I am hoping to receive a offer of a home loan from Santander. I would like to employ the services of a Licensed Conveyancer in Littlehampton. Does the Santander Solicitor panel include Licensed Conveyancers?

The Santander conveyancing panel is, like many other lenders, associated to the Council or Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association, open to Licensed Conveyancers regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.

I am the registered owner of a freehold residence in Littlehampton yet invoiced for rent, why is this and what is this?

It’s unusual for properties in Littlehampton and has limited impact for conveyancing in Littlehampton 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 generation 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 in 2037 is to be dispensed with completely.

My brother has urged me to use his conveyancing solicitors in Littlehampton. Should I use them?

No doubt the best way to select a conveyancing practitioner is to have guidance from friends or relatives who have experience in using the firm you're considering.

Last August I purchased a leasehold property in Littlehampton. Do I have any liability for service charges relating to a period prior to my ownership?

In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. It is an essential part of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

Littlehampton Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Queries before Purchasing

Many Littlehampton leasehold apartments will be liable to pay a service bill for maintenance of the building invoiced on behalf of the management company. Where you acquire the apartment you will have to meet this liability, normally quarterly during the year. This can differ from a couple of hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for blocks with lifts and large common areas. There will also be a rentcharge to be met yearly, this is usually not a exorbitant amount, say around £25-£75 but you should to enquire it because sometimes it could be many hundreds of pounds. The answer will be important as a) areas can cause problems in the building as the communal areas may start to deteriorate where repairs are not paid for b) if the tenants have an issue with the managing agents you will wish to know about it If a Littlehampton lease has no more than 80 years it will impact the marketability of the flat. It is worth checking with your lender that they are content with remaining years on the lease. Leases with less than 80 years remaining means that you will most likely need a lease extension at some point and you need to have some idea of what this will be. For most Littlehamptonlease extensions you will need to own the residence for 24 months before you are entitled to extend the lease.

My husband and I are purchasing a studio flat in Littlehampton. At the time of instructing our conveyancing practitioner, they said that they were on all major UK mortgage company panels. Our mortgage broker called just now to advise that they don't appear to be on the Nationwide approved list. Should that be true, what should we do? Do we just find a new conveyancer that is on their approved list or do we cover the costs for dual representation, with Nationwide appointing their own approved conveyancer.

Where you are buying a property with the assistance of a mortgage it is normal for the buyer’s lawyers to also represent the purchaser's lender. In order to act for a bank or building society a conveyancing practitioner has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the conveyancer to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the solicitor has to meet. Some mortgage companies now insist their panel firms to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Accreditation Scheme. Your lawyer should contact Nationwide to discover if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own solicitors to act. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on Nationwide's conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Littlehampton solicitors, in which case it will likely add costs, and it will likely delay the transaction as you have another set of people involved.