I own a freehold residence in Ashford Kent but still invoiced for rent, why is this and what is this?

It’s unusual for properties in Ashford Kent and has limited impact for conveyancing in Ashford Kent 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 establishment of new rentcharges post 1977.

Previous rentcharges can now be extinguished by making a lump sum payment under the Act. Any rentcharges that are still in existence post 2037 is to be dispensed with completely.

Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to my property are lost. The solicitors who conducted the conveyancing in Ashford Kent 4 years ago have long since closed. Will I be able to sell the house?

Nowadays there are duplicates made of almost everything, and your solicitor will know precisely where to find all the appropriate paperwork so you can purchase or dispose of your property without any difficulty. Where copies are not available, your conveyancer may be able to put in place insurance or indemnities protecting you against future claims on the property.

I have been on the look out for a flat up to £235,500 and found one close by in Ashford Kent I like with open areas and transport links nearby, the downside is that it only has 52 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Ashford Kent in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a short lease?

If you require a home loan that many years may be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the price by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing owner has owned the property for at least twenty four months you may ask them to start the process of the extension and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor regarding this.

I am on look out for some leasehold conveyancing in Ashford Kent. Before I set the wheels in motion I require certainty as to the unexpired term of the lease.

Assuming the lease is recorded at the land registry - and 99.9% are in Ashford Kent - then the leasehold title will always include the short particulars of the lease, namely the date; the term; and the original parties. From a conveyancing perspective such details then enable any prospective buyer and lender to confirm that any lease they are looking at is the one relevant to that title. For any other purpose, such as confirming how long the term was granted for and calculating what is left, then the register should be sufficient on it's own.

I own a ground floor flat in Ashford Kent, conveyancing having been completed half a dozen years ago. How much will my lease extension cost? Comparable flats in Ashford Kent with a long lease are worth £201,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 per annum. The lease ends on 21st October 2090

With only 65 years unexpired the likely cost is going to range between £13,300 and £15,400 as well as costs.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to advice on the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.

My fiance and I are planning to purchase a three bedroom bungalowin Ashford Kent with a mortgage from a mortgage company. We wish to instruct our lawyer in Ashford Kent but our lender advise she’s not on their "panel". It seems we have little choice but to instruct from the our lender panel firms or keep our Ashford Kent solicitor and incur the extra legals for one of their panel ones to represent our lender. We feel as though this is unjust; Can we not simply insist that our mortgage company use our Ashford Kent lawyer?

No, not really. The bank home loan issued is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that solicitors will on the lender's conveyancing panel. in the past, most lenders had open panels, including most conveyancing solicitors in Ashford Kent : 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. Another option that might be available is for your lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for your bank.