I purchased a freehold residence in Darley Abbey yet charged rent, why is this and what is this?

It is rare for properties in Darley Abbey and has limited impact for conveyancing in Darley Abbey 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 hundreds of years, but the Rent Charge Act 1977 barred the establishment 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 after 2037 will be extinguished.

What happens if my lawyer’s firm is removed from the Yorkshire BS Solicitor panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in Darley Abbey?

First, this is a very rare occurrence. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have to instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by a regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit for a fee.

If you had a top tip for selecting a conveyancing solicitor in Darley Abbey what would it be?

It would be unwise to be swayed by the cheapest Darley Abbey conveyancing quote. You really do get what you’re paying for when it comes to conveyancing solicitors. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you know exactly what you’ll have to pay in ahead of the deal.

A friend informed me that in buying a property in Darley Abbey there may be various restrictions affecting the ability to carry out external changes to a property. Is this right?

There are anumerous of properties in Darley Abbey which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to execute external variations. Part of the conveyancing in Darley Abbey should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.

Intending to buy a maisonette in Darley Abbey. I have received an online quote from a licenced conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Building Society if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the Barclays conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.

They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that the Darley Abbey solicitor is on the Barclays conveyancing panel.

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up during conveyancing in Darley Abbey?

Covenants that are restrictive in nature can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the process of conveyancing in Darley Abbey. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’

I'm buying my first flat in Darley Abbey with a mortgage from Barclays . The sellers refused to budge the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of additionals instead. The sale representative told me not to tell my solicitor about this extras as it could jeopardize my mortgage with Barclays . 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.