I am buying a house mortgage free in Studley. I have resided for the last dozen years in Studley. Conveyancing searches are expensive. Given that I have knowledge of the road and vicinity very well must I have all the conveyancing searches?

If you not getting a home loan, then all but one or two of the Studley conveyancing searches are non-obligatory. Your solicitor will ’encourage you, no-doubt strongly, that you should have searches completed, but she is duty bound to do this. Do take into account; if you are going to dispose of the house in the future, it may be of importance to your prospective buyer what the searches disclose. There are plenty of instances where properties with apparent issues can still throw up negative search results. A good conveyancing solicitor in Studley should provide you some practical advice in this regard.

I own a freehold premises in Studley yet invoiced for rent, why is this and what is this?

It’s unusual for properties in Studley and has limited impact for conveyancing in Studley 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 hundreds of years, but the Rent Charge Act 1977 barred the creation of new rentcharges post 1977.

Old rentcharges can now be extinguished by making a one off payment under the Act. Any rentcharges that are still in existence in 2037 will be extinguished.

We are buying a victorian detached house in Studley. Our aim is to an extension at the rear at the property.Will legal work on the property include enquiries to determine if these works are prohibited?

Your property lawyer will review the registered title as conveyancing in Studley can occasionally reveal restrictions in the title documents which restrict certain works or necessitated the consent of another owner. Some extensions require local authority planning permissions and approval in compliance with building regulations. Certain locations are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which often prevent or affect extensions. You should check these issues with a surveyor prior to committing yourself to a purchase.

I have paid off my mortgage with Skipton. I assume I don't need a Studley conveyancer on the Skipton panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.

If you have finished paying off your Skipton mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Skipton mortgage from the register. Skipton, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:

1. but are not moving to another property
2. where Skipton has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. Skipton has instructed the Land Registry to do so

It is not clear whether my lender requires a lease extension. I have called my Studley building society branch on numerous occasions and was reassured it wasn't a problem and they would lend. My Studley conveyancing solicitor - who is on the bank conveyancing panel- telephoned and was told they refuse to lend in accordance with their UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook minimum lease term requirements. Who do I believe?

As long as the lawyer is on the lender approved list, she or he must adhere to the CML Handbook specifications for the lender. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the mortgage company will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the lender to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years left on the lease.

five months have gone by since my purchase conveyancing in Studley completed. I have checked the Land Registry site which shows that I paid £175,000 when infact I paid £215,000. Why the discrepancy?

The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the property from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.

I am looking for a ground for flat up to £235,500 and found one near me in Studley I like with amenity areas and station nearby, the downside is that it's only got 52 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Studley for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a short lease?

If you require a home loan the remaining unexpired lease term will be problematic. Discount the price by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing owner has owned the premises for a minimum of twenty four months you can request that they start the process of the extension and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor concerning this.