I am purchasing a property mortgage free in Harmondsworth. I have lived for the last 20 years in Harmondsworth. Conveyancing searches are a lot of money. Given that I know the area and road intimately should I not bother getting the solicitor to do all the conveyancing searches?

If you not getting a home loan, then almost all of the Harmondsworth conveyancing searches are at your discretion. Your lawyer will 'advise', perhaps strongly, that you should have searches completed, but she is duty bound to take that path of advice. Do bear in mind; if you are going to sell the house one day, it will be of relevance to your future buyer what the searches reveal. Sometimes houses with functional issues can still reveal adverse search results. A good conveyancing solicitor in Harmondsworth will be able to give you some constructive guidance in this regard.

I have justbecome aware that Arc property Solicitors have been shut down. They conducted my conveyancing in Harmondsworth for a purchase of a freehold house 12 months ago. How can I be sure that the property is registered correctly in the name of the previous owner?

The quickest way to check if the premises is registered to you, you can make a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Harmondsworth conveyancing specialists.

I am looking for a leasehold apartment up to £305k and identified one near me in Harmondsworth I like with open areas and transport links nearby, however it's only got 52 remaining years left on the lease. There is not much else in Harmondsworth suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a short lease?

If you need a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term will be problematic. Reduce the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current owner has owned the property for at least 2 years you could request that they commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor regarding this.

What does commercial conveyancing in Harmondsworth cover?

Non domestic conveyancing in Harmondsworth incorporates a broad array of advice, given by regulated solicitors, relating to business property. For example, this area of conveyancing can cover the sale or purchase of freehold business premises or, more commonly, the assignment of existing leases or the drafting of new leasing arrangements. Commercial conveyancing solicitors can also offer advice on the sale of business assets, commercial loans and the termination of leases.

Threeweeks into buying a residence in Harmondsworth. Conveyancing lawyer has called to say the title is "Leasehold". Should this impact our lender’s valuation?

Harmondsworth conveyancing does not in most situations involve leasehold houses. The main consideration here is the length of lease and the ground rent. If it's 999 years with a nominal rent, it's almost the same as freehold, so it’s unlikely to affect the value significantly.

At the other extreme, if it's, say, fifty five years it will have a significant impact on the value, and most likely wouldn't be mortgageable. The length of lease and ground rent will be specified in the lease to be supplied to your property lawyer.