I am the registered owner of a freehold property in Earlswood but nevertheless pay rent, why is this and what is this?

It’s unusual for properties in Earlswood and has limited impact for conveyancing in Earlswood 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 creation of new rentcharges post 1977.

Old rentcharges can now be redeemed by making a one off payment under the Act. Any rentcharges that are still in existence in 2037 will be extinguished.

We wanted to use a property lawyer in Earlswood for our home move. Our financial adviser informed us that our bank Platform Home Loans Ltd won't deal with them. Surely this is unfair competition?

Before the recession most banks had an appetite for risk which was higher than today. Almost all Earlswood conveyancing firms would have been on most lender panels. The financial services regulator in 2010 carried out a thematic investigation into mortgage fraud which concluded: mortgage lenders should know the conveyancing solicitors dealt with. Consequently, lenders have regularly sought more data from law firms relating to their operations and their employees and set certain criteria such a completing on a minimum volume of transactions. Many Earlswood conveyancing firms that have been excluded from lender panels have a 100% healthy track record, no complaints and no claims and didn't just 'dabble' in conveyancing. Earlswood is amongst the thousands of locations where the solicitors showing on our search results are are authorised to act for Platform Home Loans Ltd.

What is the difference between a licensed conveyancer and conveyancing solicitor in Earlswood

There are many registered licenced Conveyancers in Earlswood and Solicitor firms in Earlswood who provide Conveyancing services We would stress that both are regulated professionals specialising in the legal work in transferring property. The two can deal with other property legal work such as remortgage conveyancing, lease extensions and transfer of equity conveyancing.

A relative advised me that in purchasing a property in Earlswood there could be various restrictions as to what one can do in terms of external alterations to a property. Is this right?

There are a number of properties in Earlswood which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to external changes. Part of the conveyancing in Earlswood should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.

When it comes to lenders such as HSBC, do Earlswood conveyancers face a fee to be on the list of approved solicitors?

We are not aware of any lender fees to be on their panel, although some do charge an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel submission.

What can a local search inform me about the house my wife and I buying in Earlswood?

Earlswood conveyancing often starts with the ordering local authority searches directly from your local Authority or via a personal search company such as Onsearch The local search plays an important part in many a Earlswood conveyancing purchase; that is if you don’t want any unpleasant surprises after you move into your property. The search should supply data on, amongst other things, details on planning applications applicable to the property (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of 13 topic headings.

I have just started marketing my basement flat in Earlswood.Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon however I have recently had a half-yearly maintenance charge invoice – what should I do?

It best that you discharge the maintenance contribution as usual as all rents and maintenance charges should be allottedon completion, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the purchaser for the period running from after the completion date to the subsequent invoice date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially