We were just about to exchange contracts for a leasehold flat in South Hylton. We encountered a problem. Our mortgage offer with Skipton Building Society runs out on 17/2/2025 but the vendors are insisting on a completion date of 19/2/2025. Is it possible to extend the mortgage offer?

The person best placed to address this concern is your conveyancer who will hopefully assess whether they better off negotiating with the mortgage broker, owner’s conveyancers, property agents or indeed all parties given the history of your transaction as of today.

Is there a search tool that I can utilise to discover of the solicitor carrying out my conveyancing in South Hylton is on the lender’sapproved panel? I am looking to avoid the situation of having one lawyer for me and one for Bank of Scotland thus spending £175.00 in further conveyancing charges.

Please do make use of the search tool on this web page. Please choose the mortgage company and type ‘South Hylton’ or your preferred area and you will see a number of lawyer offices in South Hylton or nearest you.

We have a mortgage agreed in principle with Aldermore. South Hylton conveyancing solicitors are chosen. How long does it take for Aldermore to issue the offer to the solicitor?

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

I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with Aldermore. I assume I don't need a South Hylton solicitor on the Aldermore panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?

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

I have a mortgage with Virgin Money for my property in South Hylton. Conveyancing was finalised months ago. Should I wish to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform Virgin Money?

Virgin Money must be informed of your intention prior to letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of Virgin Money’s mortgage conditions. It may be that Virgin Money will allow you to rent out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Virgin Money directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a Virgin Money conveyancing panel firm.

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified as part of conveyancing in South Hylton?

Covenants that are restrictive in nature can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in South Hylton. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’

How does conveyancing in South Hylton differ for newly converted properties?

Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in South Hylton approach us having been asked by the builder to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is finished. This is because developers in South Hylton tend to purchase the land, 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 conveyancers 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 accustomed to new build conveyancing in South Hylton or who has acted in the same development.