I purchased a freehold house in Forest Hill but nevertheless invoiced for rent, why is this and what is this?

It is rare for properties in Forest Hill and has limited impact for conveyancing in Forest Hill 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 new rentcharges from 1977 onwards.

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 extinguished.

I have been recommended a conveyancing solicitor in Forest Hill. I need to find out if they are on the conveyancing panel. Can you help?

The first thing to do is e-mail the solicitor and ask them whether they are on the lender panel. Otherwise please call who may be able to help.

My relative suggested that where I am buying in Forest Hill I should ask my conveyancer to execute a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?

A search of this type is usually included in the estimate for your Forest Hill conveyancing searches. It is not a small document of more than thirty pages, listing and detailing significant information about Forest Hill around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime details, Local Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data about Forest Hill.

I have been on the look out for a leasehold apartment up to £235,500 and identified one close by in Forest Hill I like with a park and transport links in the vicinity, however it only has 61 years on the lease. There is not much else in Forest Hill in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a short lease?

If you need a home loan that many years will be a potential deal breaker. Discount the price by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing owner has owned the premises for at least twenty four months you could ask them to start the process of the extension and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor concerning this.

Should local authority permission be required to convert a house into two appartments in Forest Hill? This has occurred to a house opposite to my house in Forest Hill and was unaware of it happening until the works were complete.

Planning permission is required for splitting a single dwelling in Forest Hill into flats but probably not for reverting back to single dwelling-house so, simply put, yes,a it is needed.