The deeds to my home can not be found. The solicitors who dealt with the conveyancing in Stockton on Tees 5 years ago have long since closed. What are my options?

Assuming you have a registered title the details of your ownership will be held by the Land Registry under a Title Number. It is easy to perform a search at the Land Registry, identify your property and obtain up to date copies of the property title for less than a fiver. Where the title is Leasehold then the Land Registry will in most cases hold a file duplicate of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be obtained for twenty pounds.

I am purchasing a new build house in Stockton on Tees with a mortgage from Halifax. The developers would not reduce the price so I negotiated £7000 of additionals instead. The property agent advised me not inform my lawyer about the side-deal as it will adversely affect my loan with Halifax. 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.

I opted to have a survey carried out on a property in Stockton on Tees in advance of appointing solicitors. I have been told that there is a flying freehold aspect to the property. My surveyor advised that some lenders may refuse to grant a mortgage on a flying freehold property.

It varies from the lender to lender. Santander has different requirements from Birmingham Midshires. Should you wish to telephone us we can check via the relevant bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Stockton on Tees. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Stockton on Tees especially if they regularly deal with such properties in Stockton on Tees.

Frank (my husband) and I may need to sub-let our Stockton on Tees basement flat temporarily due to a new job. We instructed a Stockton on Tees conveyancing firm in 2004 but they have since shut and we did not think at the time seek any advice as to whether the lease prohibits the subletting of the flat. How do we find out?

The lease governs the relationship between the freeholder and you the leaseholder; in particular, it will say if subletting is prohibited, or permitted but only subject to certain caveats. The accepted inference is that if the lease contains no expres ban or restriction, subletting is permitted. The majority of leases in Stockton on Tees do not prevent subletting altogether – such a clause would adversely affect the market value the flat. In most cases there is a basic requirement that the owner notifies the freeholder, possibly sending a duplicate of the sublease.

Stockton on Tees Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Queries Prior to Purchasing

In the main the cost for major works are not built into the maintenance charges, although some managing agents in Stockton on Tees obliged leasehold owners to contribute towards a reserve fund and this is used to offset against major repairs or maintenance. It is important to be aware whether fixing the lift or some other significant cost is coming up that will be shared between the leasehold owners and may well dramatically impact the level of the maintenance costs or result in a specific payment. How many of the leaseholders are in arrears for their maintenance charge payments?

Online reading suggests that Stockton on Tees solicitors are more costly than Stockton on Tees conveyancers in Stockton on Tees when it comes to purchasing a property. So is it better if I use a conveyancer or a solicitor if I am buying a house in Stockton on Tees.

When it comes to conveyancing in Stockton on Tees the costs are unlikely to vary dramatically depending on whether the legal expert is a licenced conveyancer or solicitor.