I am the registered owner of a freehold property in Wombwell but nevertheless charged rent, why is this and what is this?

It is rare for properties in Wombwell and has limited impact for conveyancing in Wombwell 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 post 1977.

Previous rentcharges can now be redeemed by making a one off payment under the Act. Any rentcharges that are still in existence after 2037 is to be dispensed with completely.

we are a couple who intend to purchase a newly converted apartment in Wombwell with a homeloan from Accord Mortgages Ltd.We use our Wombwell conveyancing practitioner but Accord Mortgages Ltd informed us his firm is not listed on their "panel". It seems we are left with no choice but to instruct a Accord Mortgages Ltd panel lawyer or keep our high street solicitor and fork out for one of their panel ones to represent them. This seems very unfair; Can we not simply insist that Accord Mortgages Ltd use our lawyer?

No, not really. The mortgage offered to you contains various provisions, one of which will be that lawyers will be on the Accord Mortgages Ltd approved list. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for Accord Mortgages Ltd

I am purchasing a victorian detached house in Wombwell. We would like to an extension at the rear at the property.Will legal conveyancing on the property involve checks to see if these alterations are prohibited?

Your property lawyer should review the deeds as conveyancing in Wombwell will on occasion identify restrictions in the title documents which prohibit certain changes or require the consent of another owner. Many additions call for local authority planning permissions and approval in compliance with building regulations. Some locations are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which often prevent or impact extensions. It would be prudent to check these issues with a surveyor ahead of any purchase.

After weeks of negotiation I have agreed a price on an apartment in Wombwell. My mortgage broker suggested a conveyancing practitioner. I paid an upfront payment of £225. A couple of days later, the conveyancing practitioner called me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Bank of Ireland 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 Bank of Ireland 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.

Co-operative have agreed my mortgage in principle, my bid on a house in Wombwell has been agreed to, what happens next?

Your estate agent will wish to be informed of your property lawyer's details (be sure the solicitors are on the lender’s panel). Call up Co-operative or your financial adviser and complete any appropriate paperwork. Co-operative will appoint a valuer who will get in touch with the selling agent or vendor to schedule an appointment. Once carried out (assuming no problems) it takes on average a fortnight for the mortgage offer to be issued. Co-operative will send the offer to you and your conveyancing practitioners. The legal work will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Wombwell.

What does a local search inform me concerning the property I am purchasing in Wombwell?

Wombwell conveyancing often starts with the submitting local authority searches directly from your local Authority or through a personal search company such as PSG The local search plays a central part in many a Wombwell conveyancing purchase; as long as you wish to avoid any nasty surprises after you move into your new home. The search should provide information on, amongst other things, details on planning applications relevant to the property (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of thirteen topic headings.

We are 3 weeks into a residential purchase having been directed to solicitors by the local agent to execute conveyancing in Wombwell. I am am very frustrated with the quality of service. Can you you assist me in finding new lawyers?

They would need to be really bad to suggest replacing them. Has the mortgage been sent? In the event that it has you need to inform them of the new contact details and get the mortgage documents are re-issued. Your new conveyancer needs to be on the lenders approved list to avoid supplemental charges and complications. That should be your starting point. The search tool will assist you in finding a bank approved conveyancer for your conveyancing in Wombwell