I am need of leasehold conveyancing for a flat in a fairly new development (five years built) in Harrow. Almost all the properties have already been sold. Is it strictly necessary to order conveyancing searches as part of conveyancing in Harrow?

Conveyancing Searches are a central link in the Harrow conveyancing process. There are a large number of companies conducting Harrow conveyancing searches, as well direct from the local authority. These are usually referred to as personal search companies and they produce, not surprisingly, personal searches. Nevertheless, all Local Authority Search conveyancing products have one thing in common - they must obtain their data from the local authoritative source.

As someone clueless as to the Harrow conveyancing process what’s your top tip you can give me concerning the ownership transfer in Harrow

You may not hear this from too many lawyers but conveyancing in Harrow and elsewhere in North West London is an adversarial process. Put another way, when it comes to conveyancing there is lots of opportunity for confrontation between you and others involved in the house moving process. For example, the vendor, property agent and on occasion a mortgage company. Choosing a lawyer for your conveyancing in Harrow should not be taken lightly as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the ONE person in the transaction whose interest is to act in your legal interests and to protect you.

There is a worrying ongoing adversarial element to conveyancing- someone has to be blamed for the process being so protracted. You your first instinct should be to trust your solicitor above all other players when it comes to the legal assignment of property.

I am looking for a flat up to £245,000 and found one round the corner in Harrow I like with open areas and transport links nearby, however it only has 61 remaining years left on the lease. There is not much else in Harrow for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a short lease?

Should you require a mortgage that many years will likely be a potential deal breaker. Discount the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing owner has owned the premises for a minimum of twenty four months you could request that they commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer regarding this.

My husband and I are FTB’s - agreed a price, yet the estate agent told us that the owners will only go ahead if we instruct their recommended lawyers as they are insisting on an ‘expedited deal’. Our preferred option is to instruct a family solicitor who is familiar with conveyancing in Harrow

We suspect that the seller is unaware of this requirement. If they require ‘a quick sale', turning down a motivated buyer is is going to put the whole deal at risk. Bypass the agents and go straight to the owners and make the point that (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are excited to move forward, with mortgage lined up © you do not need to sell (d) you wish to move quickly (e)but you are going to instruct your preferred Harrow conveyancing solicitors - rather thanthe ones that will give the estate agent a referral fee or meet his conveyancing targets pre-set by HQ.

My wife and I hope to purchase our first house in Harrow. Conveyancing practitioner already appointed. The mortgage adviser pointed out that a survey is not needed as the property was only built twenty two years ago.

You would be best advised to take a Home Buyer's Report. Given the premises is over 10 years old the property will not benefit from a warranty, so you don't want to take a risk. For a property that age with no signs of defects a Home Buyer's report could be enough. They will highlight any obvious issues and recommend further investigation if relevant. If there are any indications of problems seek a comprehensive structural survey.