I can't travel far from Sunderland. What is the rationale as to why all Sunderland solicitors are not on all bank panels?
Lenders ordinarily impose restrictions on either the type or volume of conveyancing solicitors on their approved list of lawyers. A common example of such criteria being that the practice needs to have at least two partners. As well as restricting the type of firm, some have decided to restrict the size of their panel they allow to represent them. It is worth noting that mortgage companies have no liability for the accuracy of conveyancing provided by any Sunderland lawyer on their approved list. Mortgage fraud was a key driver in the reduction of solicitor panels in the last decade even though there are conflicting thoughts about whether solicitors sat at the center of that fraud. Data via the Land Registry reveal that thousands of conveyancing firms only transact one or two conveyances annually. Those vindicating conveyancing panel consolidation ask why law firms deserve any entitlement to be listed on a lender panel when it is apparent that conveyancing is not their speciality?
As someone not used to conveyancing in Sunderland what’s your top tip you can impart concerning the legal transfer of property in Sunderland
You may not hear this from too many lawyers but conveyancing in Sunderland or throughout Tyne And Wear is often a confrontational process. In other words, when it comes to conveyancing there exists plenty of room for conflict between you and others involved in the legal transfer of property. For example, the vendor, property agent and on occasion a lender. Appointing a solicitor for your conveyancing in Sunderland should not be taken lightly as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the SOLE person in the legal process whose responsibility is to protect your best interests and to protect you.
Every so often a potential adversary will try and persuade you that it is in your interests to do things their way. For instance, the selling agent may claim to be helping by claiming that your conveyancer is dragging his heels. Or your mortgage broker may advise you to do take action that is contrary to your lawyers guidance. You should always trust your lawyer above all other parties in the home moving process.
Will my conveyancing lawyers need to check that the building insurance when buying a house in Sunderland. My lender is Platform
Platform have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 21/1/2026, the requirements read as follows :
Have just purchased a repossessed house at auction in Sunderland. Conveyancing is required. What are my next steps?
Now that you are to in every practical sense signed on the dotted line you now have to choose a conveyancing lawyer soon as you are faced with a fast approaching deadline in which to complete the conveyancing. All auction property will ordinarily have a corresponding auction set of papers. This will likely include most,if not all of the documents that your conveyancer requires. If you have purchased leasehold property the conveyancing pack may contain a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and associated conveyancing paperwork pertinent to a leasehold property. You need to pass this on to your appointed conveyancing solicitor at the earliest opportunity. Do make sure that that you have the requisite funding in order to complete the transaction on the set completion date.
I'm in the process of viewing houses in Sunderland and I am now considering a potential offer. Is it advisable to have my lawyer on ‘stand by’? I am planning to take a mortgage with Barclays.
It would be prudent to instigate your search sooner rather than later. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their contact information on to the EA. As you are taking out a mortgage with Barclays, make sure you remember to check that your lawyer is on the Barclays conveyancing panel.
I am due to exchange contracts on my house. I had a double glazing fitted in September 2006, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's lender, Skipton are being difficult. The Sunderland solicitor who is on the Skipton conveyancing panel is happy to accept ‘lack of building regulation’ insurance but Skipton are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do Skipton have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?
It is probably the case that Skipton have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Skipton 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.
Expecting to exchange soon on a studio apartment in Sunderland. Conveyancing lawyers inform me that they are sending me a report within the next couple of days. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?
The report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Sunderland should include some of the following:
-
Do you need to have carpet in the flat or are you allowed wood flooring? You should know if the lease permits you to change or upgrade aspects of the property- you must know whether it applies to all alterations or just structural alteration, and whether permission is mandated necessary Who has the liability for maintaining the window frames You should be sent a copy of the lease You need to be informed what counts as a Nuisance in the lease
I bought a basement flat in Sunderland, conveyancing having been completed in 2012. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Similar flats in Sunderland with a long lease are worth £260,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 charged once a year. The lease ends on 21st October 2100
You have 74 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £8,600 and £9,800 as well as professional fees.
The figure above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more comprehensive investigations. Do not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other issues that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.
My folks cant seem to find their Sunderland property on the HMLR online search facility. They have a vague recollection back in the 70’s when they acquired the bungalow there were complications regarding Sunderland not being recognised in some systems.
Almost all residences in Sunderland should appear. Have you tried a search with simply the postcode. Usually it should reveal all the houses and flats within that postcode. Where registered it will show up with a title number. Where they bought fifty years ago it's conceivable it may be unrecorded. The property could still be revealed but with the title number identified as 'na'. In this scenario you will need to locate the original title documentation which could be with your parent’s mortgage company.