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

It’s unusual for properties in Wotton under Edge and has limited impact for conveyancing in Wotton under Edge 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 many centuries, but the Rent Charge Act 1977 barred the establishment of fresh rentcharges from 1977 onwards.

Previous rentcharges can now be extinguished by making a lump sum payment under the Act. Any rentcharges that are still in existence post 2037 will be extinguished.

I used Action Conveyancing several years ago for my conveyancing in Wotton under Edge. I now require my file but the law firm has closed. What do I do?

You should 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 Wotton under Edge of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously instructed, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

Is it possible to transfer to a new firm as I need to choose one who is on the Halifax conveyancing panel. I hired a local conveyancing solicitor in Wotton under Edge five minutes from me but the firm is not approved by Halifax

We will our best to assist in finding you a conveyancing solicitor in Wotton under Edge on the Halifax panel. Please note that the conveyancers that we list do not pay us a referral fee if you instruct them and are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority who regulate all conveyancing solicitors in Wotton under Edge. Using search facility on this website, you can compare and instruct different solicitors and conveyancers both nationally and in Wotton under Edge.

I need to instruct a conveyancing solicitor for purchase conveyancing in Wotton under Edge. I happened to land on a web site which seems to have the ideal offering If it is possible to get all formalities completed via email that would be preferable. Should I be concerned? What should out be looking out for?

As usual with these online conveyancers you need to read ALL the small print - did you notice the extra charge for dealing with the mortgage?

I own a leasehold house in Wotton under Edge. Conveyancing and Platform Home Loans Ltd mortgage are in place. I have received a letter from someone saying they have taken over the freehold. It included a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1991. The conveyancing practitioner in Wotton under Edge who previously acted has now retired. Do I pay?

The first thing you should do is contact HMLR to be sure that this person is indeed the new freeholder. There is no need to incur the fees of a Wotton under Edge conveyancing firm to do this as it can be done on-line for less than a fiver. You should note 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.

Wotton under Edge Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Queries before buying

The majority of Wotton under Edge leasehold properties will be liable to pay a service bill for maintenance of the building levied by the management company. Should you buy the property you will have to meet this contribution, usually periodically throughout the year. This can be anything from a couple of hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for buildings with lifts and large common areas. There will also be a rentcharge for you to pay yearly, ordinarily this is not a significant sum, say approximately £50-£100 but you need to enquire as occasionally it can be many hundreds of pounds. Who is in charge of the building? Where a Wotton under Edge lease has no more than 80 years it will have adverse implications on the salability of the flat. Check with your lender that they are happy with remaining years on the lease. Leases with less than 80 years remaining means that you will probably need a lease extension sooner rather than later and it is worth finding out what this will be. For most Wotton under Edgelease extensions you would be required to have owned the property for 24 months in order to be entitled to exercise a lease extension.