I am the registered owner of a freehold house in Dorset yet charged rent, why is this and what is this?
It is rare for properties in Dorset and has limited impact for conveyancing in Dorset 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 from 1977 onwards.
Old rentcharges can now be extinguished by making a one off payment under the Act. Any rentcharges that are still in existence post 2037 will be extinguished.
Me and my partner are buying a apartment in Dorset. I might seem paranoid but how we can trust a solicitor? On completion day we will need to deposit our life savings into their account. What is the protection we have from them run away with our deposit?
Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.
We have agreed to purchase a house in Dorset. An unusual aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Solicitors conducting should look into this right? Will my lender RBS be concerned?
As your lender is RBS your lawyer must follow the formal instructions set out in Section 2 of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for RBS. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook contains minimum requirements for solar panel roof-space leases, and conveyancers are required to report to RBS where a lease fails to satisfy these conditions. The specifications relate to the installation of panels on properties countrywide and is not restricted to Dorset.
I recently had an offer agreed on an apartment in Dorset. My financial adviser recommended their conveyancers. I paid an upfront payment of £150. Soon after, the property lawyer contacted 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.
We are selling our house in Dorset and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a risk of it being built land that was not decontaminated. A high street Dorset lawyer would know that there is no such problem. For the life of me I don't know why the buyers instructed an online conveyancing outfit as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Dorset. Having lived in Dorset for many years we know that this is a non issue. Should we get in touch with our local Authority to get confirmation need.
It would appear that you have a conveyancing solicitor currently acting for you. Are they able to advise? You need to enquire of your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out health insurance to cover that same sickness)
Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold issue on a property I have offered on a fortnight ago in what should have been a simple, chain free conveyancing. Dorset is the location of the property. What do you suggest?
Flying freeholds in Dorset are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Dorset you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds thoroughly. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Dorset may determine that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold premises.
As co-executor for the will of my father I am disposing of a property in Swansea but reside in Dorset. My conveyancer (who is 250 kilometers awayhas requested that I execute a statutory declaration prior to the transaction finalising. Can you recommend a conveyancing solicitor in Dorset to witness this legal document for me?
strictly speaking you are not likely to be required to have the documents witnessed by a conveyancing solicitor. Ordinarily or notary public or solicitor will be fine regardless of whether they are Dorset based
Is it possible for you to refer me to a conveyancer for conveyancing in Dorset (or within close proximity)? It is for a sale and purchase.I did have one appointed but just discovered that are not on the panel for Leeds Building Society.
The purpose of this site is limited to being a directory service for solicitors who wish to be listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for Leeds Building Society in certain locations for instance Dorset . Our intention is not to recommend any specific solicitor.