Can you recommend a Chelsea Building Society accepted Harlesden conveyancing solicitor that can complete within a short deadline? Would it be better to use a high street Harlesden firm or a national firm?

We can recommend some very good Harlesden conveyancing firms. You can also walk up the main road in Harlesden. Go in to some well established law practices and ask to see a conveyancing solicitor for a costs illustration. Explain your requirements together with your reasons and ask for an assurance on speed. Appoint the one that genuine.

A colleague informed me that in purchasing a property in Harlesden there could be a number of restrictions preventing external alterations to a property. Is this right?

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

I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with Santander. I assume I don't need a Harlesden conveyancing practitioner on the Santander panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.

If you have finished paying off your Santander mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Santander mortgage from the register. Santander, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:

1. but are not moving to another property
2. where Santander has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. Santander has instructed the Land Registry to do so

I currently have a mortgage with Co-operative for my property in Harlesden. Conveyancing has been completed a year ago. Should I wish to rent out my property and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform Co-operative?

Co-operative must be informed of your intention prior to renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of Co-operative’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will permit you to let out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Co-operative directly. You need not do this via a Co-operative conveyancing panel lawyer.

I am buying a new build flat in Harlesden. Conveyancing is necessary evil at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. What sort of enquires would be asked in new build legal work.

Set out below is a sample of a selection of leasehold new build questions that you may expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Harlesden

Where service of notices and proceedings can be at the property demised please confirm that this can be amended to include simultaneous services at the Lessees’ solicitors’ offices where the Lessee from time to time is not resident in the UK - such solicitors may be varied by notice in writing to the Landlord from time to time but otherwise will be as previously specified. There must be mutual enforceability of lessee’s covenants. Forfeiture - bankruptcy or liquidation must not apply under this provision. If there are lifts in the building, please confirm that the owners of flats on the ground and basement floors will not be required to contribute towards the cost of maintenance and renewal.

My husband and I are novice buyers - agreed a price, but the selling agent informed us that the owners will only proceed if we use the agent's recommended solicitors as they need a ‘quick sale’. We would rather use a local solicitor with experience of conveyancing in Harlesden

We suspect that the seller is unaware of this ultimatum. Should the vendor want ‘a quick sale', turning down a genuine buyer is likely to cause more damage than good. Speak to the owners direct and make the point that (a)you are motivated purchasers (b)you are excited to move forward, with mortgage lined up © you do not need to sell (d) you intend to proceed fast (e)however you are going to instruct your own,trusted Harlesden conveyancing solicitors - not the ones that will earn their negotiator at the agency a introducer fee or achieve conveyancing thresholds demanded by head office.

Frank (my husband) and I may need to rent out our Harlesden basement flat temporarily due to a new job. We used a Harlesden conveyancing practice in 2002 but they have since shut and we did not have the foresight to seek any advice as to whether the lease prohibits the subletting of the flat. How do we find out?

Even though your previous Harlesden conveyancing lawyer is no longer available you can check your lease to see if it allows you to sublet the property. The rule is that if the lease is non-specific, subletting is allowed. There may be a precondition that you must seek consent from your landlord or other appropriate person prior to subletting. The net result is that you cannot sublet in the absence of prior consent. Such consent is not allowed to be unreasonably refused ore delayed. If your lease does not allow you to sublet you should ask your landlord if they are willing to waive this restriction.

Having spent years of correspondence we simply can't agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Harlesden. Does the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal have jurisdiction to calculate the appropriate figures?

You certainly can. We can put you in touch with a Harlesden conveyancing firm who can help.

An example of a Lease Extension case for a Harlesden premises is First Floor Flat 2B Fortune Gate Road in May 2013. the tribunal decided that the price payable for the lease extension was £9,331, together with £900 in respect of outstanding ground rent. This case related to 1 flat. The number of years remaining on the existing lease(s) was 74.31 years.