I own a freehold premises in Twickenham yet pay rent, why is this and what is this?
It’s unusual for properties in Twickenham and has limited impact for conveyancing in Twickenham 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 date back hundreds of years, but the Rent Charge Act 1977 barred the creation of fresh rentcharges post 1977.
Old 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 dispensed with completely.
We hope to to buy with Loughborough BS. I visited a couple of high street companies but am struggling to find a Twickenham conveyancing firm on the Loughborough BS panel. Please you assist?
You should take advantage of the find a conveyancing panel solicitor tool on this web page. Please choose the lender and type Twickenham or your location and you will see numerous solicitors based in Twickenham or near you.
My wife and I own a renovated Georgian house in Twickenham. Conveyancing practitioner acted for me and Santander. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are a couple of entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold under the exact same property. I'd like to know for sure, how can I find out??
You should 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 Twickenham and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they buy they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with buyers. You can also enquire as to the situation with your conveyancing practitioner who completed the work.
I need to instruct a conveyancing practitioner in Twickenham for my home move. Can I review a solicitor's complaints history with the legal regulator?
You can see documented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) determinations arising from inquisitions started on or after 1 January 2008. Visit Check a solicitor's record. To find records Pre 2008, or to check a solicitors history, phone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. For callers outside the UK, dial +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA sometimes recorded telephone calls for training reasons.
I've recently bought a leasehold house in Twickenham. Do I have any liability for service charges relating to a period prior to my ownership?
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).
I have tried to negotiate informally with with my landlord for a lease extension without any joy. Can I make an application to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal? Can you recommend a Twickenham conveyancing firm to assist?
Where there is a absentee landlord or if there is disagreement about the premium for a lease extension, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to assess the sum to be paid.
An example of a Lease Extension decision for a Twickenham property is Ground Floor Flat 91 Bath Road in May 2009. in a case where the freeholder could not be traced, the Brentford County Court ordered that the Lease be surrendered in return for the grant of a new lease of the Premises at a premium determined by the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal. The tribunal concluded that the price payable by the Applicant for the new lease of the premises be £15,900 This case was in relation to 1 flat. The unexpired residue of the current lease was 60.45 years.
We are purchasing a four room bungalowin Twickenham with a home loan from a bank. We would like to retain our lawyer in Twickenham but our mortgage company advise he's not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the our mortgage company panel firms or keep our Twickenham solicitor and pay for one of their panel ones to represent our lender. This seems very unfair; Can we not simply insist that our lender use our Twickenham lawyer?
Unfortunately,no. The lender mortgage offered to you is subject to conditions, one of which will be that solicitors will on the mortgage company's conveyancing panel. in the past, most banks had open panels, including almost all conveyancing solicitors in Twickenham : a mortgagee could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. A further alternative is for your solicitors to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for your bank.