In the event thatI was to acquire a freehold propertyin Nottingham mortgage fee and dispense with a survey and no conveyancing searches how much would I expect to have to pay for conveyancing in Nottingham?

The sole reduction in fees you would achieve is the disbursement for searches. Your conveyancer still got to do everything else - money laundering, correspond with your vendors property lawyer, SDLT submission, register the property etc. A marginal saving might be made by not having to register a mortgage but it will not be significant.

I am the registered owner of a freehold premises in Nottingham but nevertheless pay rent, why is this and what is this?

It’s unusual for properties in Nottingham and has limited impact for conveyancing in Nottingham 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 post 1977.

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

I have recentlydiscovered that Stirling Law have been shut down. They conducted my conveyancing in Nottingham for a purchase of a leasehold apartment 12 months ago. How can I check that the property is not still registered in the name of the previous owner?

The easiest way to see if the premises is registered to you, you can carry out a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Nottingham conveyancing specialists.

I have been on the look out for a leasehold apartment up to £245,000 and identified one round the corner in Nottingham I like with open areas and transport links nearby, the downside is that it only has 61 remaining years left on the lease. There is not much else in Nottingham in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a lease with such few years left?

If you require a mortgage that many years may be problematic. Reduce the price by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current proprietor has owned the premises for at least 2 years you may ask them to start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor about this matter.

Is it possible to transfer to a new solicitor as I need to select one who is on the HSBC Bank conveyancing list. I had appointed a local conveyancing solicitor in Nottingham five minutes from me but the firm is not accepted by HSBC Bank

We will our best to assist in finding you a conveyancing solicitor in Nottingham on the HSBC Bank panel. Please note that the property lawyers that we work with do not pay us a referral fee if you instruct them and are fully regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority who regulate all conveyancing solicitors in Nottingham. In utilising search facility on this website, you can compare and instruct different solicitors and conveyancers both nationally and in Nottingham.