AssumingI were to purchase a freehold homein Winterton for cash and have no survey and no local authority searches how much would I expect to have to pay for conveyancing in Winterton?

Any savings you would make will be isolated to the costs for searches. The lawyer is required to do the vast majority of work - money laundering, communicating with your vendors conveyancing practitioner, SDLT submission, register the title etc. You might save a bit for them not needing to register a mortgage however it will not be significant.

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

It’s unusual for properties in Winterton and has limited impact for conveyancing in Winterton 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 creation of fresh rentcharges from 1977 onwards.

Previous rentcharges can now be extinguished by making a lump sum payment under the Act. Any rentcharges that are still in existence after 2037 will be extinguished.

The Winterton conveyancing solicitors that I recently instructed on my purchase in Winterton have suddenly closed. I only went with them because I needed a solicitor on the Lloyds conveyancing panel and my family Winterton lawyer was not. I paid them £170 on account. What do I do now?

Assuming that you have an Estate Agent in the equation then let them know immediately so that they advise the vendors that there may be a slight delay due to reasons beyond your control. Most sellers would be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You will need to appoint new lawyers that are on the Lloyds 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 may be able to help.

My colleague recommended that where I am purchasing in Winterton I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?

A search of this type is occasionally quoted for as part of the standard Winterton conveyancing searches. It is not a small document of about 40 pages, listing and setting out significant information about Winterton 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 type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime details, Local Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information about Winterton.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a house I put an offer in last month in what was supposed to be a straight forward, chain free conveyancing. Winterton is where the house is located. Is there any guidance you can impart?

Flying freeholds in Winterton are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Winterton you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds diligently. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Winterton may decide 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.