I purchased a freehold house in Widnes but still pay rent, why is this and what is this?

It’s unusual for properties in Widnes and has limited impact for conveyancing in Widnes 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 generation of new rentcharges from 1977 onwards.

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

A friend advised me that if I am buying in Widnes I should ask my conveyancer to execute a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?

This is a search is usually quoted for as part of the standard Widnes conveyancing searches. It is not a small report of more than thirty pages, listing and detailing important information about Widnes around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime details, Local Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information concerning Widnes.

Just bought a detached house in Widnes , how long should it take for the Land Registry to register my ownership? My Widnes conveyancing solicitor works at snail pace, so I want to be certain that my ownership is registered.

As far as conveyancing in Widnes registration is no quicker or slower than the rest of England and Wales. Rather than based on location, timeframes can vary according to who lodges the application, whether it is in order and whether the Land registry must send notices to any other persons or bodies. At present in the region of three quarters of submission are fully dealt with in less than three weeks but occasionally there can be protracted hold-ups. Registration is effected once the purchaser has moved in to the premises therefore 'speed' is not always primary concern but where there is a degree of urgency associated with the registration then you or your conveyancer should communicate with the Registry to express the reasoning for the application to be prioritised.

We are a couple of weeks into a leasehold purchase having been recommend to a firm by the estate agent to perform conveyancing in Widnes. We are not happy. Could you you assist me in finding new solicitors?

A conveyancer would have to be very bad in order to consider diss instructing them. Has the mortgage been generated? In the event that it has you need to advise them of the replacement solicitor and get the offer are re-issued. The conveyancer should be on the lenders panel to avoid added fees and complications. That should be your first question of the new conveyancers. The search tool can assist you in finding a lender approved conveyancer for your conveyancing in Widnes

Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Widnes with the intention of speeding up the sale process?

• Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Widnes can be avoided if you get in touch lawyers the minute your agents start marketing the property and request that they start to collate the leasehold documentation needed by the purchasers’ representatives.
In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s consent? In particular have you installed wooden flooring? Most leases in Widnes state that internal structural changes or installing wooden flooring calls for a licence from the Landlord approving such alterations. If you dont have the consents to hand do not contact the landlord without contacting your lawyer in the first instance. You believe that you know the number of years left on your lease but it would be advisable verify this by asking your solicitors. A purchaser's lawyer will be unlikely to recommend their client to where the remaining number of years is below 75 years. In the circumstances it is important at an as soon as possible that you identify whether the lease requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your home on the market for sale. If you are supposed to have a share in the freehold, you should ensure that you have the original share document. Obtaining a new share certificate is often a lengthy process and delays many a Widnes home move. If a duplicate share is necessary, do contact the company officers or managing agents (if applicable) for this sooner rather than later. If there is a history of conflict with your landlord or managing agents it is very important that these are resolved before the property is put on the market. The buyers and their solicitors will be nervous about purchasing a flat where there is a current dispute. You will have to accept that you will have to discharge any arrears of service charge or resolve the dispute prior to the buyers completing the purchase. 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 details of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is better to present the dispute as historic as opposed to unresolved.

Widnes Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Questions you should ask Prior to Purchasing

For many Widnes leaseholds the cost for major works tend not to be included within service charges, although a few managing agents in Widnes ask leasehold owners to pay into a sinking fund and this is used to offset against major repairs or maintenance. What is the name of the managing agents? Does the lease have more than 85 years unexpired?