I am the registered owner of a freehold house in Alfriston but nevertheless pay rent, why is this and what is this?

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

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

We are buying a purpose built flat in Alfriston with a homeloan from Alliance & Leicester .We use our Alfriston conveyancing lawyer but Alliance & Leicester informed us she’s not on their "panel". we are left little option but to use a Alliance & Leicester panel firm or retain our preferred solicitor and fork out for one of their panel ones to represent them. We feel as though this is unjust; is there anything we can do?

No, not really. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its various provisions, one of which will be that conveyancers must be on the Alliance & Leicester approved list. in the past, 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. A further alternative is for your lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for Alliance & Leicester

This question may be naive but I am unseasoned as a 1st time buyer of a garden flat in Alfriston. Do I pick up the keys to the property on completion from my conveyancer? If this is the case, I will use a High Street conveyancing solicitor in Alfriston?

On the day of completion you do not need to attend the conveyancers office in Alfriston. Conveyancing lawyers for you will transfer the purchase money to the vendor’s conveyancers, and shortly after the monies have arrived, you will be called to pick up the keys from the selling Agents and start moving into the property. This tends to happen between 1 and 3pm.

I have been advised by my solicitor that absentee landlord insurance is necessary on my purchase. What is the level of cover for Alfriston conveyancing?

The appropriate level of absentee landlord indemnity insurance depends on your lender. It would differ for example between Santander and Norwich and Peterborough Building Society. Conveyancing lawyers as opposed to borrowers take out such insurances.

Is it the case that all Alfriston CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors are on the TSB conveyancing list of approved practices?

A selection of banks and building societies now make use of the accreditation scheme as the starting point for Panel approval such as HSBC and Santander. CQS membership however gives no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. Nevertheless,the CML have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for firms wishing to remain on their approved list of conveyancing solicitors.

I’m about to sell my basement apartment in Alfriston. Conveyancing is yet to be initiated, but I have recently received a half-yearly maintenance charge demand – what should I do?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should clear the invoice as you normally would given that all ground rent and service invoices will be apportioned as part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you will be reimbursed by the purchaser for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most management companies will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

Alfriston Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Queries before Purchasing

What is the maintenance charge and ground rent on the property? Is there a share of the freehold? Make sure you enquire if there is anything that is prohibited in the lease. For instance it is reasonably common in Alfriston leases that pets are not allowed in in a block in Alfriston. If you like the apartmentin Alfriston but your dog is not allowed to make the move with you then you have a very hard determination.

I have noted on a number of online forums that when choosing a conveyancing firm they need approved by your mortgage company. I am new to the process but I have an offer in principle with Virgin Money and I already have a local conveyancing lawyer in Alfriston in place. Does HSBC insist on an approved conveyancer to be used? If so, where can I find that list for my conveyancing in Alfriston?

You need to choose a solicitor that is on the HSBC panel. The first thing to do is telephone your preferred Alfriston conveyancing lawyer and ask if they are on the HSBC panel. If they are not approved you have a couple of choices open to you here:

• Carry on with your preferred Alfriston property lawyer but HSBC will need to use a conveyancer from their conveyancing panel. The net impact is additional charges and potential frustration.
• Get a new property lawyer to conduct the conveyancing, obviously checking they are on the HSBC conveyancing panel.
• Appeal to your conveyancing practitioner to attempt to join the bank panel.