The lawyer who dealt with my last purchase has given a fee estimate £1700 for no move no fee conveyancing in Harrogate. I am hoping to downsize from a Edwardian detached home for £200,000. This seems too much. Is it in excess of what I should be paying for conveyancing in Harrogate?

The estimate does seem a tad steep. If you shop around you might trim some of the cost by perhaps £125. That being said, you maylive to regret opting for an an untested solicitor. Don't forget to check that the conveyancer can represent your lender. Do make use of our comparison tool to find a Harrogate conveyancing company on the banks conveyancing panel which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Harrogate.

My husband and I have arranged a further advance on our home loan from Virgin Money as we want to conduct alterations to our house in Harrogate. Are we obliged to appoint a bricks and mortar Harrogate solicitor on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel to deal with the paperwork?

Virgin Money would not normally appoint a member of their conveyancing panel to handle such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel.

I have instructed a Harrogate solicitor having checked that they are on the Skipton conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?

Skipton will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Skipton will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your property lawyer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Harrogate postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Skipton, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Harrogate.

I have finally had an offer on a flat in Harrogate accepted, but there is a chain. The vendors have offered on on an apartment, but it’s not yet agreed to, and have viewings of other apartments booked. I have instructed a local conveyancing solicitor in Harrogate. What do I do now? When do I get the mortgage application with Coventry BS started?

It is normal to have anxieties where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur costs too early (mortgage application is in the region of £1k, then survey, Harrogate conveyancing search charges, etc). The first course of action is to ensure that your property lawyer is on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel. Concerning the next steps this very much dictated by the circumstances of your transaction, attraction to the property and on the state of the market. In a hot market the majority of buyers would apply for the mortgage with Coventry BS and pay for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they request their solicitor to move forward with searches.

Should my conveyancer be raising questions regarding flooding as part of the conveyancing in Harrogate.

Flooding is a growing risk for solicitors dealing with homes in Harrogate. There are those who acquire a property in Harrogate, fully aware that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, aside from the physical destruction, if a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, suitable insurance cover, or sell the property. Steps can be carried out during the course of a house purchase to forewarn the purchaser.

Lawyers are not qualified to offer advice on flood risk, but there are a numerous checks that can be undertaken by the buyer or by their conveyancers which will figure out the risks in Harrogate. The standard property information forms supplied to a purchaser’s conveyancer (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) includes a standard question of the seller to determine if the premises has historically flooded. If flooding has previously occurred which is not notified by the vendor, then a buyer may commence a compensation claim resulting from an misleading response. A purchaser’s lawyers should also commission an enviro search. This should indicate whether there is any known flood risk. If so, further investigations should be made.

I have just started marketing my basement flat in Harrogate. Conveyancing is yet to be initiated, however I have recently received a half-yearly service charge demand – Do I pay up?

The sensible thing to do is pay the service charge as usual given that all ground rent and maintenance payments will be allotted on completion, so you will be reimbursed by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most management companies will not acknowledge the buyer unless the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

Harrogate Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Queries before Purchasing

What is the name of the managing agents? Does the lease include onerous restrictions?

I am searching for Harrogate conveyancing quotes online. Can I be assured that all the Harrogate practices that are identified on your website are on the lender conveyancing panel?

The law firms on our directory have advised us that they are on the lender panel and agreed to advise us to take down their listing in the event of removal off of the mortgage company panel. To date we have not been informed by either a lender or a member of the public that the data about a specific Harrogate firm being on the mortgage company conveyancing panel is incorrect.