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

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

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

We are planning to move home in September. Will my conveyancing solicitor communicate with the removal company on the day of completion. As an aside, can you put forward a removal company in Roath. Conveyancing lawyer was found prior to coming across this site.

On the day of completion you can collect the house keys from the property agent however this should only happen after the sellers conveyancers advise the agent that they acknowledge receipt of the completion payment and the keys can be handed over. Subsequently you can tell the removal men that you are ready to move in. We are not in a position to recommend a particular removal organisation but can help you choose a conveyancing in Roath or a solicitor with expertise in conveyancing in Roath.

Two weeks ago we had a mortgage agreed in principle with Bank of Ireland. Roath conveyancing lawyers were appointed. How long does it take for Bank of Ireland to issue the offer to the solicitor?

There is no definitive answer here. Have Bank of Ireland completed the survey? Have you informed Bank of Ireland as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel? It is not unusual for a mortgage offer to take a month to come through.

I have finally had an offer on a flat in Roath accepted, but there is a chain. The vendors have placed an offer on somewhere, however it’s not been accepted yet, and have viewings of other properties booked. I have instructed a local conveyancing solicitor in Roath. What do I do now? When do I get the mortgage application with Leeds Building Society going?

It is normal to have anxieties where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur expenses too early (mortgage application is approx one thousand pounds, then valuation, Roath conveyancing search costs, etc). The first thing to do is ensure that your solicitor is on the Leeds Building Society approved list. Regarding the subsequent steps this very much dictated by the specifics of your case, desire for this property and on the state of the market. During a hot market many buyers will apply for the mortgage with Leeds Building Society and pay for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they pay their conveyancing practitioner to press on with searches.

I'm remortgaging my current property to a buy to let loan with Bank of Ireland and I will use the rest of the raised equity as a deposit on further property. The neighborhood we are interested in is Roath. Will your lawyers be able to act for both sets of banks and link together the transactions?

Make use of our search tool on this site to check that the solicitors are on the relevant lender panels. Assuming that they are your solicitor should be able to simultaneously deal with the two transactions but you should have a chat with you solicitor and make clear your expectations and needs.

I am hoping to exchange soon on a ground floor flat in Roath. Conveyancing lawyers assured me that they will have a report out to me within the next couple of days. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

The report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Roath should include some of the following:

Who has the liability to repair and maintain the main walls and foundations. It is essential for you to know which party is duty bound to repair and maintenance of all parts of the block and communal areas Repair and maintenance of the premises Where does the liability rest for repairing the window frames What remedies are open the freeholder should you have violated the provisions of the lease?

Roath Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Questions you should consider before buying

What is the name of the managing agents? The prefered form of lease structure is a share of the freehold. In this arrangement the lessees benefit from being in charge if their destiny and even though a managing agent is usually employed where the building is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent employed by the leaseholders. Is the freehold owned collectively by the tenants?

I own a leasehold flat in Roath. Conveyancing was completed in last year. I have been told that I mustn’t let the the remaining lease term to fall too low. What is the reasoning?

Roath residential long term leases are for a prescribed period - usually just under one hundred years when they commenced. However many flats in Roath were constructed or converted 35 or more years ago and so these leases now have fewer than 80 years left to run. That may sound like plenty of time however Banks, Building Societies and other mortgage institutions tend to require leases to have at least seventy five years left to be mortgageable. This means that when you come to sell the property you will need to extend the term of your lease if you are getting close to 75 years. To increase the saleability of your property you should be considering whether to extend your lease well in advance of selling the property. You should note that there are advantages to doing so before the lease reaches even 80 years as when the lease is below 80 years the amount you have to pay to extend starts to increase.