I am buying a house for cash in Harmondsworth. I have lived for the last 20 years in Harmondsworth. Conveyancing searches are exorbitant. Given that I have knowledge of the area and road intimately must I have all the conveyancing searches?

If you not getting a mortgage, then almost all of the Harmondsworth conveyancing searches are at your discretion. Your conveyancer will 'advise', no-doubt strongly, that you should have searches done, but she has a professional duty to take that path of encouragement . Do take into account; if you are intend to sell the house one day, it may be of interest to your future buyer what the searches disclose. Sometimes houses with functional issues can still show up negative search results. A good conveyancing solicitor in Harmondsworth will provide you some practical guidance here.

I opted to have a survey completed on a property in Harmondsworth in advance of retaining lawyers. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold overhang to the house. The surveyor advised that some banks will not issue a mortgage on a flying freehold home.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Bank of Scotland has different requirements from Halifax. If you call us we can investigate further via the appropriate mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Harmondsworth. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.

I'm remortgaging my primary property to a buy to let mortgage with Barclays Direct and I will use the ballance of the raised equity as a down payment on another house. The area we are looking at is Harmondsworth. Will your conveyancers be able to act for both sets of banks and tie in the conveyances?

Do use our comparison tool on this site to check that the solicitors are on the appropriate lender panels. On the basis that they are the solicitor should be able to tie up the two deals but you should have a chat with you solicitor and specify your desired outcome and requirements.

I have been sourcing a conveyancing practitioner in Harmondsworth for my home move. Is it possible to see a firm’s record with the profession’s regulator?

Members of the public may find documented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) determinations resulting from investigations from 2008 onwards. Go to Check a solicitor's record. For information Pre 2008, or to check a solicitors record, phone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. For callers outside the UK, call +44 (0)121 329 6800. The regulator may monitor telephone calls for training reasons.

We are considering appointing an online solicitor as opposed to a Harmondsworth conveyancing practice. Am I making a mistake?

There are advantages of having the opportunity to attend a local Harmondsworth conveyancing solicitor such as

• signing papers on short notice
• having one on one explanations of matters that you need help with
• the ability to raise concerns if things need to addressed

When checking quotes, look out for hidden extras. The majority decent Harmondsworth high street solicitors give an all-inclusive figure. Often online companies seem to offer low cost fees, but have hidden 'extras' in the small print.