I purchased a freehold house in Rochford yet charged rent, why is this and what is this?

It is rare for properties in Rochford and has limited impact for conveyancing in Rochford 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 fresh rentcharges from 1977 onwards.

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

Is it necessary during the course of the conveyancing process to have a meeting at the offices of the solicitor to sign the mortgage deed? If so, I will appoint a lawyer who conducts conveyancing in Rochford so that I can attend their offices if required.

Whereas this was necessary ten years ago, most mortgage companies no longer require their conveyancing panel lawyer to witness the borrowers signature. It will still be necessary for you to provide identification documents and there are still manifest advantages to choosing a locally based solicitor, in your situation a conveyancing solicitor in Rochford.

I'm purchasing my first flat in Rochford benefiting from help to buy. The sellers refused to reduce the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of extras instead. The sale representative told me not disclose to my conveyancer about the deal as it may adversely affect my loan with the lender. Should I keep quiet?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

Should I be concerned that estate agents that I am dealing with are suggesting an internet conveyancing firm rather than a High Street Rochford conveyancing company?

As with many professional services, often recommendations from connections can be extremely useful or valuable. Yet there are many players in a conveyancing deal; estate agents, mortgage brokers and banks may suggest lawyers to choose. Sometimes these solicitors might be known to one of the organisations as being good in their field, but occasionally there exists a financial incentive behind the recommendation. You have the right to select your preferred lawyer. However, bear in mind that some banks specify a panel list of conveyancers you have to use for the lender aspect of your home move.

Threeweeks into a sale of a flat in Rochford. Conveyancing solicitors are doing their job but we have been asked to pay an extortionate amount by the freeholder. So far we have forked out £268 for a leasehold management information and then another £200 plus VAT for answers to questions supplied by the purchaser's property lawyer.

Your solicitor will not have any say over the level of the bill for this information but the typical fee for the information for Rochford leasehold premises is £395. For Rochford conveyancing deals it is customary for the owner to cover the costs. The landlord or their agents are under no statutory obligation to address these questions although many will agree to do so - albeit often at high prices disproportionate to the work involved. Unfortunately there is no statute that requires set charges for administrative tasks. Neither is there any statutory time frame by which they are obliged to provide answers.