I am in a contract race with another prospective purchaser for a property in Northolt. What can I do to expedite matters?

First, If the seller is applying time constraints to complete we would recommend that your solicitor is familiar with the location as they will have local connections and intelligence. It is even conceivable that they would have handled previoushomes in the same neighbourhood. Therefore consider using a Northolt conveyancing lawyer. In addition, ensure that the lawyer is on the member panel. It is understood that 18% of Northolt conveyancing transactions are delayed or jeopardised after finding out that a purchaser’s conveyancer was not on their banks panel. In many cases this discovery resulted in the home move being delayed by almost three weeks. It is said that this issue affects in the region of 100,000 home moves annually. Many Northolt conveyancing practices can not act for certain banks so do check as early as possible.

When can the exchange of contracts happen for purchase conveyancing in Northolt and do I need to attend the solicitors office?

Where you are local to one of the conveyancing solicitors in Northolt you are welcome to come in to sign the paperwork. However, the law practices we work with offer countrywide coverage for conveyancing and give just as diligent and professional a job for you when communicating with you digitally. The executing of the contract is not the important part. Signing on the dotted line is necessary for the conveyancer to exchange contracts when the time is right, which is ordinarily shortly after signing. The procedure is nowadays normally dealt with by telephone and can be very rapid, although where an extended "chain" is in the mix, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in Northolt)to be in the office available at the end of the phone to exchange contracts.

How can we tell if a Northolt conveyancing solicitor on the Aldermore panel is any good?

When it comes to conveyancing in Northolt seeking recommendations is a sensible starting point. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one which is cheap as chips. We would always advise that you speak with the solicitor carrying out your transaction.

We were going to get a AIP from Leeds Building Society this week so we can work out what to offer on a property we like as otherwise we only have online calculators to go by (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Leeds Building Society recommend any Northolt solicitors on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel, or is it better to go independently?

You will need to appoint Northolt solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Leeds Building Society through the process.

I've read lots of mortgage guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Northolt solicitor - who is on the RBS conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?

RBS will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually RBS 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. You may wish to consider appointing your own Northolt surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.

My wife and I have a renovated Edwardian property in Northolt. Conveyancing lawyer acted for me and HSBC Bank. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are a couple of entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold with the exact same address. Is it worth asking HSBC Bank to clarify?

You should read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Northolt and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they buy they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with purchasers. You can also check the situation with your conveyancing solicitor who conducted the conveyancing.

All being well we will complete the sale of our £275,000 garden flat in Northolt on Wednesday in a week. The managing agents has quoted £336 for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and previous years service charge statements. Is the landlord entitled to charge an administration fee for a leasehold conveyance in Northolt?

Northolt conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes usually necessitates the purchaser’s solicitor submitting enquiries for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is under no legal obligation to respond to these enquiries most will be content to do so. They are at liberty to charge a reasonable charge for responding to questions or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average fee for the paperwork that you are referring to is over three hundred pounds, in some transactions it exceeds £800. The management information fee required by the landlord must be accompanied by a summary of entitlements and obligations in respect of administration charges, otherwise the charge is technically not due. In reality you have no choice but to pay whatever is demanded if you want to sell the property.

We have reached the end of our tether in negotiating a lease extension in Northolt. Can this matter be resolved via the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal?

Where there is a absentee landlord or where there is dispute 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 Leasehold Valuation Tribunal to assess the price payable.

An example of a Lease Extension case for a Northolt residence 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 was in relation to 1 flat. The unexpired lease term was 79 years.