I am hoping to receive a offer of a home loan from Santander. My intention is to employ the services of a Licensed Conveyancer in Uttoxeter. Does the Santander Conveyancing panel allow for Licensed Conveyancers?

The Santander approved solicitor list is, like many other lenders, represented by the Council or Mortgage Lenders or BSA, open to Licensed Conveyancers regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.

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

It’s unusual for properties in Uttoxeter and has limited impact for conveyancing in Uttoxeter 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 many centuries, but the Rent Charge Act 1977 barred the generation of new rentcharges from 1977 onwards.

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

The deeds to my property are lost. The conveyancers who dealt with the conveyancing in Uttoxeter 4 years ago have long since closed. What are my next steps?

Nowadays there are duplicates made of almost everything, and your conveyancer will know precisely where to locate all the relevant paperwork so you can purchase or dispose of your property without any difficulty. Where duplicates can’t be located, your conveyancer may be able to arrange cover in the form of insurance or indemnities against future claims on your premises.

I have been on the look out for a flat up to £245,000 and identified one near me in Uttoxeter I like with a park and transport links in the vicinity, however it's only got 61 remaining years left on the lease. There is not much else in Uttoxeter for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error acquiring a lease with such few years left?

Should you need a mortgage the shortness of the lease will likely be problematic. Discount the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current proprietor has owned the property for at least 2 years you can ask them to start the process of the extension and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer concerning this.

I own a leasehold house in Uttoxeter. Conveyancing and The Mortgage Works mortgage organised. I have received a letter from someone saying they have taken over the freehold. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1993. The conveyancing solicitor in Uttoxeter who acted for me is not around. Any advice?

The first thing you should do is contact HMLR to make sure that this person is indeed the new freeholder. It is not necessary to instruct a Uttoxeter conveyancing firm to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for £3. You should note that in any event, even if this is the rightful landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Uttoxeter - Sample of Queries Prior to Purchasing

How much is the ground rent and service charge? Does the lease include onerous restrictions? The prefered form of lease arrangement is if the freehold interest is in the ownership of the leaseholders. In this situation the tenants enjoy being in charge if their destiny and although a managing agent is often employed if the building is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent acts for the leaseholders themselves.