I own a freehold house in Lakenheath but nevertheless charged rent, why is this and what is this?
It is rare for properties in Lakenheath and has limited impact for conveyancing in Lakenheath 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 hundreds of years, but the Rent Charge Act 1977 barred the establishment of new rentcharges post 1977.
Old rentcharges can now be redeemed by making a lump sum payment under the Act. Any rentcharges that are still in existence in 2037 will be extinguished.
My Solicitor in Lakenheath is not listed on the Coventry Building Society Solicitor Panel. Can I still continue with my prefered solicitor even though they are not on the Coventry Building Society approved list?
The limited options open to you here include:
- Complete the purchase with your existing Lakenheath solicitors but Coventry Building Society will need to retain a solicitor on their panel. This will result in additional overall conveyancing fees and result in delays.
- Choose a new solicitor to to deal with the purchase, not forgetting to check they are Convince your conveyancer to use their best endeavours to join the Coventry Building Society conveyancing panel
My friend advised me that if I am buying in Lakenheath I should ask my conveyancer to execute a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?
This is a search is occasionally quoted for as part of the standard Lakenheath conveyancing searches. It is not a small document of more than thirty pages, listing and detailing important information about Lakenheath around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Lakenheath Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime statistics, Local Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information regarding Lakenheath.
I have recentlyfound out that Wolstenholmes have closed. They carried out my conveyancing in Lakenheath for a purchase of a leasehold apartment 12 months ago. How can I be sure that the property is not still registered in the name of the previous owner?
The quickest way to check if the premises is in your name, you can make a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Lakenheath conveyancing specialists.
I have been sourcing a conveyancing practitioner in Lakenheath for my house move. Is it possible to check a firm’s record with the legal regulator?
Members of the public can read documented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) determinations arising from inquisitions started on or after Jan 2008. Visit Check a solicitor's record. To find records about the period before 1 January 2008, or to check a solicitors record, phone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. For callers outside the UK, use +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA sometimes monitor telephone calls for training purposes.
Last April I purchased a leasehold flat in Lakenheath. Am I liable to pay service charges for periods before my ownership?
In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.
If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).
Lakenheath Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Queries Prior to Purchasing
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What restrictions are contained in the Lakenheath Lease? Who takes responsibility for maintaining and repairing the block? Best to be warned whether changing the roof or some other significant cost is due shortly that will be shared between the leaseholders and will materially increase the the maintenance costs or require a specific payment.