I have given 2 months notice to my existing landlord and have to vacate my rented property in Walton by the end of next month. Conveyancing on my purchase has just started. How realistic is it to complete in 4 weeks as don't want to have to find temporary accommodation?

The normal practice is not to give notice for your tenancy until your lawyer suggests that you should. Assuming that you have not already done so, notify to your solicitor and urge them to they seek the assistance the owners side, try to get a realistic time scale from them that everyone will work to achieve

I purchased a freehold house in Walton but nevertheless invoiced for rent, why is this and what is this?

It is rare for properties in Walton and has limited impact for conveyancing in Walton 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 creation 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 in 2037 will be dispensed with completely.

Is it the case that all Walton solicitor firms on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel are regulated by the SRA?

As solicitors, in order to be on the Clydesdale approved list of solicitors they would need to be governed by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. The majority of mortgage companies do allow licenced conveyancers on their panel and in that case the practice would be governed by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.

We previously instructed conveyancing lawyers based in Walton on the Yorkshire BS solicitor panel. They have just invoiced me a further amount for the legal aspects of the Yorkshire BS mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by Yorkshire BS?

Provided it is contained in their Terms and Conditions or estimate then yes your lawyer may charge a fee for this. This charge is not set by Yorkshire BS but by your Walton property lawyer. Numerous firms on the Yorkshire BS panel will charge an ‘acting for lender’ fee and others do not.

I currently have a mortgage with Virgin Money for my property in Walton. Conveyancing was finalised months ago. In the event that I decide to rent out my property and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a BTL mortgage or inform Virgin Money?

Your original mortgage agreement with Virgin Money will provide that you need their approval before letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of Virgin Money’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will allow you to rent out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Virgin Money directly. You need not do this via a Virgin Money conveyancing panel firm.

In searching the world wide web for the phrase conveyancing in Walton it shows results of numerous conveyancersin the vicinity. With so much choice what is the best way to find the suitable conveyancing solicitor for purchase transaction?

The preferential method of finding the right conveyancer is via personal recommendation, so enquire of friends and those you trust who have purchased a property in Walton or a reputable estate agent or mortgage broker. Fees for conveyancing in Walton differ, so it's sensible to obtain a minimum of four quotes from varying types of law firms. Make sure that you clarify that the costs are assured not to to be inflated.

We have been advised by many family members that it can take 6-8 weeks for Walton conveyancing to complete.This was four weeks ago. The property information was only forwarded from the vendors conveyancing practitioner yesterday so now does it countdown?

No official countdown exists for conveyancing in Walton, or any location. You simply have to ensure that your finances are in place and wait for the rest to come to you eventually.