We are about to sign contracts for a semi detached house in Shildon. We encountered a problem. Our mortgage offer with Britannia runs out on 28/4/2025 but the owners are putting forward a completion date of 30/4/2025. Can one extend the mortgage expiry date?

The best person to deal with your concern is your conveyancer who will hopefully determine whether they better off negotiating with the mortgage broker, vendor’s representatives, property agents or possibly all parties given the circumstances your transaction as of today.

My aunt passed away last year and as sole heir and executor I was left the house in Shildon. The house had a relatively small loan remaining of approximately £5k. I want to have the title changed into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Santander, pay off the mortgage. Is this allowed?

Given you intend to refinance then Santander will insist on your using a conveyancer on the Santander conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your Santander conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the Santander mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.

I'm remortgaging my primary home to a BTL loan with HSBC Bank and I will use the ballance of the raised equity as a down payment on further house. The location we are talking about is Shildon. Will your conveyancers be able to act for both sets of banks and tie in the two deals?

Make use of our search tool on this page to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panels. Assuming that they are the conveyancer will be able to simultaneously deal with the two transactions but you should talk with you lawyer and make apparent your expectations and needs.

Am I best advised to go with a Shildon conveyancing solicitor in close proximity to the house I am purchasing? We have a good friend who can perform the legal formalities however his firm is located 400kilometers away.

The primary upside of using a local Shildon conveyancing firm is that you can drop in to sign paperwork, deliver your identification documents and apply pressure on them where appropriate. Having local Shildon know how is a plus. That being said nothing is more important than finding someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If you know people who instructed your friend and in the main were happy that should surpass using an unfamiliar Shildon conveyancing solicitor just because they are Shildon based.

I am looking at a couple of maisonettes in Shildon both have about fifty years left on the leases. Will this present a problem?

There is no doubt about it. A leasehold apartment in Shildon is a wasting asset as a result of the shortening lease. The nearer the lease gets to its expiry date, the more it adversely affects the salability of the property. For most purchasers and banks, leases with less than eighty years become less and less attractive. On a more upbeat note, leaseholders can extend their leases by serving a Section 42 Notice. One stipulation is that they must have owned the premises for two years (unlike a Section 13 notice for purchasing the freehold, when leaseholders can participate from day one of ownership). When successful, they will have the right to an extension of 90 years to the current term and ground rent is effectively reduced to zero. Before moving forward with a purchase of premises with a short lease term remaining you should talk to a solicitor specialising in lease extensions and leasehold enfranchisement. We are are happy to put you in touch with Shildon conveyancing experts who will explain the options available to you during an initial telephone conversation free of charge. More often than not it is possible to negotiate informally with the freeholder to extend the lease. They may agree to a smaller lump sum and an increase in the ground rent, but to shorter extension terms in return. You need to ensure that the agreed terms represent good long-term value compared with the standard benefits of the Section 42 Notice and that onerous clauses are not inserted into any redrafting of the lease.

Shildon Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Questions you should consider Prior to Purchasing

What is the name of the managing agents? The answer will be useful as a) areas can cause problems in the block as the communal areas may begin to deteriorate where maintenance are not paid for b) if the tenants have a dispute with the running of the building you will wish to have complete disclosure What prohibitions are contained in the Shildon Lease?