I am the registered owner of a freehold property in Irlam but still pay rent, why is this and what is this?

It’s unusual for properties in Irlam and has limited impact for conveyancing in Irlam 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.

The Irlam conveyancing lawyers that just started acting on my purchase in Irlam have suddenly closed. I chose them because I had to have a firm on the conveyancing panel and my previous Irlam lawyer was not. I gave my credit card details for them to take £195 for searches. What do I do now?

Assuming that you have an Estate Agent in the equation then let them know straight away so that they can let the sellers know that there may be a slight delay due to reasons beyond your control. Hopefully they will be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You should appoint new lawyers that are on the conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money, it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new lawyers should be in a position to assist.

I am buying a house and the lawyer has identified Chancel Repair for which the house may be liable given it’s proximity to the area of such a church. He has suggested insurance. Is this really appropriate for conveyancing in Irlam

Unless a previous purchase of the premises took place after 12 October 2013 you may take it that solicitors carrying out conveyancing in Irlam to continue to suggest a chancel search and or chancel repair liability insurance.

I am buying a new build flat in Irlam. Conveyancing is necessary evil at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. What sort of enquires would be asked in new build conveyancing.

Here is a sample of a selection of leasehold new build questions that you should expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Irlam

There must be mutual enforceability of lessee’s covenants. Has the Lease plan been approved by the Land Registry and if not when will they be lodged for this purpose? The Landlord must covenant to assume the management if the Management Company goes into liquidation or otherwise defaults in running the management scheme. The Vendor must covenant to keep unsold units in good repair until long leases are granted therefore.

I own a leasehold house in Irlam. Conveyancing and mortgage organised. I have received a letter from someone claiming to own the reversionary interest in the property. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1997. The conveyancing solicitor in Irlam who acted for me is not around. Any advice?

First make enquiries of HMLR to make sure that the individual claiming to own the freehold is indeed the registered owner of the freehold reversion. It is not necessary to instruct a Irlam conveyancing solicitor to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for less than a fiver. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the legitimate landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

Irlam Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Questions you should consider Prior to buying

Many Irlam leasehold properties will have a service charge for the upkeep of the building levied by the management company. If you acquire the apartment you will have to pay this liability, usually in instalments accross the year. This could differ from a few hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for buildings with lifts and large communal areas. In all likelihood there will be a ground rent to be met annual, normally this is not a significant amount, say around £50-£100 but you should to enquire it because occasionally it can be surprisingly expensive. Be sure to find out if there are any onerous prohibitions in the lease. By way of example some leases prohibit pets being allowed in certain buildings in Irlam. If you like the propertyin Irlam yet your dog is not allowed to make the move with you then you have a very difficult decision. Who takes charge for maintaining and repairing the building?