I own a freehold property in Beverley yet pay rent, why is this and what is this?

It is rare for properties in Beverley and has limited impact for conveyancing in Beverley 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 generation of fresh rentcharges from 1977 onwards.

Old rentcharges can now be redeemed by making a lump sum payment under the Act. Any rentcharges that are still in existence in 2037 is to be extinguished.

Is it the case that all Beverley solicitors on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel are governed by the SRA?

As solicitors, in order to be on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel they would need to be governed by the SRA. Some banks do permit licenced conveyancers on their panel and in such a situation the organisation would be regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.

We have agreed to purchase a house in Beverley. An unusual aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Co-operative have issued a mortgage offer so presumably this is not a concern to them. Why is my solicitor raising questions about the panel?

Given that you are obtaining a mortgage with Co-operative your lawyer must comply with the formal instructions set out in Part two of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Co-operative. The CML Handbook stipulates minimum specifications for solar panel roof-space leases, and lawyers are required to report to Co-operative where a lease does not satisfy these provisions. The provisions relate to the installation of panels on properties countrywide and is not restricted to Beverley.

I recently had an offer agreed on a house in Beverley. My mortgage broker recommended their conveyancers. I paid an upfront payment of £150. A few days later, the solicitor contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Clydesdale panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

Should commercial conveyancing searches reveal planned roadworks that may affect a commercial land in Beverley?

Its becoming the norm that commercial conveyancing solicitors in Beverley will order a SiteSolutions Highways report as it reduces the time that conveyancers invest in investigating accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in Beverley. The search result provides definitive data on the adoption status of roads, footpaths and verges, as well as the implication of traffic schemes and the rights of way surrounding a commercial development sites in Beverley.

For every commercial conveyancing transaction in Beverley it is crucial to investigate the adoption status of roads surrounding a site. The absence of identifying developments where adoption procedures have not been addressed adequately may cause delays to Beverley commercial conveyancing transactions as well as present a risk to future plans for the site. These searches are not conducted for residential conveyancing in Beverley.

Due to the guidance of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a property in Beverley in advance of retaining solicitors. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold element to the property. My surveyor has said that some lenders will not give a loan on such a home.

It varies from the lender to lender. Santander has different instructions from Halifax. If you contact us we can check via the appropriate bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Beverley. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.

How do I identify a Beverley law firm on the Birmingham Midshires conveyancing panel? I drive a motor bike and am happy to travel upto 25miles to meet the solicitor.

You can use the tool on this website. Please select a mortgage company and your location and you will see a number of Beverley conveyancing lawyers located nearest you. We have detailed some Beverley conveyancing firms at the bottom of this page and you can call them to see whether they are on the Birmingham Midshires panel