I purchased a freehold house in Killingworth but still invoiced for rent, why is this and what is this?
It is rare for properties in Killingworth and has limited impact for conveyancing in Killingworth 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 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 after 2037 will be extinguished.
I am told that my conveyancing solicitors will need to check that the building insurance when buying a house in Killingworth. My lender is The Mortgage Works
The Mortgage Works have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 14/1/2026, the requirements read as follows :
Is it the case that all Killingworth CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors are on the UBS conveyancing list of approved practices?
Some major banks and building societies now use CQS as the kick off point for Panel approval such as HSBC and Santander. CQS accreditation however is no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. That being said,the CML have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for firms wishing to join their panels.
I recently had an offer agreed on an apartment in Killingworth. My mortgage broker recommended their conveyancers. I paid an advanced payment of £200. Not long after, the conveyancer contacted me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Kent Reliance 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 Kent Reliance 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.
I am due to exchange contracts on my flat. I had a double glazing fitted in December 2010, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's lender, Skipton are being difficult. The Killingworth solicitor who is on the Skipton conveyancing panel is saying indemnity insurance will be fine but Skipton are requiring a building regulation certificate. Why do Skipton have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?
It is probably the case that Skipton have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Skipton may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.
My colleague suggested that if I am purchasing in Killingworth I should ask my conveyancer to execute a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?
This is a search is sometimes included in the estimate for your Killingworth conveyancing searches. It is not a small document of more than thirty pages, listing and setting out significant information about Killingworth around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Killingworth Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime details, Killingworth Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information about Killingworth.
I decided to have a survey completed on a house in Killingworth prior to instructing conveyancers. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold element to the house. Our surveyor has said that some lenders may not grant a mortgage on this type of house.
It depends who your proposed lender is. Bank of Scotland has different instructions from Birmingham Midshires. Should you wish to call us we can check via the appropriate mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Killingworth. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Killingworth especially if they are familiar with such properties in Killingworth.
How do I establish who is the owner of a property in Killingworth?
Provided the premises is recorded at the Land Registry, and you have enough specifics of the address of the premises, you should be able to view results from the HMLR of the recorded proprietor for a for less than a fiver.