My fiance and I are purchasing a newbuild flat in South Shields with a loan from Barclays .We would like to retain our South Shields conveyancing solicitor but Barclays says her practice is not listed on their "panel". It seems we have little choice but to instruct a Barclays panel solicitor or retain our preferred solicitor and fork out for a Barclays panel lawyer to act for them. This seems very unfair; Can we not simply insist that Barclays use our lawyer?

Unfortunately,no. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its various provisions, one of which will be that lawyers will be on the Barclays approved list. in the past, most banks had large numbers of solicitors on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for Barclays

It has been four months since my purchase conveyancing in South Shields took place. I have checked the Land Registry site which shows that I paid £175,000 when infact I paid £160,000. Why the discrepancy?

The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the property from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.

I'm converting the mortgage on my existing house to a buy to let mortgage with Santander and I will use the rest of the raised equity as a down payment on another house. The neighborhood we are looking at is South Shields. Will your lawyers be able to act for both sets of mortgage companies and link together the two deals?

Do use our comparison tool on this page to ensure that the solicitors are approved by both mortgage companies. On the basis that they are your conveyancer should be able to tie up the two conveyancing matters but you should have a chat with you solicitor and make clear your desired outcome and needs.

I need to instruct a conveyancing practitioner in South Shields for my house move. Can I see a solicitor's complaints history with the profession’s regulator?

Members of the public may search for published Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions stemming from investigations from 2008 onwards. Go to Check a solicitor's record. For records Pre 2008, or to check a firm's record, telephone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 any week day save for Tuesday when lines open at 9.30am. For callers outside the UK, call +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA may recorded call for training purposes.

I am attracted to a couple of apartments in South Shields both have approximately forty five years remaining on the lease term. Do I need to be concerned?

There are plenty of short leases in South Shields. The lease is a right to use the property for a period of time. As the lease shortens the saleability of the lease reduces and results in it becoming more expensive to acquire a lease extension. For this reason it is advisable to increase the term of the lease. Sometimes it is difficulties arise selling premises with a short lease as mortgage lenders may be unwilling to lend money on properties of this type. Lease enfranchisement can be a difficult process. We advise that you get professional assistance from a conveyancer and surveyor with experience in this field.

South Shields Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Questions you should ask Prior to Purchasing

Please tell me if there are any major works on the horizon that will likely add a premium to the maintenance fees? This question is important as a) areas can cause problems in the block as the common areas may start to deteriorate if services remain unpaid b) if the leaseholders have an issue with the managing agents you will wish to have full disclosure Is the freehold owned jointly by the leaseholders?