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

It is rare for properties in Little Venice and has limited impact for conveyancing in Little Venice 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 new rentcharges post 1977.

Previous rentcharges can now be redeemed by making a lump sum payment under the Act. Any rentcharges that are still in existence after 2037 will be extinguished.

The Little Venice conveyancing solicitors that I recently instructed on my purchase in Little Venice have suddenly shut down. I chose them because I had to have a lawyer on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel and my family Little Venice lawyer was not. I sent them a cheque for £250 in advance. What are my options?

If you have an estate agent involved then inform them immediately so that they advise the vendors that there may be a slight delay due to reasons beyond your control. Hopefully they will be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You will need to appoint new lawyers that are on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money, it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new lawyers may be able to assist.

Due to the input of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a house in Little Venice in advance of retaining solicitors. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold aspect to the property. My surveyor has said that some mortgage companies tend refuse to grant a mortgage on this type of property.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Bank of Scotland has different instructions for example to Halifax. If you call us we can check with the relevant mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Little Venice. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Little Venice to see if the conveyancing costs will increase in light of this.

I have been sourcing a conveyancing solicitor in Little Venice for my house move. Can I see a solicitor's record with the legal regulator?

Anyone may read presented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) determinations resulting from inquisitions from 2008 onwards. Visit Check a solicitor's record. To find records Pre 2008, or to check a firm's record, ring 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. For non-uk callers, call +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA may recorded telephone calls for training requirements.

I have just appointed agents to market my basement flat in Little Venice. Conveyancing is yet to be initiated, but I have recently received a half-yearly maintenance charge invoice – what should I do?

It best that you discharge the service charge as normal because all ground rent and service charges will be apportioned as part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.

Little Venice Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Questions you should ask Prior to Purchasing

Who are the managing agents? The answer will be important as a) areas may cause problems in the building as the common areas may begin to deteriorate if repairs remain unpaid b) if the leaseholders have an issue with the running of the building you will need to have complete disclosure On the whole the cost for major works tend not to be incorporated into the maintenance charges, albeit that a few managing agents in Little Venice obliged tenants to pay into a reserve fund and this is used to offset against larger repairs or maintenance.