We hope to to purchase with Darlington Building Society. We have called around locally but cant to find a Blakelaw conveyancing firm on the Darlington Building Society approved list. Please you help?

Please do make the most of the search tool on this site. Pick the lender and type Blakelaw or your preferred area and you will see a number of lawyer located in Blakelaw or by proximity to you.

This question may be naive but I am new to the house moving as a first time purchaser of a two bedroom flat in Blakelaw. Do I receive the keys to the house on the completion date from my solicitor? If so, I will use a local conveyancing solicitor in Blakelaw?

There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Conveyancing lawyers for you will electronically transfer the purchase money to the owner’s conveyancers, and shortly after the monies have arrived, you will be called to receive the keys from the property Agents and move into your new home. Usually this happens early afternoon.

I recently had an offer agreed on an apartment in Blakelaw. My financial adviser recommended their conveyancers. I paid an upfront payment of £225. Shortly after, the property lawyer contacted me to say that they were not on the RBS conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the RBS panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

Having digested plenty of mortgage guides, I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Blakelaw solicitor - who is on the Aldermore conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?

Aldermore will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Aldermore will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your solicitor will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Blakelaw postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Aldermore, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Blakelaw.

I have been on the look out for a flat up to £195,000 and identified one near me in Blakelaw I like with open areas and transport links nearby, however it's only got 51 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Blakelaw in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a short lease?

Should you need a home loan the remaining unexpired lease term will likely be an issue. Reduce the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing proprietor has owned the property for at least twenty four months you could request that they start the process of the extension and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer regarding this.

Do I need to be suspicious about estate agents that I am dealing with are suggesting a factory type conveyancing firm as opposed to a local Blakelaw conveyancing practice?

As with lots of professional services, often input from relatives can be worth their weight in gold. Yet there are numerous players in a conveyancing matter; estate agents, mortgage brokers and lenders might all put forward solicitors to retain. Sometimes the conveyancers might be known to one of the organisations as being good in their field, but sometimes there might be a financial incentive behind the endorsement. You are free to select your preferred conveyancer. You need to be aware that the majority of mortgage providers have an approved list of lawyers you are obliged to use for the lender aspect of your transaction.

I today plan to offer on a house that seems to tick a lot of boxes, at a great price which is making it all the more appealing. I have since found out that the title is leasehold rather than freehold. I would have thought that there are particular concerns purchasing a house with a leasehold title in Blakelaw. Conveyancing advisers have are about to be appointed. Will my lawyers set out the risks of buying a leasehold house in Blakelaw ?

The majority of houses in Blakelaw are freehold and not leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local conveyancer who is familiar with the area who can help the conveyancing process. We note that you are purchasing in Blakelaw so you should seriously consider shopping around for a Blakelaw conveyancing practitioner and be sure that they are used to advising on leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the number of years remaining. As a lessee you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want with the house. The lease will likely included provisions for example requiring the landlord’spermission to carry out alterations. You may also be required to pay a service charge towards the maintenance of the estate where the house is part of an estate. Your lawyer should appraise you on the various issues.

I own a garden flat in Blakelaw, conveyancing was carried out February 1997. How much will my lease extension cost? Corresponding flats in Blakelaw with over 90 years remaining are worth £265,000. The ground rent is £50 per annum. The lease finishes on 21st October 2099

You have 75 years unexpired the likely cost is going to be between £8,600 and £9,800 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to provide a more accurate figure without more detailed investigations. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other concerns that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.