My partner and I are purchasing a brand new duplex in Jarrow and my conveyancer is advising me that she has to the mortgage company to disclose incentives from the builder. I am nearing the developer’s deadline to sign contracts and I don't want to delay deal. Is my lawyer right?

You should not exchange unless you have been advised to do so by your conveyancing practitioner. A precondition to being on a lender panel is to comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook provisions. The CML Conveyancing Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.

What can a local search tell me about the property my wife and I purchasing in Jarrow?

Jarrow conveyancing often starts with the ordering local authority searches directly from your local Authority or through a personal search organisations for instance Onsearch The local search plays an important role in many a Jarrow conveyancing purchase; as long as you don’t want any nasty once you have moved into your property. The search should supply data on, amongst other things, details on planning applications applicable to the property (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of thirteen topic headings.

I am purchasing my first flat in Jarrow with a loan from The Mortgage Works. The developers would not budge the amount so I negotiated £7000 of extras instead. The property agent suggested that I not disclose to my solicitor about the side-deal as it will impact my loan with the lender. Should I keep quiet?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

As co-executor for the will of my grandmother I am disposing of a residence in Cardiff but I am based in Jarrow. My lawyer (who is 300 kilometers awayrequires that I execute a stat dec ahead of completion. Could you suggest a conveyancing lawyer in Jarrow to witness this legal document for me?

Technically speaking you should not be required to have the documents witnessed by a conveyancing solicitor. Ordinarily any notary public or qualified solicitor will suffice regardless of whether they are based in Jarrow

I have recently realised that I have Sixty One years left on my flat in Jarrow. I now wish to get lease extension but my freeholder is can not be found. What should I do?

On the basis that you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be extended by the Court. You will be obliged to prove that you have done all that could be expected to locate the lessor. In some cases an enquiry agent may be useful to carry out a search and prepare an expert document to be used as evidence that the landlord can not be located. It is advisable to get professional help from a property lawyer in relation to proving the landlord’s disappearance and the application to the County Court covering Jarrow.

I inherited a basement flat in Jarrow, conveyancing having been completed in 2006. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Equivalent properties in Jarrow with over 90 years remaining are worth £216,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 levied per year. The lease runs out on 21st October 2094

You have 68 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £9,500 and £11,000 as well as professional fees.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to provide the actual costs in the absence of detailed due diligence. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other concerns that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward based on this information before getting professional advice.