Will my conveyancing lawyers need to check that the building insurance when buying a house in Harlow. My lender is Tesco Bank
Tesco Bank have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 12/10/2025, the requirements read as follows :
Me and my partner are buying a property in Harlow. I might seem paranoid but how we can trust a solicitor? At some point we have to deposit money into their account. What is the protection we have from them run away with our deposit?
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.
I happen to be the sole recipient of my late grandmother’s will and I have everything in my name now, including the my former home in Harlow. Conveyancing formalities meant that the Land Registry date was in September. I want to move. I do know about the Mortgage Lenders 6 month 'rule', which means that my proprietorship may be treated the same way as if I'd bought the property in September. Will no one buy the property for half a year?
The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ handbook mandates conveyancers to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." By the strict wording you could be affected by that. How practical a view mortgage companies take of it, depend on the bank as this obligation primarily exists to capture the purchase and immediately sell or the quick reselling of properties.
I have paid off my mortgage with Kent Reliance. I assume I don't need a Harlow conveyancer on the Kent Reliance panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.
If you have finished paying off your Kent Reliance mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Kent Reliance mortgage from the register. Kent Reliance, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:
- but are not moving to another property
- where Kent Reliance has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- Kent Reliance has instructed the Land Registry to do so
What will a local search tell me regarding the property we're buying in Harlow?
Harlow conveyancing often commences with the applying for local authority searches directly from your local Authority or via a personal search organisations such as Searchflow The local search is essential in every Harlow conveyancing purchase; that is if you wish to avoid any unpleasant once you have moved into your new home. The search will provide information on, amongst other things, details on planning applications relevant to the premises (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of 13 topic sections.
I purchased a semi-detached Victorian property in Harlow. Conveyancing solicitor represented me and Clydesdale. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw two entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold under the matching address. I'd like to know for sure, how can I find out??
You should assess the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Harlow and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they mortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with mortgage companies. You can also enquire as to the position with your conveyancing solicitor who conducted the work.
Last May I purchased a leasehold house in Harlow. Do I have any liability for service charges for periods before my ownership?
In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.
If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).
I bought a studio flat in Harlow, conveyancing was carried out in 1995. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Similar flats in Harlow with a long lease are worth £197,000. The ground rent is £55 levied per year. The lease expires on 21st October 2080
With just 55 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to range between £31,400 and £36,200 plus legals.
The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be additional concerns that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward based on this information without first getting professional advice.