We are purchasing a detached bungalow in Bamburgh. Our aim is to carry out a loft conversion at the house.Will legal conveyancing on the property involve checks to see if these alterations are permitted?

Your property lawyer will check the deeds as conveyancing in Bamburgh can sometimes reveal restrictions in the title documents which restrict certain works or need the permission of a 3rd party. Certain additions need local authority planning consent and approval under the building regulations. Some locations are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which frequently prevent or impact extensions. You should check these issues with a surveyor prior to committing yourself to a purchase.

My wife and I are in the throws of viewing houses in Bamburgh and I am about to put in an offer. Should I already have a lawyer appointed at this point? I am planning to take a home loan with Kent Reliance.

You should start requesting conveyancing quotes from solicitors ASAP. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their contact information on to the selling agent. As you are getting a mortgage with Kent Reliance, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.

Intending to buy a apartment in Bamburgh. I have received an online quote from a licenced conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Building Society if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the Co-operative conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.

They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that the Bamburgh conveyancer is on the Co-operative conveyancing panel.

I require fast conveyancing in Bamburgh as I am under pressure to exchange contracts in less than one month. A home loan is not required. Can I decline from having conveyancing searches to save money and time?

As you are are a mortgage free purchaser you are at free not to do searches although no conveyancer would suggest that you don't. Drawing on our experience of conveyancing in Bamburgh the following are instances of issues that can show up and therefore impact future mortgageability: Refused Planning Applications, Overdue Charges, Overdue Grants, Unadopted Roads,...

I used Stirling Law a few years ago for my conveyancing in Bamburgh. Now, I need my files but cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?

Do contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Bamburgh of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously hired, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

I have been on the look out for a ground for flat up to £235,500 and identified one round the corner in Bamburgh I like with amenity areas and station in the vicinity, however it's only got 52 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Bamburgh 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 need a home loan the shortness of the lease will be problematic. 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 a minimum of 2 years you may request that they start the process of the extension and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor about this.

I have instructed a Bamburgh conveyancing solicitor for our house purchase (FTB’s) and have picked up in the engagement letter that they are not regulated by the FCA. Am I right to be concerned or is that the norm with solicitor?

We can't see why they should be. Most lawyer don't lend money. You should check that they are governed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, who dictate specific rules in place on amounts sitting in their bank.