The housing market in West Harrow is heating up. What can be done to accelerate the legal process?

First, If the seller is applying a tight deadline for your conveyancing it is advisable to make sure that your solicitor is familiar with the area as they will have local relationships and insight. It is possible that they would have conducted otherhouses in the same street. You would be best advised to use a West Harrow conveyancing lawyer. In addition, ensure that the lawyer is on the member panel. It is understood that just under twenty per cent of West Harrow conveyancing transactions are frustrated or jeopardised after discovering a buyer’s lawyer was not on their mortgage lender’s panel. In many cases this discovery resulted in the legal transfer of property being held up by as much as three weeks. It is said that this issue impacts in the region of 100,000 home sales every year. Most West Harrow conveyancing firms can not act for certain banks so do check at the outset.

I am assisting my mother sell her flat in West Harrow. Will the solicitor commission the energy performance certificate or do I organise this?

Following the demise of Home Information Packs, EPC’s was maintained a mandatory element of moving property. An energy performance certificate must be commissioned before the property is advertised. It is not a task that conveyancers ordinarily organise. Where you are instructing a West Harrow conveyancing practitioner they may help arrange energy performance certificates given their contacts with long established West Harrow accredited person

My partner and I have organised the release of further funds on our mortgage from Bank of Ireland as we intend to conduct alterations to our home in West Harrow. Do we need to choose a bricks and mortar West Harrow solicitor on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel to handle the legals?

Bank of Ireland do not ordinarily require a member of their approved list of lawyers to deal with the formalities. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Bank of Ireland list.

I had an offer accepted on a property in West Harrow on 17/10/2025, valuation was booked five days later, all came back fine. Conveyancer retained, so all that was missing was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to RBS and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the RBS conveyancing panel. Are RBS entitled to hold back the Mortgage pending the lawyer being on the approved list?

Mortgage companies tend not to not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for RBS to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the RBS conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.

I am purchasing my first flat in West Harrow benefiting from help to buy. The developers refused to reduce the amount so I negotiated 6k of additionals instead. The property agent told me not disclose to my lawyer about this side-deal as it will affect my mortgage with Nationwide Building Society. Is this normal?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

How easy is it to use the search tool to locate a conveyancing practitioner in West Harrow on the panel for my lender?

First pick a lender such as Santander, The Royal Bank of Scotland or Clydesdale then specify your location e.g. West Harrow. Conveyancing firms in West Harrow and further afield should be listed.

My partner has urged me to use his conveyancers in West Harrow. Do I follow his advice?

There are no two ways about it it’s preferable to select a conveyancing practitioner is to seek feedback from friends or family who have actually experience in using the conveyancer that you are considering.