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

It’s unusual for properties in Conwy and has limited impact for conveyancing in Conwy 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.

Previous rentcharges can now be extinguished by making a one off payment under the Act. Any rentcharges that are still in existence post 2037 is to be dispensed with completely.

What is the optimum way to check that the solicitor conducting my conveyancing in Conwy is on the bank’sapproved panel? I am looking to avoid the situation of having one lawyer for me and one for TSB thus spending £192.00 in further conveyancing fees.

Please do make the most of the search tool on this site. Pick the mortgage company and type ‘Conwy’ or your location and you will be presented with a number of lawyer offices in Conwy or nearest you.

I am assisting my aunt sell her property in Conwy. Does the solicitor arrange an energy performance certificate or it is for the seller to coordinate?

After the demise of Home Packs, EPC’s became a compulsory part of selling a property. An EPC should be to hand before the property is placed on the market. This is not something that lawyers ordinarily organise. Where you are using a Conwy conveyancing practitioner they may be able to arrange energy performance certificates due to their relationships with long established Conwy energy assessors

My bid for a property was accepted at auction in Conwy. Conveyancing is needed. What happens now?

Having legally committed yourself to purchase you must instruct a conveyancing solicitor quickly as you are facing a pending a drop dead date to complete the conveyancing. An auction property should have a corresponding auction pack. This should include evidence of title and search results. If you have purchased leasehold premises the conveyancing papers should include a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and other conveyancing paperwork specific to a leasehold property. You should give this to your appointed conveyancing solicitor at the earliest opportunity. Do make sure that you have funds in place to complete the transaction on the set completion date.

is it true that all Conwy solicitors on the Aldermore conveyancing panel are governed by the SRA?

As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the Aldermore approved list of solicitors they would need to be governed by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. The majority of mortgage companies do list licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such organisation would be regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.

I have justbeen informed that Wolstenholmes have closed. They carried out my conveyancing in Conwy for a purchase of a leasehold flat 9 months ago. How can I check that my home is registered correctly in the name of the previous owner?

The easiest way to see if the property is in your name, you can carry out a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Conwy conveyancing specialists.

I need to appoint a conveyancing solicitor for some conveyancing in Conwy. I happened to discover a site which looks to be the perfect solution If there is a chance to get all formalities completed via email that would be preferable. Do I need to be wary? What are the potential pitfalls?

As usual with these online conveyancers you need to read ALL the small print - did you notice the extra charge for dealing with the mortgage?