My family solicitor has given a fee calculation of £1400 for fixed fee conveyancing in Redhill. I am looking to sell a newly refurbished detached home for £250,000. This sounds over the top. Is it in excess of what I should be paying for conveyancing in Redhill?

The costs illustration is slightly on the high side. If you are content to invest time scrutinising prices you could trim some of the expense by say a hundred pounds. That being said, you maylive to rue choosing an an untested conveyancer. Don't forget to ensure that the conveyancer can act for your mortgage company. Do make use of our search tool to get a quote a Redhill conveyancing firm on the lender’s member panel which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Redhill.

Our solicitor has discovered a defect with the lease for the flat we are buying in Redhill. The other side have offered title insurance as a workaround. We are content with insurance and will pay for it. Our lawyer has advised that he must check that the mortgage company is content with this solution. Are we the client or is the bank?

The short answer to your last question is that, notwithstanding the risk of a conflict of interest, you and the lender are the client. Your lawyer must comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook specifications. The UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook conditions require your lawyer to disclose issues such as defects with the lease so that the bank can be afforded the opportunity to check with their valuer as to the extent that the value of the property is affected. Should you refuse to allow your lawyer to make the appropriate notification then your property lawyer will have no choice but to discontinue acting for you.

I own a freehold premises in Redhill yet pay rent, why is this and what is this?

It’s unusual for properties in Redhill and has limited impact for conveyancing in Redhill 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 generation of new rentcharges from 1977 onwards.

Previous rentcharges can now be extinguished by making a lump sum payment under the Act. Any rentcharges that are still in existence after 2037 is to be dispensed with completely.

I own a semi-detached Edwardian house in Redhill. Conveyancing practitioner represented me and Halifax. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are a couple of entries: the first freehold, the second leasehold with the matching property. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?

You need to review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Redhill and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they mortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also check the situation with your conveyancing lawyer who carried out the work.

About to purchase a new build flat in Redhill. Conveyancing is daunting at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. What sort of enquires would be asked in new build conveyancing.

Set out below are examples of a few leasehold new build enquiries that you may expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Redhill

The Landlord must covenant to assume the management if the Management Company goes into liquidation or otherwise defaults in running the management scheme. Will control of the Management Company (if any) be handed over to purchasers on completion of the last sale or earlier? Please supply evidence that the form of Lease proposed has been approved by the Land Registry. If there are lifts in the building, please confirm that the owners of flats on the ground and basement floors will not be required to contribute towards the cost of maintenance and renewal. Investor purchasers must be able to freely grant unsecured tenancies at market rents without requiring any consents.