I purchased a freehold house in Somersham yet invoiced for rent, why is this and what is this?

It’s unusual for properties in Somersham and has limited impact for conveyancing in Somersham 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 creation of new 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 post 2037 is to be dispensed with completely.

I am purchasing a house and require a conveyancing solicitor in Somersham who is on the The Royal Bank of Scotland approved. Can you recommend a local conveyancing firm?

Our service is limited to being a directory service for firms who wish to listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for The Royal Bank of Scotland in certain locations such as Somersham. We dont recommend any particular firm.

I am purchasing a victorian detached house in Somersham. Our aim is to carry out an extension to the side at the property.Will legal due diligence on the property involve enquiries to ascertain if these alterations are prohibited?

Your property lawyer will review the deeds as conveyancing in Somersham will occasionally reveal restrictions in the title deeds which prevent categories of changes or need the consent of a 3rd party. Certain works require local authority planning permissions and approval in accordance building regulations. Certain locations are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which frequently prevent or affect extensions. You should check these issues with a surveyor ahead of any purchase.

I recently had an offer agreed on a house in Somersham. My mortgage broker suggested a conveyancer. I paid an upfront payment of £225. A couple of days later, the conveyancing practitioner called me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Virgin Money panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

I was told four weeks ago that my mortgage has been agreed to by TSB. Is it usual for TSB to only issue the offer once my solicitor in Somersham is approved on their conveyancing panel? TSB have asked my solicitor to see a copy of their PI Insurance.

A lender would not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for TSB to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the TSB conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.

I used Wolstenholmes a few years past for my conveyancing in Somersham. Now, I need my files however the law firm has closed. What do I do?

Do call 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 Somersham of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously retained, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

Back In 2008, I bought a leasehold flat in Somersham. Conveyancing and Virgin Money mortgage organised. A letter has just been received from someone claiming to own the reversionary interest in the property. Attached was a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1996. The conveyancing practitioner in Somersham who previously acted has now retired. What should I do?

First contact HMLR to make sure that the individual claiming to own the freehold is indeed the new freeholder. You do not need to instruct a Somersham conveyancing practitioner to do this as it can be done on-line for £3. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the legitimate freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

Somersham Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Queries Prior to Purchasing

What is the service charge and ground rent on the flat? How many years are left on the lease? You should be aware that where the lease has no more than 80 years it will affect the marketability of the property. Check with your mortgage company that they are content with residual term of the lease. A short lease means that you will probably need a lease extension at some point and it is worth finding out what this would cost. Remember, in most cases you will need to own the property for two years in order to be eligible to extend the lease.