I am the registered owner of a freehold premises in Kingsland but nevertheless invoiced for rent, why is this and what is this?

It’s unusual for properties in Kingsland and has limited impact for conveyancing in Kingsland 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 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 post 2037 is to be dispensed with completely.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold issue on a house I put an offer in two weeks back in what was supposed to be a simple, chain free conveyancing. Kingsland is where the house is located. Can you offer any advice?

Flying freeholds in Kingsland are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Kingsland you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds diligently. Your lender may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Kingsland may determine that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold property.

I am 18 days into a leasehold purchase having been recommend to conveyancers by the local agent to handle our conveyancing in Kingsland. I am am extremely frustrated with the level of service. Can you help me find new conveyancers?

A lawyer would have to be very bad in order to consider diss instructing them. Has the mortgage been issued? If so you will need to inform them of the new contact details and have the loan are issued to the new lawyers. Your new conveyancer needs to be on the mortgage company approved list to avoid escalating expenses and delays. So that should be your starting point. The find a solicitor tool will help you find a lender approved lawyer for your conveyancing in Kingsland

Estate agents have just been given the go-ahead to market my garden flat in Kingsland. Conveyancing has not commenced, however I have recently had a yearly service charge invoice – should I leave it to the buyer to sort out?

The sensible thing to do is pay the maintenance contribution as usual as all rents and maintenance charges should be allotted on completion, so you will be reimbursed by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the subsequent invoice date. Most management companies will not acknowledge the buyer unless the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

I invested in buying a garden flat in Kingsland, conveyancing was carried out half a dozen years ago. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Comparable properties in Kingsland with a long lease are worth £165,000. The ground rent is £45 invoiced every year. The lease runs out on 21st October 50

You have 50 years remaining on your lease we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £36,100 and £41,800 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to supply the actual costs in the absence of detailed investigations. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional concerns that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.

I happen to be an executor of my recently deceased parent's Will, with a property in Kingsland which will be marketed. The house is unregistered at the Land Registry and I'm advised that many buyers solicitors will insist that it is completed before they'll move forward. What's the procedure for this?

In the circumstances that you have set out it seems advisable to seek to register in the names of the personal representative(s) as named in the probate and in their capacity as PRs. HMLR’s online guidance explains how to register for the first time and what is required re the deeds and forms. You would need to include and certified copy of the probate as well and complete the form FR1 to refer to the PRs as the applicant.