I am progressing with the sale of my home in Stockton on Tees and the estate agent has just called to say that the buyers are swapping law firm. The reason given is that the bank will only work with property lawyers on their conveyancing panel. On what basis would a major mortgage company only engage with certain lawyers rather the firm that they want to appoint for their conveyancing in Stockton on Tees ?

UK lenders have always had an approved set of law firms they are content to work with, but in the last few years big names such as Santander, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for decades.

Banks justify this action to a rise in fraud as the reason for the pruning – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to oversee. No lender will say how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Plenty of firms are unaware that they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. Your purchasers are not going to have any sway in the decision.

We just had an offer accepted to purchase with Loughborough BS. I went into a few high street companies yet cant to find a Stockton on Tees conveyancing firm on the Loughborough BS panel. Please you help?

Please do take advantage of the find a conveyancing panel solicitor tool on this page. Pick the lender and type Stockton on Tees or your preferred area and you will discover a number of lawyer located in Stockton on Tees or near you.

Is it necessary to take out insurance to cover chancel repairs when purchasing a residence in Stockton on Tees?

Unless a previous acquisition of the property took place after 12 October 2013 you can take it that conveyancing practitioners carrying out conveyancing in Stockton on Tees to remain encouraging a chancel search and or chancel repair liability insurance.

Completion is due on the disposal of our £125,000 flat in Stockton on Tees on Wednesday in a week. The freeholder has quoted £312 for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and previous years service charge statements. Is the landlord entitled to charge an administration fee for a leasehold conveyance in Stockton on Tees?

Stockton on Tees conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes usually results in fees being raised by managing agents :

Addressing conveyancing due diligence questions Where consent is required before sale in Stockton on Tees Supplying insurance information Deeds of covenant upon sale Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your lawyer will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Stockton on Tees leasehold property is £350. For Stockton on Tees conveyancing transactions it is customary for the seller to pay for these costs. The landlord or their agents are under no legal obligation to answer such questions most will be willing to do so - albeit often at exorbitant prices where the fees bear little relation to the work involved. Unfortunately there is no law that requires fixed charges for administrative tasks. Neither is there any legal time frame by which they are obliged to supply answers.

I invested in buying a 1 bedroom flat in Stockton on Tees, conveyancing formalities finalised in 2003. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Corresponding flats in Stockton on Tees with an extended lease are worth £211,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 invoiced every year. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2094

With just 68 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to range between £9,500 and £11,000 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The figure above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to supply a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed due diligence. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.

Are there any specific benefits to selecting a local conveyancing practitioner in Stockton on Tees

Home movers in Stockton on Tees opt for a local property lawyer so that they can visit just in case they have problems, and to execute mortgage deeds rather than run the risk of depending on the post.

One could say that there exists a distinct edge when using a conveyancing practitioner nearby to the house you are buying, due to the in-depth knowledge of the locality and potential local concerns - however this is debatable. Many conveyancers are now over the web and could be anywhere in the world.