I am the registered owner of a freehold house in Hackney Wick but still charged rent, why is this and what is this?

It is rare for properties in Hackney Wick and has limited impact for conveyancing in Hackney Wick 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 establishment of fresh rentcharges from 1977 onwards.

Old rentcharges can now be extinguished by making a one off payment under the Act. Any rentcharges that are still in existence post 2037 will be extinguished.

Do the Building Society Association intend to launch a searchable register to list practices on the Earl Shilton BS conveyancing panel for example in Hackney Wick?

We would not expect to be advised of any plans on the part of the BSA to develop such a register.

Forgive me if this question is silly but I am wet behind the ears as FTB of a two bedroom flat in Hackney Wick. Do I collect the keys to the house on completion from my conveyancer? If so, I will use a High Street conveyancing solicitor in Hackney Wick?

There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Your solicitors will arrange to send the completion advance to the vendor’s solicitors, and shortly after the monies have arrived, you should be invited to receive the keys from the property Agents and move into your new home. This tends to happen early afternoon.

Is it the case that all Hackney Wick solicitor firms on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel are regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?

As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel they would need to be overseen by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. The majority of lenders do list licenced conveyancers on their panel and in such a situation the practice would be regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.

I recently had an offer accepted on a house in Hackney Wick. My financial adviser pressured me to appoint their lawyer. I paid an upfront payment of £175. A few days later, the solicitor contacted me to say that they were not on the RBS conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the RBS panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

four months have gone by since my purchase conveyancing in Hackney Wick concluded. I have checked the Land Registry site which shows that I paid £200,000 when infact I paid £180,000. Why the discrepancy?

The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the premises from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.

Am I best advised to use a Hackney Wick conveyancing solicitor in close proximity to the house I am purchasing? We have a good friend who can perform the legal formalities however her office is 400miles drive away.

The benefit of a local Hackney Wick conveyancing firm is that you can attend the office to execute paperwork, present your ID and pester them where appropriate. Having local Hackney Wick know how is a bonus. That being said it's more important to get someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If if people you trust instructed your friend and in the main were content that should trump using an unknown Hackney Wick conveyancing solicitor solely due to them being based in the area.