We have rather assertive sellers who has recommended a preliminary agreement with a payment of 5k. Are such agreements sensible?

There are a couple of main concerns with entering into any lock out contract (also termed a shut-out contract) is that it diverts attention away from progressing with the conveyancing work, so unless it requires limited or no negotiation then it may turn out to be unhelpful. It is not strongly advocated by South Harrow conveyancing solicitors for this reason. A supplemental concern is the extent of the remedies available - a jilted purchaser should not expect to win an injunctive ruling by a court to prevent the owner disposing of the property to another buyer, so the only remedy available under the agreement will be the recovery of wasted charges and, in limited circumstances, the additional payment of penalties.

five months have elapsed following my purchase conveyancing in South Harrow completed. I have checked the Land Registry website which shows that I paid £175,000 when infact I paid £180,000. Why the discrepancy?

The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the residence from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.

I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold issue on a house I put an offer in a fortnight ago in what was supposed to be a quick, no chain conveyancing. South Harrow is the location of the property. What do you suggest?

Flying freeholds in South Harrow are not the norm but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in South Harrow you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds diligently. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in South Harrow may decide that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold property.

Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in South Harrow with the aim of speeding up the sale process?

• Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in South Harrow can be bypassed if you get in touch lawyers the minute your agents start advertising the property and request that they start to collate the leasehold documentation which will be required by the purchasers’ lawyers.
You may think that you are aware of the number of years remaining on your lease but it would be wise to double-check via your conveyancers. A purchaser's lawyer will not be happy to advise their client to to exchange contracts if the lease term is below 80 years. It is therefore essential at an as soon as possible that you consider whether the lease requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your home on the market for sale. Many landlords or managing agents in South Harrow levy fees for supplying management packs for a leasehold property. You or your lawyers should enquire as to the fee that they propose to charge. The management pack sought on or before finding a buyer, thus reducing delays. The typical amount of time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most usual cause of delay in leasehold conveyancing in South Harrow. In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s approval? In particular have you installed wooden flooring? South Harrow leases often stipulate that internal structural alterations or installing wooden flooring necessitate a licence issued by the Landlord approving such changes. Should you fail to have the consents in place you should not contact the landlord without checking with your solicitor before hand. Some South Harrow leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this applies to your lease, you should notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers put in hand bank and professional references. Any bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are able to meet the yearly service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their lawyers.

Following months of dialogue we are unable to agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in South Harrow. Can we issue an application to the Residential Property Tribunal Service?

Where there is a absentee landlord or where there is disagreement about what the lease extension should cost, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 it is possible to make an application to the LVT to make a decision on the premium.

An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a South Harrow premises is GFF 1 Holyrood Avenue in May 2014. The Tenant wished to acquire a new (extended) lease and applied to the Willesden County Court who granted a vesting order on 20* March2013. The Tribunal decied that the premium to be paid was £9,062 This case related to 1 flat. The unexpired lease term was 79 years.

We today found out that one of the directors of the conveyancing practice acting on the purchase conveyancing in South Harrow is a relative of the owners that we are buying from. Is this allowed?

On the basis that there is no conflict of interest this should be fine. If you are requiring a mortgage then the mortgage company may have a say as many mortgage companies have specific requirements on this. For example for HSBC as of 22/11/2025, the requirements read as follows :