I am the registered owner of a freehold house in Wigan yet charged rent, why is this and what is this?
It’s unusual for properties in Wigan and has limited impact for conveyancing in Wigan 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 generation of fresh 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 in 2037 will be dispensed with completely.
We're in Wigan, First timers buying with a mortgage (lender is Nottingham , and our lawyer is on the Nottingham conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?
The fact that your lawyer is on the Nottingham conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no conveyancer 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.
We are close to exchanging contracts on the sale of our house in Wigan and according to the buyers it appears that there is a risk of it being built land that was not decontaminated. Any high street Wigan conveyancer would know that there is no such problem. For the life of me I don't know why the buyers instructed a national conveyancing outfit as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Wigan. Having lived in Wigan for many years we know of no issue. Do we get in touch with our local Authority to get confirmation that there is no issue.
It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing firm currently acting for you. Are they able to advise? You need to check with 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 ailment)
I have todaybecome aware that Wolstenholmes have closed. They conducted my conveyancing in Wigan for a purchase of a leasehold apartment 12 months ago. How can I be sure that the property is not still registered in the name of the previous owner?
The quickest way to see if the premises is registered to you, you can make a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Wigan conveyancing specialists.
My husband and I are novice buyers - had an offer accepted, but the estate agent advised that the owners will only go ahead if we use their preferred lawyers as they want a ‘quick sale’. We would rather use a high street conveyancer used to conveyancing in Wigan
It is unlikely the vendors are behind this. If they desire ‘a quick sale', alienating a serious buyer is going to damage their objectives. Try to communicate with the owners directly and make the point that (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are excited to move forward, with mortgage lined up © you are unencumbered (d) you intend to proceed fast (e)but you intend to appoint your preferred Wigan conveyancing solicitors - rather thanthe ones that will provide the negotiator at the agency a kickback or hit his conveyancing targets set by head office.
We are contemplating instructing a web based lawyer rather than a Wigan conveyancing practice. Should I ‘stay local’?
There are advantages of having the option attend a local Wigan conveyancing solicitor for example
- signing papers same day
- often being able to speak to someone face-to-face can make a huge difference, particularly for non-standard conveyancing
- the ability to raise concerns if things need to addressed
When analysing quotes, look out for hidden extras. The majority decent Wigan high street solicitors give an all-inclusive figure. Many online agents seem to offer low cost fees, but have burried 'extras' in the small print.