Me and my partner are buying a property in Chester le Street. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a solicitor? At some point we will need to put money into their account. What is the protection we have from them run away with our monies?

Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.

Do I find a Licenced Conveyancer or Solicitor for conveyancing in Chester le Street?

There are many recorded licenced Conveyancers in Chester le Street and Solicitor partnerships in Chester le Street who provide Conveyancing services It is important to make clear that the two are supervised by regulatory bodies with both specialising in the legal work in transferring property. Both can conduct other property legal work such as remortgage conveyancing, lease extensions and transfer of equity conveyancing.

How can we tell if a Chester le Street conveyancing solicitor on the Barclays panel is any good?

When it comes to conveyancing in Chester le Street obtaining recommendations is a good start. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one which is cheap as chips. We would always advise that you speak with the solicitor handling your conveyancing.

I appreciate that there are debates on Chancel Insurance on online forums. Do I require this when acquiring a residence in Chester le Street? or Apparently there is a law dating back centuries that means some homeowners living in a parish church boundary will be compelled to contribute towards repairs to the chancel in proximity to the church. Is this applicable for conveyancing in Chester le Street?

Unless a prior acquisition of the premises took place after 12 October 2013 you could take it that lawyers carrying out conveyancing in Chester le Street to remain recommending a chancel search and or insurance against a claim.

How does conveyancing in Chester le Street differ for newly converted properties?

Most buyers of new build residence in Chester le Street come to us having been asked by the housebuilder to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is completed. This is because new home sellers in Chester le Street usually purchase the real estate, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancing solicitors as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are used to new build conveyancing in Chester le Street or who has acted in the same development.

I’m about to sell my garden flat in Chester le Street. Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon, but I have just received a half-yearly maintenance charge invoice – should I leave it to the buyer to sort out?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should clear the maintenance contribution as you normally would given that all ground rent and service invoices will be allotted on completion, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the purchaser for the period running from after the completion date to the subsequent invoice date. Most management companies will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.

I acquired a studio flat in Chester le Street, conveyancing formalities finalised March 2003. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Similar properties in Chester le Street with an extended lease are worth £170,000. The ground rent is £50 charged once a year. The lease finishes on 21st October 2102

You have 78 years left to run the likely cost is going to span between £7,600 and £8,800 plus legals.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to provide the actual costs in the absence of detailed investigations. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action placing reliance on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.

Much to my surprise my conveyancing solicitor in Chester le Street is asking me for ID documents asserting that this forms part of his legal duty as a solicitor on the mortgage company Solicitor panel. This is news to me - can I refuse?

Anti-terror and anti-money-laundering rules require Chester le Street conveyancing solicitors and licensed conveyancers to verify the identity of the person or body they are dealing with before they can accept their conveyancing business. The Client Care letter that you need to sign will no doubt confirm this. Your lawyer is right that the lender also require certain documents to be viewed. If a you refuse to provide ID verification documents, your conveyancer would not be able to accept instructions from you. Your lawyer also has obligations to obtain certain documents in accordance with the mortgage company's UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements