Much to our surprise we have been notified by our lender that my Gateshead the law firm I have appointed is not on the bank Conveyancing panel. What can I do to be certain that this is indeed the case?

You need to call your Gateshead conveyancer. It is reasonable to expect your lawyer to inform you what has happened. Where they are not on the panel they may be able to suggest a Gateshead conveyancing firm that is on the approved list of lawyers for your bank.

We're in Gateshead, First timers purchasing with a mortgage (lender is Leeds Building Society , and our lawyer is on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?

The fact that your lawyer is on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no solicitor should guarantee a timeframe for your conveyancing, due to third parties outside of your control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain.

Should our lawyer be raising enquiries regarding flooding during the conveyancing in Gateshead.

Flooding is a growing risk for lawyers dealing with homes in Gateshead. Plenty of people will purchase a property in Gateshead, completely aware that at some time, it may be flooded. However, leaving to one side the physical damage, where a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, satisfactory insurance cover, or dispose of the premises. Steps can be carried out during the course of a house purchase to forewarn the purchaser.

Solicitors are not best placed to impart advice on flood risk, but there are a various checks that can be carried out by the purchaser or by their lawyers which should figure out the risks in Gateshead. The conventional set of completed inquiry forms sent to a buyer’s lawyer (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) includes a standard inquiry of the vendor to find out whether the property has historically flooded. In the event that the premises has been flooded in past and is not disclosed by the vendor, then a buyer could commence a claim for damages as a result of such an misleading reply. The buyer’s conveyancers will also commission an enviro search. This should indicate whether there is any known flood risk. If so, more detailed investigations should be conducted.

I am looking for a leasehold apartment up to £235,500 and identified one close by in Gateshead I like with open areas and transport links nearby, however it only has 52 years on the lease. There is not much else in Gateshead suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a lease with such few years left?

Should you need a mortgage that many years will likely be problematic. Discount the price by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current proprietor has owned the premises for at least twenty four months you can request that they start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer concerning this.

I am looking into buying my first house which is in Gateshead and I am already nervous. I couldn't find anything specific about Gateshead. Conveyancing will be needed in due course but do you know about the Gateshead area? or perhaps some other tips you can share?

Rather than looking online forget looking online you should go and have a look at Gateshead. In the meantime here are some basic statistics that we found