I purchased a freehold premises in Hulme but still pay rent, why is this and what is this?
It is rare for properties in Hulme and has limited impact for conveyancing in Hulme 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 new rentcharges from 1977 onwards.
Previous rentcharges can now be redeemed by making a lump sum payment under the Act. Any rentcharges that are still in existence after 2037 will be dispensed with completely.
We're in Hulme, First timers buying with a mortgage (lender is Co-operative , and our solicitor is on the Co-operative conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?
The fact that your lawyer is on the Co-operative conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no conveyancing practitioner should guarantee a timeframe for your conveyancing, due to third parties outside of your control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain.
When it comes to lenders such as Virgin Money, do Hulme conveyancing practitioners have to pay a fee to be on the list of approved solicitors?
We are unaware of any lender fees to be on their list of approved firms, although some do charge an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel submission.
We were going to get a OIP from TSB this week so we know how much we could potentially offer as otherwise we only have online calculators to go by (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do TSB recommend any Hulme solicitors on the TSB conveyancing panel, or is it better to find our own lawyer?
You will need to appoint Hulme solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the TSB conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and TSB through the process.
My offer was accepted on an apartment in Hulme on 15/1/2026, valuation was booked 2 days later, received a clean bill of health. Solicitor instructed, so the only thing outstanding was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Santander and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Santander conveyancing panel. Can the lender hold off the offer?
Mortgage companies tend not to not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Santander to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Santander conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
My relative recommended that where I am buying in Hulme I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?
A search of this type is occasionally quoted for as part of the standard Hulme conveyancing searches. It is a large document of more than thirty pages, listing and setting out significant information about Hulme around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Hulme Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime statistics, Hulme Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data about Hulme.
I used Stirling Law several years past for my conveyancing in Hulme. Now, I need the files however 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 Hulme of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously used, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
I decided to have a survey done on a property in Hulme in advance of appointing solicitors. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold aspect to the house. Our surveyor advised that some banks may refuse to give a mortgage on a flying freehold property.
It varies from the lender to lender. Santander has different requirements from Nationwide. If you contact us we can investigate further with the relevant lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Hulme. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Hulme to see if the conveyancing will be more expensive.