I have given 8 weeks notice to my existing landlord and must leave my let out flat in Harrow on the Hill by 28/4/2026. Conveyancing on my purchase is underway. How realistic is it to complete in six weeks as I wish to avoid having to find temporary accommodation?
The normal practice is not to provide notice for your lease until your lawyer suggests that you should. Assuming that you have not already done so, notify to your solicitor and urge them to they chase the other lawyers, try to get a realistic time scale from them that all parties will aim to achieve
Why do I have to pay up front for my conveyancing in Harrow on the Hill?
Where you are retaining lawyers for conveyancing in Harrow on the Hill your lawyer will request that you place them with monies to cover the the cost of the conveyancing searches. This will be the total of the cost of the Local Authority Search. If any down payment is payable against the purchase price then this will be asked for shortly prior to contracts are exchanged. The final balance that is needed should be transferred shortly before completion.
Can you clarify what the consequences are if my solicitor is removed from the Co-operative Solicitor panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in Harrow on the Hill?
First, this is a very rare occurrence. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have to instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by a regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit at a cost.
We are buying a flat in Harrow on the Hill. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a lawyer? On completion day we have to send money into their account. What is the protection we have from them run away with our monies?
Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.
We are purchasing a 4 bedroom semi-detached house in Harrow on the Hill. The intention is to carry out a loft conversion at the house.Will the conveyancing process involve investigations to see if these alterations are allowed?
Your conveyancer will review the deeds as conveyancing in Harrow on the Hill can occasionally reveal restrictions in the title deeds which restrict certain changes or need the permission of another owner. Some works call for local authority planning consent and approval under the building regulations. Certain locations are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which frequently prevent or affect extensions. You should check these things with a surveyor before you commit yourself to a purchase.
I recently had an offer agreed on a house in Harrow on the Hill. My financial adviser suggested a solicitor. I paid an on account payment of £175. Not long after, the conveyancer called me to say that they were not on the Co-operative conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?
You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Co-operative panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.
I used Arc property Solicitors a few years ago for my conveyancing in Harrow on the Hill. I now require my papers however cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?
Do contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Harrow on the Hill of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously retained, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only 68 years remaining on my flat in Harrow on the Hill. I am keen to extend my lease but my landlord is missing. What should I do?
On the basis that you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be extended by the Court. You will be obliged to demonstrate that you or your lawyers have made all reasonable attempts to find the freeholder. On the whole a specialist should be useful to carry out a search and prepare a report which can be used as proof that the freeholder can not be located. It is wise to seek advice from a solicitor both on investigating the landlord’s disappearance and the vesting order request to the County Court overseeing Harrow on the Hill.
Following years of correspondence we simply can't agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Harrow on the Hill. Does the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal have jurisdiction to calculate the appropriate figures?
You certainly can. We can put you in touch with a Harrow on the Hill conveyancing firm who can help.
An example of a Lease Extension decision for a Harrow on the Hill property is flat 93b Welldon Crescent in May 2009. The Tribunals valuation for a 90-year lease extension of this fat was £13,171 This case affected 1 flat. The unexpired lease term was 75.25 years.