I purchased a freehold house in Freshford but nevertheless charged rent, why is this and what is this?

It’s unusual for properties in Freshford and has limited impact for conveyancing in Freshford 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 many centuries, but the Rent Charge Act 1977 barred the establishment 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 extinguished.

I used Stirling Law several years ago for my conveyancing in Freshford. Now, I need the files however the law firm has closed. What do I do?

You should call 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 Freshford of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously used, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

I'm buying my first flat in Freshford with a loan from Halifax. The builders would not move on the price so I negotiated £7000 of fixtures and fittings instead. The house builders rep suggested that I not inform my solicitor about this extras as it would jeopardize my loan with the bank. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

Are there any apps to help locate a Freshford law firm on the Accord Mortgages Ltd conveyancing panel? I drive a motor bike and am happy to travel upto 20kilometers to meet the conveyancer.

You can use the search on this website. Please select a bank and your location and you will see a number of Freshford conveyancing lawyers located nearest you. We have listed some Freshford conveyancing firms at the bottom of this page and you can ring them to see whether they are on the Accord Mortgages Ltd panel

When it comes to my conveyancing in Freshford should I be paying VAT on the following: (1) Land reg fee on purchase (2) Pre - completion search fee (3) SDLT E submission on purchase (4) Bank TT fee

(1) Land reg fee on purchase - No (2) Pre - completion search fees -No, (such conveyancing searches are HMLR ones and means £4 and possibly £2 bankruptcy per name on your mortgage) (3) SDLT E submission on your purchase - There is no VAT on Stamp Duty. However if the firm is charging a stamp duty e-submission fee as part of their services - some Freshford conveyancers do - that will incur VAT(4) Bank transfer fee - Yes it is for the lawyer's time in submitting the funds this way.