My wife and I have arranged the release of further monies on our home loan from RBS as we intend to carry out a loft conversion to our house in Jesmond. Are we obliged to choose a nearby Jesmond solicitor on the RBS conveyancing panel to deal with the paperwork?

RBS would not normally instruct 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 RBS list.

I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with Aldermore. I assume I don't need a Jesmond solicitor on the Aldermore panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.

If you have finished paying off your Aldermore mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Aldermore mortgage from the register. Aldermore, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:

1. but are not moving to another property
2. where Aldermore has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. Aldermore has instructed the Land Registry to do so

Our offer on a semi in Jesmond has been agreed to, the owners do nevertheless have a connected purchase. The vendors have offered on a property, however it’s not yet tied up, and have viewings of other flats booked. I have selected a bricks and mortar conveyancing solicitor in Jesmond. What should be my next step? When should I get the mortgage application with UBS started?

It is normal to have apprehensions where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur costs prematurely (mortgage application is approx £1k, then survey, Jesmond conveyancing search fees, etc). The first thing to do is ensure that your conveyancing practitioner is on the UBS conveyancing panel. Concerning the next stages this very much dictated by the circumstances of your case, motivation for this property and on the state of the market. During a buoyant market some purchasers will apply for a home loan with UBS and pay for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they pay their conveyancer to press on with the conveyancing in Jesmond.

I am buying a new build house in Jesmond with a mortgage from Virgin Money. The builders would not reduce the amount so I negotiated £7000 of fixtures and fittings instead. The sale representative suggested that I not to tell my conveyancer about this side-deal as it would adversely affect my loan with the lender. Should I keep quiet?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

Due to the input of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a property in Jesmond in advance of instructing solicitors. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold element to the house. My surveyor advised that some lenders tend not issue a mortgage on this type of home.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Lloyds has different instructions for example to Nationwide. If you call us we can investigate further via the relevant lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Jesmond. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.

What tools are available to search for a Jesmond solicitor on the Santander conveyancing panel? I am a keen cyclist and am prepared to travel upto 10kilometers to meet the lawyer.

You can use the search on this website. Please choose the bank and your location and you will see a number of Jesmond conveyancing lawyers based on proximity. We have listed some Jesmond conveyancing firms at the bottom of this page and you can call them to verify if they are on the Santander panel

Last September I purchased a leasehold flat in Jesmond. Am I liable to pay service charges for periods before my ownership?

In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. It is an essential part of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

Leasehold Conveyancing in Jesmond - A selection of Questions you should consider Prior to Purchasing

Most Jesmond leasehold properties will be liable to pay a service charge for maintenance of the building set on behalf of the management company. If you purchase the flat you will have to pay this amount, usually periodically accross the year. This may be anything from a couple of hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for bigger purpose-built buildings. There will also be a rentcharge to be met yearly, this is usually not a large figure, say approximately £25-£75 but you should to check it because occasionally it could be surprisingly expensive. Is anyone aware of any major works in the near future that could increase the service charges? In the main the cost for major works tend not to be built into the service charges, albeit that some managing agents in Jesmond ask tenants to contribute towards a reserve fund and this is used to offset against larger works.