My fiancee and I are buying our first home. Our conveyancing practitioner has messagedto ask if we want to take out supplemental conveyancing searches. We are really unsure what's needed for conveyancing in Ferryside

The type of Ferryside conveyancing searches should be triggered based entirely on the property, the location, the likelihood of any of these risks, your knowledge of the area and risks, your overall appetite to risk. What is important is that you properly appreciate what information the searches could provide. Then you can decide if you personally think you need that search. Should you be unsure, ask your conveyancer to recommend.

I am the registered owner of a freehold residence in Ferryside yet charged rent, why is this and what is this?

It is rare for properties in Ferryside and has limited impact for conveyancing in Ferryside 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 generation of fresh rentcharges post 1977.

Previous rentcharges can now be extinguished by making a one off payment under the Act. Any rentcharges that are still in existence after 2037 is to be extinguished.

My brother-in-law has suggested I instruct a conveyancing solicitor in Ferryside. I need to find out if they are on the TSB approved list of lawyers. Can you help?

You should call your conveyancer and enquire whether they are on the lender panel. Otherwise you should get in touch with TSB who may be able to help.

We are purchasing a property and the conveyancer has referenced Chancel Repair for which the house could be obligated to contribute to given it’s proximity to the area of such a church. He has suggested insurance. Is this really warranted for conveyancing in Ferryside

Unless a prior purchase of the property completed after 12 October 2013 you could expect conveyancing practitioners delivering conveyancing in Ferryside to continue to advocate a chancel search and or insurance against a claim.

Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Ferryside with the purpose of saving time on the sale process?

• Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Ferryside can be avoided if you instruct lawyers the minute your agents start advertising the property and request that they start to collate the leasehold documentation needed by the purchasers’ conveyancers.
If there is a history of any disputes with your landlord or managing agents it is essential that these are settled prior to the flat being put on the market. The purchasers and their solicitors will be nervous about purchasing a flat where a dispute is unsettled. You will have to accept that you will have to discharge any arrears of service charge or settle the dispute prior to completion of the sale. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled prior to the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You are still duty bound to disclose particulars of the dispute to the buyers, but it is clearly preferable to reveal the dispute as historic as opposed to unsettled. In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s permission? Have you, for example laid down wooden flooring? Most leases in Ferryside state that internal structural changes or laying down wooden flooring necessitate a licence issued by the Landlord approving such changes. If you dont have the consents in place do not contact the landlord without contacting your conveyancer in the first instance. A minority of Ferryside leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this is the case, it would be prudent to place the estate agents on notice to make sure that the purchasers put in hand bank and professional references. Any bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are financially capable of paying the yearly service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the purchasers or their lawyers.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Ferryside - Examples of Queries Prior to buying

What is the annual service fee and ground rent? Who takes charge for maintaining and repairing the building? Are there any major works in the planning that could increase the maintenance costs?