We were just about to exchange contracts for a freehold house in Darlington. We have hit a snag. The loan offer with Barnsley Building Society runs out on 6/5/2025 but the vendors are suggesting a completion date of 8/5/2025. Is it possible to extend the mortgage offer?

The person best placed to deal with your concern is your solicitors who will calculate whether they better off negotiating with the mortgage company, owner’s conveyancers, selling agents or possibly all parties taking into account the history of your conveyancing to date.

Do I find a Licenced Conveyancer or Solicitor for conveyancing in Darlington?

There are two types of lawyers who can do conveyancing in Darlington namely licenced conveyancers or solicitors. Both professionals handle conveyancing services that you need to complete the sale or acquisition of property. They are both obliged to perform Darlington conveyancing on similar standards and guidelines so you can be safe in the knowledge that your conveyancing will be professionally conducted and that all requirements and procedures should be suitably attended to.

Can I be sure that the Darlington conveyancing solicitor on the Barclays panel is any good?

When it comes to conveyancing in Darlington seeking recommendations is a sensible starting point. 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 recommend that you speak with the solicitor handling your conveyancing.

My wife and I have organised a further advance on our mortgage from Kent Reliance as we wish to conduct renovations to our property in Darlington. Do we need to select a high street Darlington solicitor on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel to deal with the paperwork?

Kent Reliance would not normally require a member of their conveyancing panel to handle such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Kent Reliance panel.

Due to the input of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a house in Darlington in advance of retaining solicitors. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold aspect to the property. The surveyor advised that some mortgage companies tend refuse to issue a loan on this type of premises.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Bank of Scotland has different instructions from Birmingham Midshires. If you call us we can look into this further via the appropriate bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Darlington. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.

Should I be concerned by brokers that I am dealing with are recommending an online conveyancing firm as opposed to a High Street Darlington conveyancing practice?

As is the case with lots of professional services, often input from family and friends can be very helpful. But there are many people with a keen interest in a conveyancing matter; estate agents, mortgage brokers and lenders might all suggest lawyers to use. On occasion these conveyancers might be known to one of the organisations as experts in their field, but sometimes there might be a commercial relationship behind the recommendation. You have the discretion to choose your own conveyancer. Don't forget that some mortgage providers have an approved list of lawyers you must use for the lender related work in your home move.

We had our mortgage approved last Friday with our lender. We have retained a local conveyancer in Darlington two days ago. A couple of hours ago, our broker phoned to advise us that the lender said that we cannot use our solicitor as they aren't on their panel. As FTB's, we did not have a clue that the mortgage company had some control over our choice Is this allowed?

You are permitted to instruct any property lawyer you prefer to instruct for your conveyancing in Darlington but if your bank aren't happy with them you would have to fork out additional cost so your bank can instruct their own lawyers. It may be possible your solicitor may apply to get included on to the lender list of approved firms. You can use internet search facilities such as lenderpanel.com to find a conveyancing solcitor in Darlington on the lender panel. You can go into your local bank branch in Darlington. They will know some good conveyancing solicitors in Darlington on the approved list.