I am the registered owner of a freehold premises in Cuckfield but nevertheless pay rent, why is this and what is this?
It’s unusual for properties in Cuckfield and has limited impact for conveyancing in Cuckfield 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 fresh rentcharges post 1977.
Previous rentcharges can now be redeemed by making a one off payment under the Act. Any rentcharges that are still in existence post 2037 is to be extinguished.
We're in Cuckfield, First time buyers purchasing with a mortgage (lender is Aldermore , and our lawyer is on the Aldermore conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?
The fact that your lawyer is on the Aldermore conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no property lawyer should guarantee a timeframe for your conveyancing, due to third parties outside of your control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain.
A colleague advised me that in buying a property in Cuckfield there could be a number of restrictions preventing external changes to a property. Is this right?
We are aware of a number of properties in Cuckfield which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to execute external alterations. Part of the conveyancing in Cuckfield should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.
I was told two weeks ago that my mortgage has been agreed to by Principality. Is it usual for Principality to only issue the offer once my solicitor in Cuckfield is approved on their conveyancing panel? Principality have asked my solicitor to see a copy of their PI Insurance.
A lender would not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Principality to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Principality conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
After shopping around on the internet I have found a Cuckfield conveyancing practitioner having checked that they are on the Barclays conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?
Barclays will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Barclays will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your conveyancing practitioner will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Cuckfield postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Barclays, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Cuckfield.
What does a local search reveal regarding the property we're buying in Cuckfield?
Cuckfield conveyancing often commences with the applying for local authority searches directly from your local Authority or through a personal search organisations such as Searches UK The local search plays a central part in many a Cuckfield conveyancing purchase; as long as you don’t want any nasty surprises after you move into your property. The search will reveal information on, amongst other things, details on planning applications relevant 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 thirteen topic sections.
I have justbecome aware that Arc property Solicitors have been shut down. They conducted my conveyancing in Cuckfield for a purchase of a leasehold flat 10 months ago. How can I check that the property is in my name in the name of the previous owner?
The quickest method to see if the property is registered to you, you can make 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 Cuckfield conveyancing specialists.