up to £195,000 and found one near me in Spennymoor I like with a park and transport links in the vicinity, however it's only got 52 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Spennymoor in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a lease with such few years left?

Should you require a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term will be an issue. Reduce the price by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current owner has owned the property for at least 2 years you may request that they start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor regarding this matter.

What advice can you give us when it comes to appointing a Spennymoor conveyancing firm to deal with our lease extension?

When appointing a solicitor for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Spennymoor conveyancing firm) it is essential that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We recommend that you speak with several firms including non Spennymoor conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. The following questions might be useful:

If they are not ALEP accredited then why not?

Leasehold Conveyancing in Spennymoor - A selection of Queries before Purchasing

Is anyone aware of any major works anticipated that will increase the service charges? What is the annual maintenance fee and ground rent? How long is the Lease?