I am buying a maisonette in Harrow. My property lawyer has never been on on the mortgage company solicitor list. Can I still use my Harrow conveyancing solicitor notwithstanding that they are excluded from the mortgage company panel of approved conveyancing solicitors?
Your options include
- Complete the deal with your existing Harrow solicitor but your mortgage company will need to use a solicitor on their conveyancing panel. This will result in additional fees together with probable frustration.
- Appoint a fresh property lawyer to conduct the conveyancing, ensuring that they are on the lender conveyancing panel.
- Convince your property lawyer to seek to join the bank panel
I am assisting my step-mother sell her flat in Harrow. Will the solicitor arrange an energy assessment or do I organise this?
After the demise of Home Packs, EPC’s remained a required part of selling a property. An EPC must be to hand prior to the property being placed on the market. It is not something that lawyers normally organise. Where you are instructing a Harrow conveyancing practitioner they might help arrange energy assessments given their relationships with long established Harrow accredited person
My stepmother informed me that in buying a property in Harrow there could be various restrictions prohibiting external changes to the property. Is this right?
There are anumerous of properties in Harrow which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to external alterations. Part of the conveyancing in Harrow should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.
I have been advised by my solicitor that chancel insurance is needed on my purchase. What is the level of cover for Harrow conveyancing?
The right level of chancel indemnity insurance depends on your lender. It would differ for example between Halifax and Bank of Scotland. Conveyancing lawyers as opposed to borrowers take out such policies.
My colleague recommended that where I am purchasing in Harrow I should ask my conveyancer to carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?
A search of this type is occasionally included in the estimate for your Harrow conveyancing searches. It is a large report of more than thirty pages, listing and setting out important information about Harrow around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Harrow 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 plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information regarding Harrow.
Me and my brother purchased a renovated Edwardian house in Harrow. Conveyancing lawyer represented me and Virgin Money. I did a free Land Registry search last week and I saw a couple of entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold under the exact same address. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?
You need to review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Harrow and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they remortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with purchasers. You can also check the situation with your conveyancing lawyer who conducted the conveyancing.
How does conveyancing in Harrow differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build property in Harrow come to us having been asked by the developer to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is ready to move into. This is because developers in Harrow usually purchase the land, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct property lawyers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are accustomed to new build conveyancing in Harrow or who has acted in the same development.
My husband and I are a fortnight into a residential purchase having been recommend to conveyancers by the local agent to perform conveyancing in Harrow. I am not happy. Can you you assist me in finding new conveyancers?
They would have to be very bad to suggest replacing them. Has your loan offer been generated? In the event that it has you will need to inform them of the replacement conveyancer and get the loan are re-sent. Your conveyancer should be on the banks panel to avoid escalating charges and complications. So that should be your first question of the new conveyancers. The search tool can help you find a lender approved lawyer for your conveyancing in Harrow