Do the conveyancing lawyers via your comparison service carry out conveyancing in Harrow by way of an attended exchange?

We do have a number of conveyancing experts carrying out one day exchanges. Please call us to get a costs illustration and details as to dates.

Is there a reason why leasehold purchase conveyancing in Harrow is more expensive?

Harrow leasehold properties involve far more paperwork than a freehold purchase, and therefore takes more time to examine and advise upon.Conveyancing will involve the lease having to be checked which is usually a lengthy document, queries raised to ensure that the covenants and conditions have been observed. If it is a flat there will be a management company in existence and the accounts of this will need to be checked and enquiries raised to ensure it is operating efficiently and that all monies due have been paid by the Seller to the company and if not ensuring that money is paid up to date or the appropriate undertakings obtained.

My uncle passed away last year and as sole heir and executor I was left the house in Harrow. The house had a small mortgage left on it of around £5k. I want to have the title changed into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Principality, pay off the mortgage. Is this possible?

Where you plan to re-mortgage then Principality will insist on your using a conveyancer on the Principality conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your Principality conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the Principality mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.

My father advised me that in purchasing a property in Harrow there could be various restrictions prohibiting external alterations to a property. Is this right?

We are aware of a number of properties in Harrow which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to perform external variations. Part of the conveyancing in Harrow should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.

I'm the single beneficiary of my late mum's estate and I have everything in my name alone, including the house in Harrow. The Harrow property was put into my name in September. I plan to dispose of the property. I do know about the CML 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 CML handbook obliges solicitors to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." By the strict wording you might be affected by that. How practical a view lenders take of it, depend on the bank as this requirement is principally there to capture the purchase and immediately sell or the quick reselling of properties.

I recently had an offer agreed on an apartment in Harrow. My financial adviser suggested a solicitor. I paid an upfront payment of £225. Shortly after, the conveyancing practitioner contacted me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Santander conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Santander panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

Completion is due on our sale of a £275,000 flat in Harrow in 10 days. The managing agents has quoted £312 for Landlord’s certificate, building insurance schedule and previous years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge an administration fee for a flat conveyance in Harrow?

Harrow conveyancing on leasehold apartments normally requires the purchaser’s solicitor submitting enquiries for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is under no legal obligation to answer these enquiries the majority will be willing to assist. They are entitled to charge a reasonable administration fee for responding to questions or supplying documentation. There is no set fee. The average fee for the paperwork that you are referring to is £350, in some situations it exceeds £800. The management information fee demanded by the landlord must be accompanied by a synopsis of entitlements and obligations in relation to administration charges, otherwise the invoice is not strictly payable. In reality you have little choice but to pay whatever is demanded should you wish to sell the property.

I have tried to negotiate informally with with my landlord to extend my lease without success. Can one make an application to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal? Can you recommend a Harrow conveyancing firm to help?

Absolutely. We are happy to put you in touch with a Harrow conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Lease Extension case for a Harrow premises is flat 93b Welldon Crescent in May 2009. The Tribunals valuation for a 90-year lease extension of this fat was £13,171 This case related to 1 flat. The unexpired term was 75.25 years.