I am the registered owner of a freehold house in Leegomery yet pay rent, why is this and what is this?
It’s unusual for properties in Leegomery and has limited impact for conveyancing in Leegomery 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 fresh 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 post 2037 is to be extinguished.
We're in Leegomery, First timers buying with a mortgage (lender is Barclays , and our lawyer is on the Barclays conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?
The fact that your lawyer is on the Barclays conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no conveyancing practitioner should guarantee a timeframe for your conveyancing, due to third parties outside of your control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain.
We previously instructed conveyancing lawyers based in Leegomery on the Skipton solicitor panel. They have just invoiced me a further amount for the legal aspects of the Skipton mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee set by Skipton?
Unfortunately, as long as it is in their Terms of Engagement or estimate then yes your lawyer can levy a fee for this. The charge is not dictated by Skipton but by your Leegomery conveyancing practitioner. Plenty of firms on the Skipton panel will quote ’dealing with mortgage’ fee and others do not.
I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with Barclays. I assume I don't need a Leegomery solicitor on the Barclays panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.
If you have finished paying off your Barclays mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Barclays mortgage from the register. Barclays, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:
- but are not moving to another property
- where Barclays has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- Barclays has instructed the Land Registry to do so
After shopping around on the internet I have found a Leegomery solicitor having made sure that they are on the Co-operative conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?
Co-operative will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Co-operative 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. You may wish to consider appointing your own Leegomery surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.
I am buying a property and the solicitor has raised the issue of Chancel Repair to which the house may be obligated to pay because it falls into the area of such a church. He has suggested insurance. Is this really warranted for conveyancing in Leegomery
Unless a previous acquisition of the house took place post 12 October 2013 you may take it that conveyancing practitioners carrying out conveyancing in Leegomery to remain encouraging a chancel search and or chancel repair liability insurance.
I used Stirling Law several years ago for my conveyancing in Leegomery. I now require my papers however cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?
Do contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Leegomery of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously instructed, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
I am hoping to put an offer on a small detached house that appears to tick a lot of boxes, at a great price which is making it all the more appealing. I have since found out that it's a leasehold rather than freehold. I would have thought that there are issues purchasing a house with a leasehold title in Leegomery. Conveyancing solicitors have are soon to be instructed. Will my lawyers set out the implications of buying a leasehold house in Leegomery ?
The majority of houses in Leegomery are freehold and not leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local conveyancer used to dealing with such properties who can help the conveyancing process. it is apparent that you are purchasing in Leegomery so you should seriously consider shopping around for a Leegomery conveyancing solicitor and be sure that they have experience in advising on leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the number of years remaining. Being a leaseholder you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want to the property. The lease will likely included provisions for example obtaining the landlord’sconsent to conduct alterations. You may also be required to pay a service charge towards the upkeep of the communal areas where the property is part of an estate. Your conveyancer should appraise you on the various issues.
I invested in buying a 1st floor flat in Leegomery, conveyancing formalities finalised in 2011. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Similar properties in Leegomery with over 90 years remaining are worth £195,000. The ground rent is £45 yearly. The lease terminates on 21st October 2088
With only 63 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £16,200 and £18,600 plus legals.
The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more detailed investigations. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other concerns that need to be taken into account and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.