At long last a mortgage agreement from HSBC for the remortgage of my 4 room flat is coming by the end of next week. Can you recommend a low cost conveyancing practitioner in Sunderland?

This site is not designed to aid those in their quest for the cheapest conveyancing solicitors in Sunderland. Our goal is to offer excellent value conveyancing but we do not aim to work with the cheapest lawyers. Do not be swayed by organisations teasing you with low cost conveyancing in Sunderland. The optimum outcome, in deciding on cheap conveyancing, you will get your money’s worth and at worst it will result in you with a hefty uplift in additional fees and still not get the service required.

We are expecting a mortgage offer soon. The lender mentioned the loan came with free conveyancing. Does this mean I have to appoint their panel conveyancer as I would prefer to appoint a Sunderland based conveyancing firm?

You should check but the chances are that appoint one of their panel solicitors if you want the "fee-free" offer. Contact the bank and check if they offer you a cash alternative. Some banks have previously offered a £250 cashback as a further option in which case you could put that amount towards the cost for your conveyancing solicitor near Sunderland.

There are plenty of conveyancing solicitors in Sunderland but how do I know who's good?

We would encourage you not to go for the cheapest Sunderland conveyancing costs illustration. You really do get what you pay for when it comes to conveyancing solicitors. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you go into the conveyancing with your eyes wide open.

I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with Lloyds. I assume I don't need a Sunderland conveyancing practitioner on the Lloyds panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?

If you have finished paying off your Lloyds 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 Lloyds mortgage from the register. Lloyds, 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 Lloyds has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. Lloyds has instructed the Land Registry to do so

I was told three weeks ago that my mortgage has been agreed to by Lloyds. Is it usual for Lloyds to only issue the offer once my solicitor in Sunderland is approved on their conveyancing panel? Lloyds have asked my solicitor to see a copy of their Professional Indemnity Insurance Schedule.

Mortgage companies tend not to not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Lloyds to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Lloyds conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a flat up to £305k and found one near me in Sunderland I like with amenity areas and transport links in the vicinity, however it only has 52 years unexpired on the lease. There is not much else in Sunderland suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a short lease?

If you need a mortgage the shortness of the lease will likely be an issue. Discount the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing owner has owned the property for at least 2 years you can request that they commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer concerning this.

I have checked your search tool I can't find the lawyer I was hoping to instruct as being on the mortgage company conveyancing panel. My lawyer has said that they are on the mortgage company approved panel. How can I be sure given that they are not listed on your directory?

Not all firms are yet listed on our lender panel search tool which is still relatively new. Law firms are listing on a daily basis and it is probably the case that your lawyer is on the bank conveyancing lawyer and you should probably take them at their word. Please do feel free to suggest that they completing their listing on our site as it would only cost them £1 a month to list themselves as being on the lender solicitor panel.