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

It is rare for properties in Whitstable and has limited impact for conveyancing in Whitstable 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 fresh rentcharges post 1977.

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

I used Wolstenholmes several years past for my conveyancing in Whitstable. I now require my file but cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?

Do call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracking down 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 Whitstable 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.

Due to the guidance of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a house in Whitstable before appointing solicitors. I have been told that there is a flying freehold element to the property. Our surveyor has said that some mortgage companies will not give a loan on such a home.

It varies from the lender to lender. HSBC has different requirements from Nationwide. If you e-mail us we can check with the appropriate lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Whitstable. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.

In what way can the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 impact my commercial property in Whitstable and how can your lawyers assist?

The particular law that you refer to provides a safeguard to business lessees, granting the legal entitlement to make a request to court for a new lease and remain in occupation when the lease comes to an end. There are certain specified grounds that a landlord can refrain from granting a lease renewal and the rules are complicated. We are happy to direct you to commercial conveyancing practices who use the act for protection and help with commercial conveyancing in Whitstable

I have been informed by many family members that it may take six to eight weeks for Whitstable conveyancing to complete.This was four weeks ago. The paperwork was only received from the vendors conveyancing practitioner yesterday so now does it countdown?

You need to be pragmatic concerning timelines. Moving home in Whitstable takes on average about two months. This time period is not because property lawyer are slow and purposely delay matters. The level of money involved in buying any residence is so high, the purchaser's property lawyer having to carry out a whole range of queries, searches and other checks to protect the purchaser and their lender (if there is to be a mortgage) from expensive, avoidable problems. Conveyancing in Whitstable involves seeking information from various different parties, including other solicitor, local councils, private companies, lenders. Some of these are well organised. Plenty are not. And remember, it doesn't matter how quickly your lawyer do their part, if the people you are buying from or are selling to aren't ready, nothing can go ahead until they are.