I'm in the process of switching my domestic loan to a BTL The Royal Bank of Scotland mortgage. The bank has said that I require a solicitor as part of the process. I had a chat my former Sea Mills conveyancing firm who who conducted the conveyancing when I initially purchased the property. The fee estimate issued of just over five hundred pounds is surprising as I am not require purchase conveyancing - it’s just a bog-standard refinance.

The quote is fractionally on the expensive side. If you you were to look around you could reduce the fees slightly by perhaps £100 plus VAT. That being said, if you were satisfied with the service the firm gave you maylive to rue opting for an a cheaper conveyancer. Don't forget to be sure the firm can act for The Royal Bank of Scotland. You can employ our search tool to find a Sea Mills conveyancing firm on the The Royal Bank of Scotland member panel, which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Sea Mills.

I purchased a freehold residence in Sea Mills but nevertheless pay rent, why is this and what is this?

It’s unusual for properties in Sea Mills and has limited impact for conveyancing in Sea Mills 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 hundreds of years, but the Rent Charge Act 1977 barred the establishment of fresh rentcharges from 1977 onwards.

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

I used Arc property Solicitors several years ago for my conveyancing in Sea Mills. I now require my papers however the law firm is no longer operating. What do I do?

Do contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Sea Mills of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously used, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

Due to the advice of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a house in Sea Mills in advance of instructing lawyers. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold element to the house. My surveyor has said that some mortgage companies may not grant a loan on such a home.

It varies from the lender to lender. HSBC has different instructions for example to Halifax. If you contact us we can investigate further via the relevant lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Sea Mills. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Sea Mills especially if they are accustomed to such properties in Sea Mills.

I was pointed in your direction by a couple of local selling agents in Sea Mills to locate a property lawyer on your site. Is there a financial inducement for Estate Agents to promote your lawyers rather than another?

We don’t offer any financial incentive for directing people our way. We thought it would be too underhand to pay a commission as a client could think, ‘How come the agent getting a kickback? Why aren’t I receiving any benefit too?’ So we decided to step away from that.