I have given 2 months notice to my current landlord and must be out of my let out flat in Castleton and Blacktown by 15/4/2019. Conveyancing on my purchase has just started. Is it possible to complete in six weeks as don't want to have to find temporary accommodation?

The normal practice is not to serve notice for your tenancy until you have exchanged. Assuming that you have not already done so, notify to your conveyancer and request that they cajole the owners solicitors, try to an agreed time frame that everyone will aim towards

I purchased a freehold property in Castleton and Blacktown but nevertheless pay rent, why is this and what is this?

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

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

I purchased a renovated Georgian property in Castleton and Blacktown. Conveyancing solicitor represented me and The Mortgage Works. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw two entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold with the matching property. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?

You should assess 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 proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Castleton and Blacktown 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 mortgage companies. You can also enquire as to the position with the conveyancing practitioner who completed the work.

I'm purchasing a new build house in Castleton and Blacktown with a loan from Aldermore. The developers refused to reduce the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of fixtures and fittings instead. The sale representative suggested that I not disclose to my conveyancer about the side-deal as it could impact my loan with Aldermore. Is this normal?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder 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.

My partner and I are buying a studio flat in Castleton and Blacktown. When we first instructed lawyer, they assured us that they were on all major UK lender panels. The mortgage broker called yesterday to say that they are not on the RBS approved list. Should that be true, what should we do? Do we just choose a different conveyancing practitioner that is on their approved list or should we pay for dual representation, with RBS selecting their own approved conveyancing practitioner.

When purchasing a property with mortgage finance it is standard for the buyer’s lawyers to also represent the purchaser's lender. In order to act for a bank or building society a property lawyer has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the lawyer to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict conditions which the conveyancing practitioner has to fulfill. Some lenders now insist their panel firms to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Accreditation Scheme. Your property lawyer should call RBS to discover if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own solicitors to act. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on RBS's conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Castleton and Blacktown solicitors, in which case it will likely add costs, and it may delay matters as you have another set of people involved.