The Sandown conveyancing firm handling our Sandown conveyancing has uncovered a discrepancy between the assumptions in the valuation survey and what is in the conveyancing documents. My lawyer informs me that he needs to ensure that the bank is OK with this discrepancy and is content to go ahead. Is my solicitor’s stance appropriate?

Your property lawyer must comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook conditions which do require that your lawyer disclose any incorrect assumptions in the lender’s valuation report and the legal papers. Should you refuse to allow your lawyer to make the appropriate notification then your lawyer will have no choice but to discontinue acting for both parties.

I purchased a freehold residence in Sandown yet pay rent, why is this and what is this?

It’s unusual for properties in Sandown and has limited impact for conveyancing in Sandown 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 many centuries, but the Rent Charge Act 1977 barred the creation of fresh rentcharges post 1977.

Old rentcharges can now be extinguished by making a lump sum payment under the Act. Any rentcharges that are still in existence post 2037 will be dispensed with completely.

A friend recommended that where I am purchasing in Sandown I should ask my conveyancer to carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?

This is a search is usually included in the estimate for your Sandown conveyancing searches. It is not a small document of more than thirty pages, listing and setting out significant information about Sandown around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Sandown Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime statistics, Sandown Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data about Sandown.

I used Action Conveyancing several years past for my conveyancing in Sandown. I now require my papers but cannot find the solicitor. 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 Sandown of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously hired, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a flat up to £305k and found one near me in Sandown I like with a park and station nearby, however it's only got 52 remaining years left on the lease. There is not much else in Sandown suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a short lease?

Should you need a home loan the shortness of the lease may be problematic. Discount the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current proprietor has owned the property for a minimum of twenty four months you may ask them to start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor regarding this matter.