A couple questions about redeeming ground rent Northern Ireland?

Unadjusted

I know there's countless threads and posts on this very subject but I still have a few questions that I haven't been able to get an answer for.

1. Are you able to redeem your ground rent if you've only paid one half-yearly payment? The notes and advice online widely differ with some people saying you need proof that you've paid a whole year and others just that you need a receipt of a single payment.

I've lived here almost a year but have only been billed once for a six month period. Do I need to wait for the next bill which will come in December?

2. Do you get the forms you send the land registry back like the leasehold?

3. I know that you need to register the property as a freehold for it to be officially a freehold and to remove the covenants; however, some people say that when you come to sell the house or insure it you can class it as freehold because it's free of ground rent? Or will I need to register it as freehold before selling and is this capita gains deductible?

4. Finally, when writing out the cheques are they all to be made out to the land registry? Or is it one £50 cheque for the land registry for their fee and then two cheques of firstly 9 x the ground rent and secondarily of the last remaining amount you're in arrears to the ground rent company?

Many thanks if you made it this far! Any advice would be really appreciated!

RikM

3... so far as I understand it, nothing in this process removes the covenants, they still apply to you whether or not you own the freehold. There may be a way to remove them, but it's not a part of the normal process - the covenants do apply on freeholds as well: I've had freehold property on the mainland where the developer had applied "no front fence" covenants. Covenants get passed down the chain of ownership.

BatCat

The kicker for redemption of ground rent for me was that apparently you need to involve a solicitor. As such the costs far outweighed the benefits, but I'd be interested to know if you can now do it without one.

Unadjusted

BatCat wrote: »

The kicker for redemption of ground rent for me was that apparently you need to involve a solicitor. As such the costs far outweighed the benefits, but I'd be interested to know if you can now do it without one.

All you need is a solictor to witness the forms which costs between £5 and £15. You don't need them to complete the forms.