In the event thatI was to acquire a freehold housein Whitley Bay for cash and have no survey and no conveyancing searches how much could I expect to to save on my conveyancing in Whitley Bay?

Any savings you would achieve would be isolated to the costs for searches. The solicitor still got to do everything else - money laundering, correspond with your vendors conveyancer, stamp duty return, register the title etc. You might save a bit for them not having to register a mortgage but it won't be meaningful.

I am due to exchange contracts on my apartment. I had a double glazing fitted in December 2007, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My purchaser’s mortgage company, Yorkshire BS are being problematic. The Whitley Bay solicitor who is on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel is saying indemnity insurance will be fine but Yorkshire BS are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do Yorkshire BS have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that Yorkshire BS have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Yorkshire BS may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.

After shopping around on the internet I have found a Whitley Bay conveyancing practitioner having made sure that they are on the RBS conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?

RBS will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually RBS will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your solicitor will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Whitley Bay postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with RBS, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Whitley Bay.

Skipton have agreed my home loan in principle, my bid on a apartment in Whitley Bay has been accepted, what happens next?

Your property agent will want to be advised as to your conveyancing practitioner's details (ensure that the conveyancing practitioners are on the lender’s approved list). Contact Skipton or your broker and finalise any outstanding documentation. Skipton will appoint a valuer who will get in touch with the selling agent or seller to schedule an appointment. Once conducted (assuming no problems) it takes approximately a week for the mortgage offer to be issued. Skipton will issue the offer to you and your conveyancers. The legal work will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Whitley Bay.

A colleague suggested that where I am buying in Whitley Bay I should ask my conveyancer to carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?

A search of this type is occasionally included in the estimate for your Whitley Bay conveyancing searches. It is a large document of more than thirty pages, listing and detailing important information about Whitley Bay around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime details, Whitley Bay Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data about Whitley Bay.

Me and my brother purchased a terraced Edwardian house in Whitley Bay. Conveyancing practitioner represented me and Coventry Building Society. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw two entries: the first freehold, the second leasehold with the exact same address. Is it worth asking Coventry Building Society to clarify?

You need to read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Whitley Bay and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they mortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with buyers. You can also question the position with the conveyancing solicitor who conducted the purchase.

Is there a reason that Whitley Bay conveyancing costs are more expensive for leasehold and freehold properties?

There is always more work involved in leasehold conveyancing. Whitley Bay has many leasehold properties. There is more time involved in the purchase: for example, the lease and leasehold information (including current service charge, ground rent and buildings insurance details) obtained from the freeholder or managing agents. There are strict criteria that the lease must meet in order to be acceptable to a mortgage company. If it does not meet these requirements, the lease must be amended, which can involve additional expense for the seller.