My partner’s uncle is a conveyancing practitioner. I expect that I will receive friends and family rates for conveyancing, However if that does not come through, what level of figure should I be expecting for conveyancing in Harlow?

Do contrast pricing. Do use our search tool on this page. The amounts will be different but service levels do are distinct between conveyancers as is the case with most professions.

My wife and I are approaching an exchange on a property in Harlow and my parents have sent the exchange deposit to my lawyer. I am now informed that as the deposit has been received from someone other than me my conveyancing practitioner needs to make a notification to my lender. I am advised that, in also acting for the mortgage company he must advise them that the balance of the purchase price is coming from anyone other than me. I informed the lender about my parents' contribution when I applied for the home loan, so is it really appropriate for this now to delay the deal?

The solicitor is obliged to check with lender to make sure that they are aware that the balance of the purchase price is not from your own resources. Your solicitor can only disclose this to your bank if you permit them to, failing which, your lawyer must cease to continue acting.

My relative advised me that if I am purchasing in Harlow I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?

This is a search is usually included in the estimate for your Harlow conveyancing searches. It is a large document of about 40 pages, listing and detailing significant information about Harlow around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Harlow Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime statistics, Harlow Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information about Harlow.

I am buying a new build house in Harlow with a mortgage from National Westminster Bank. The builders would not budge the amount so I negotiated 6k of fixtures and fittings instead. The estate agent told me not reveal to my lawyer about this side-deal as it would affect my loan with National Westminster Bank. Is this normal?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

I have just started marketing my ground floor flat in Harlow. Conveyancing has not commenced, but I have recently received a yearly service charge invoice – Do I pay up?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should clear the invoice as you normally would given that all rents and service payments will be allotted on completion, so you should recover the relevant percentage 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 until 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 bought a 2 bed flat in Harlow, conveyancing formalities finalised half a dozen years ago. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Comparable flats in Harlow with a long lease are worth £265,000. The ground rent is £50 invoiced annually. The lease ceases on 21st October 2101

With 75 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to range between £8,600 and £9,800 plus costs.

The figure above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more comprehensive investigations. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other issues that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.