I am the registered owner of a freehold residence in Capel St Mary but still charged rent, why is this and what is this?

It’s unusual for properties in Capel St Mary and has limited impact for conveyancing in Capel St Mary 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 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 lump sum payment under the Act. Any rentcharges that are still in existence in 2037 will be dispensed with completely.

I am planning to acquire a flat and require a conveyancing solicitor in Capel St Mary who is on the Clydesdale conveyancing. 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 Clydesdale in certain locations such as Capel St Mary. We dont recommend any particular firm.

I recently had an offer accepted on a house in Capel St Mary. My mortgage broker pressured me to appoint their lawyer. I paid an advanced payment of £200. A couple of days later, the solicitor contacted 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.

Having read lots of house buying guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Capel St Mary solicitor - who is on the Barclays conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?

Barclays will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Barclays will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your solicitor will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Capel St Mary postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Barclays, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Capel St Mary.

Principality have agreed my mortgage in principle, my offer on a apartment in Capel St Mary has been agreed to, now what?

Your property agent will wish to be advised as to your lawyer's details (ensure that the conveyancing practitioners are on the bank’s panel). Contact Principality or your financial adviser and finalise any relevant paperwork. Principality will sellect a valuer who will get in touch with the estate agent or vendor to arrange a time for the valuation to take place. Once conducted (assuming no problems) it takes approximately a week for the mortgage offer to be issued. Principality will send the offer to you and your lawyers. The transaction will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Capel St Mary.

I have been on the look out for a ground for flat up to £305k and found one close by in Capel St Mary I like with amenity areas and railway links nearby, the downside is that it's only got 51 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Capel St Mary for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a lease with such few years left?

Should you require a home loan that many years will likely be problematic. Discount the offer by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current proprietor has owned the premises for a minimum of twenty four months you could ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer regarding this matter.

My step-mother purchased her house in Capel St Mary 9 years ago. She has got married, widowed and has recently married again. She wishes to market the property in a couple of months. I think she will just be requested to provide a copy of her marriage papers to the property lawyer however she is anxious it will hold up the sale of the property. Is it worth updating the Land Registry information for the house?

It is not absolutely necessary to update the title for the property providing you have the evidence required to demonstrate how the change of name resulted.

Any purchaser’s solicitor will check the land registry details and ask for evidence by way of proof of the change of name e.g. marriage certificates.