My partner and I are looking to purchase a home in Harold Wood and are in fact using a Harold Wood conveyancing firm. Within the last couple of days our property lawyer has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through with a view to exchanging next week. have this evening contacted us to advise us that they have now hit a problem as our Harold Wood lawyer is not on their approved list of lawyers. Please explain?

If you are buying a property needing a mortgage it is conventional for the purchasers' lawyers to also represent the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your solicitor should contact your bank and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own solicitors to act. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on the bank's conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Harold Wood solicitors, in which case it will likely add costs, and it will likely delay the transaction as you have another set of people involved.

I own a freehold property in Harold Wood yet pay rent, why is this and what is this?

It is rare for properties in Harold Wood and has limited impact for conveyancing in Harold Wood 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 creation of fresh rentcharges post 1977.

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

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified as part of conveyancing in Harold Wood?

Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the process of conveyancing in Harold Wood. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’

In what way can the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 impact my commercial premises in Harold Wood and how can your lawyers assist?

The 1954 Act gives protection to business lessees, giving them the dueness to apply to court for a continuation of occupancy at the end of an expired lease. There are limited grounds where a landlord can refuse a lease renewal and the rules are involved. Fees are different for commercial conveyancing. Harold Wood is one of our numerous areas of the UK in which our lawyers are located

Harold Wood Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Queries before buying

Best to be warned whether a new roof is being installed or some other significant cost is coming up that will be shared between the leaseholders and could well materially increase the the service fees or result in a specific invoice. How much is the maintenance charge and ground rent on the property? Are any of leasehold owners in arrears of their service charge liability?