I am the registered owner of a freehold house in Billericay but nevertheless invoiced for rent, why is this and what is this?
It’s unusual for properties in Billericay and has limited impact for conveyancing in Billericay but some freehold properties in England (particularly common in North West England) pay an annual sum known as a Chief Rent or a Rentcharge to a third party who has no other legal interest in the land.
Rentcharge payments are usually between £2.00 and £5.00 per year. Rentcharges have existed for many centuries, but the Rent Charge Act 1977 barred the creation of fresh rentcharges from 1977 onwards.
Previous rentcharges can now be extinguished by making a one off payment under the Act. Any rentcharges that are still in existence post 2037 will be extinguished.
The Billericay conveyancing firm that I recently instructed on my purchase in Billericay have suddenly closed. I only went with them because I had to have a lawyer on the Nottingham conveyancing panel and my previous Billericay lawyer was not. I issued them a cheque for £250 in advance. What do I do now?
If you have an estate agent involved then inform them immediately so that they advise the vendors that there may be a slight delay due to the problems encountered. Hopefully they will be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You will need to appoint new lawyers that are on the Nottingham conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money, it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new lawyers should be in a position to assist.
This question may be naive but I am unexperienced as FTB of a garden flat in Billericay. Do I pick up the keys to the premises on the completion date from my lawyer? If so, I will instruct a High Street conveyancing solicitor in Billericay?
There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Conveyancing lawyers for you will electronically transfer the completion advance to the owner’s solicitors, and shortly after the monies have arrived, you should be able to collect the keys from the selling Agents and start moving into the property. Usually this happens between 1 and 3pm.
Is it the case that all Billericay solicitor practices on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel are overseen by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?
As solicitors, in order to be on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel they would need to be regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. Many mortgage companies do permit licenced conveyancers on their panel and in such a situation the organisation would be regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.
I am selling my flat. I had a double glazing fitted in April 2008, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's mortgage company, Coventry BS are being pedantic. The Billericay solicitor who is on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel is saying indemnity insurance will be fine but Coventry BS are requiring a building regulation certificate. Why do Coventry BS have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?
It is probably the case that Coventry BS have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Coventry 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.
Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to my property are lost. The solicitors who conducted the conveyancing in Billericay 4 years ago are no longer around. What are my next steps?
In today’s world there are duplicates made of almost everything, and your conveyancer will be aware precisely where to look for all the appropriate paperwork so you can buy or sell your property without any difficulty. If duplicates are not available, your conveyancer may be able to put in place insurance or indemnities against future claims on your premises.
I am purchasing my first flat in Billericay with a loan from HSBC Bank. The developers would not move on the amount so I negotiated £7000 of fixtures and fittings instead. The house builders rep advised me not to tell my solicitor about the deal as it will jeopardize my loan with the lender. Should I keep quiet?.
All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder 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.
How do I use the search facility to select a conveyancing lawyer in Billericay on the panel for my bank?
Step one is to choose a lender such as Lloyds TSB Bank, Leeds Building Society or Bank of Ireland then type in your location a common one being Billericay. Conveyancing organisations in Billericay and beyond should be shown.