My fiance and I are purchasing a 3 bedroom flat in Alnmouth with a homeloan from Norwich and Peterborough Building Society.We have a Alnmouth conveyancing solicitor but Norwich and Peterborough Building Society advised that she’s not on their approved list of firms. we are left little option but to use a Norwich and Peterborough Building Society panel solicitor or keep our high street solicitor and fork out for one of their panel ones to represent them. This seems very unfair; Can we not simply insist that Norwich and Peterborough Building Society use our lawyer?

No, not really. The loan offered to you is subject to its various provisions, a common one being that lawyers will be on the Norwich and Peterborough Building Society solicitor panel. in the past, most lenders had large numbers of law firms 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. A further alternative is for your solicitors to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for Norwich and Peterborough Building Society

Are all Alnmouth Conveyancing Quality Solicitors on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel?

Some major banks and building societies now make use of the accreditation scheme as the kick off point for Panel approval such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS accreditation however gives no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. Nevertheless,the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for firms wishing to join their approved list of firms.

My partner and I have organised the release of further monies on our mortgage from Leeds Building Society as we intend to carry out improvements to our house in Alnmouth. Do we need to appoint a nearby Alnmouth solicitor on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel to handle the legals?

Leeds Building Society would not normally instruct firms on their approved list of lawyers to deal with such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Leeds Building Society list.

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

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

What is different about your site and alternative web based conveyancing solicitors when it comes to conveyancing in Alnmouth?

At this site receive a fixed fee quote from a Solicitor or Licensed Conveyancer that appreciates the nuances of your conveyancing in Alnmouth. Unlike many estate agents and brokerage sites we do not operate commission deals with solicitors. Some agents and online brokers 'recommend' the firm who pay the most per referral, rather than the best value conveyancing in Alnmouth

I am employed by a reputable estate agent office in Alnmouth where we see a few leasehold sales derailed as a result of leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have received conflicting advice from local Alnmouth conveyancing solicitors. Can you shed some light as to whether the vendor of a flat can instigate the lease extension formalities for the buyer?

As long as the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to kick-start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the buyer can avoid having to wait 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done before, or simultaneously with completion of the disposal of the property.

Alternatively, it may be possible to agree the lease extension with the freeholder either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the buyer.

Alnmouth Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Queries Prior to Purchasing

What is the the remaining lease term? Best to be warned if window replacement or some other significant cost is coming up to be shared between the tenants and could well materially increase the the maintenance costs or require a specific payment. Please note that where the lease has fewer than eighty years it will impact the value of the property. Check with your mortgage company that they are willing to go ahead with the loan given the lease term. Leases with less than 80 years remaining means that you will almost definitely have to extend the lease sooner rather than later and it is worth finding out what this will be. Remember, in most cases you will need to own the premises for 24 months before you are entitled to extend the lease.

I have been looking for Alnmouth competitive conveyancing fees. Can I be assured that all the Alnmouth practices that are identified on your website are on the lender conveyancing panel?

The law firms on our directory have advised us that they are on the mortgage company panel and agreed to advise us to take down their listing in the event of removal off of the lender panel. To date we have not been informed by either a bank or a member of the public that the data about a specific Alnmouth firm being on the lender conveyancing panel is incorrect.