We were about to instruct a conveyancing solicitor in Durham endorsed by you but stumbled across alternative estimates via the web appear less pricey – how come?

There are hundreds of solicitors marketing at first sight what seems to be very low prices. We would encourage you to give due consideration as to how important this transaction is to you that want to take 'cheap' risks in relation to the standard of the legal work. Many of them list a cheap fee as a headline but plant additional charges in the small print..

When can the exchange of contracts happen for residential conveyancing in Durham and am I required to be at the lawyers office?

Where you are round the corner to one of the conveyancing solicitors in Durham you are welcome to attend to sign contracts. That being said, the lender approved solicitors we recommend supply countrywide coverage for conveyancing and provide just as detailed and professional a job for you when communicating with you electronically. The executing of the contract is not the point of no return. A signed contract is just a prerequisite for the solicitor to address the formalities at the suitable time, which will usually be very shortly after signing. The procedure is nowadays normally dealt with by telephone and can be very rapid, although where an extended "chain" is in play, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in Durham)to be in the office available at the end of the phone to exchange contracts.

Forgive me if this question is silly but I am new to the process as FTB of a ground floor flat in Durham. Do I collect the keys to the house on completion from my solicitor? If so, I will instruct a High Street conveyancing solicitor in Durham?

There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Your solicitors will arrange to send the completion advance to the owner’s conveyancers, and shortly after the monies have arrived, you should be called to collect the keys from the property Agents and move into your new home. This tends to happen early afternoon.

We are getting the release of further funds on our mortgage from Clydesdale as we want to conduct a loft conversion to our home in Durham. Are we obliged to appoint a local Durham solicitor on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel to handle the legals?

Clydesdale don't usually require a member of their conveyancing panel to deal with such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Clydesdale panel.

Last month we had a mortgage agreed in principle with Principality. Durham conveyancing solicitors are instructed. How long does it take for Principality to forward the offer to the conveyancing practitioner?

There is no definitive answer here. Have Principality done the valuation? Have you informed Principality as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Principality conveyancing panel? It is not unusual for a mortgage offer to take a month to come through.

Due to the encouragement of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a property in Durham in advance of retaining solicitors. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold element to the house. My surveyor has said that some mortgage companies tend not grant a loan on a flying freehold house.

It varies from the lender to lender. Bank of Scotland has different instructions from Halifax. Should you wish to call us we can look into this further with the relevant mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Durham. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Durham especially if they are accustomed to such properties in Durham.

I am in need of some leasehold conveyancing in Durham. Before I get started I would like to find out the remaining lease term.

Assuming the lease is registered - and 99.9% are in Durham - then the leasehold title will always include the short particulars of the lease, namely the date; the term; and the original parties. From a conveyancing perspective such details then enable any prospective buyer and lender to confirm that any lease they are looking at is the one relevant to that title. For any other purpose, such as confirming how long the term was granted for and calculating what is left, then the register should be sufficient on it's own.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Durham - A selection of Questions you should consider before Purchasing

It is important to be aware whether redecorating or some other major work is pending that will be shared amongst the leaseholders and may well materially impact the level of the maintenance fees or require a specific invoice. Where a Durham lease has less than 80 years it will affect the marketability of the apartment. It is worth checking with your mortgage company that they are willing to lend given the lease term. Leases with less than 80 years remaining means that you will probably require a lease extension sooner rather than later and it is worth discovering what this would cost. For most Durhamlease extensions you would need to own the property for 24 months in order to be entitled to extend the lease. Who takes charge for maintaining and repairing the building?