Conveyancing in Harrogate Q & As

Transport and public service information if you’re buying or selling residential property in Harrogate

• By road: Harrogate is served by the A1(M), A59 and A658.
• By rail: The nearest train station is Harrogate.
• By air: Leeds Bradford Airport is 12 miles from Harrogate.
• Hospital: BMI The Duchy, Queen’s Road, Harrogate, HG2 0HF.
• Council: Harrogate Borough Council.
• Attractions: Royal Pump Room, Knaresborough Castle, Mother Shipton’s Cave, Studley Royal Park, RHS Garden Harlow Carr, and Ripley Castle.

We want to own a new-build flat in Harrogate, and are looking for a cheap solicitor, because we are on a limited budget. Can Homeward Legal help?

Home-buyers and -sellers should be aware that several firms advertising so-called cheap conveyancing are actually providing estimates, to which they cannot be held. Extra costs are often hiding in the solicitor's terms of engagement and these need to be fair and clear. Homeward Legal never hide any costs, and our quotes offer a clear statement of your legal fees for a standard conveyancing transaction. Try our quote calculator, or call our team of conveyancing experts on 0800 038 6699 to discuss your needs.

I am intending to buy a converted chapel in the parish of Leake with Nether Silton. Is a chancel search necessary?

Whether you are buying a home in the Harrogate area or elsewhere in the county, the property solicitor could advise that a chancel search is taken out. Chancel repair has the potential to be charged on owners of a home where church councils may have spared previous owners or tenants. For property in the parish of Leake with Nether Silton, it is not safe to rely on the historical behaviour of the parish council alone as a guide. As part of Homeward Legal’s conveyancing, a chancel search will be performed, with your appointed solicitor advising on whether to take out appropriate insurance. Give our team of conveyancing experts a call on 0800 038 6699 for a fixed-fee quote and discuss any concerns you might have.

Is obtaining the landlord's consent to assignment of lease passed on at cost?

Whether you are buying a home in the Harrogate area or elsewhere in the county, the property solicitor could advise that a chancel search is taken out. Chancel repair has the potential to be charged on owners of a home where church councils may have spared previous owners or tenants. For property in the parish of Leake with Nether Silton, it is not safe to rely on the historical behaviour of the parish council alone as a guide. As part of Homeward Legal’s conveyancing, a chancel search will be performed, with your appointed solicitor advising on whether to take out appropriate insurance. Give our team of conveyancing experts a call on 0800 038 6699 for a fixed-fee quote and discuss any concerns you might have.

Is obtaining the landlord's consent to assignment of lease passed on at cost?

All fees and disbursements ought to be identified transparently on a quote for your conveyancing, with any possible extra costs clearly listed. This cost is a fee not a disbursement and it should be clearly included in your quote. Homeward Legal’s conveyancing quotes make all costs transparent. Use the online quote calculator to identify your fixed-fee quote.

Will my assigned solicitor tell me about the cost of council tax on a Band D building in Harrogate prior to exchange?

As part of the conveyancing process, your property solicitor will speak to Harrogate Council to ascertain the current applicable council tax rates, which will subsequently be added to the title report that you will receive. Correct charges for properties in Harrogate are set out online at the Harrogate Council website (see the public service information section of these FAQs). For the period 2016/2017, Harrogate’s council tax charges are as follows:

• Band A - £1,100.45
• Band B - £1,283.86
• Band C - £1,467.26
• Band D - £1,650.67
• Band E - £2,017.48
• Band F - £2,384.29
• Band G - £2,751.12
• Band H - £3,301.34

Will I need a building surveyor to review this property purchase in Harrogate?

Homeward Legal recommend that all purchasers book a building survey with a member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, since checking out the state of the property and any problems arising does not form part of the conveyancing process. There is a range of problems that can have a major negative impact on a property (e.g. cracked roof tiles, or rising damp), which will only be highlighted in the survey.

Are there many mortgage lenders with branches in Harrogate?

Homeward Legal have a long association with the majority of lenders financing the property purchases of Harrogate buyers. Lenders and mortgage specialists in Harrogate include:

• Leeds Building Society, 12 Oxford Street, Harrogate, HG1 1PU
• AAA Mortgages Ltd., 103 Harlow Crescent, Harrogate, HG2 0AL
• Complete Mortgages Harrogate, Plane Trees, Harrogate, HG3 2LB

Might the conveyancing costs have any extra charges?

Homeward Legal never hide any extra costs for any reason. Some solicitors only estimate conveyancing costs, which they will not be required to adhere to. Our quotes a transparent and all costs and fees are clearly laid out so that you know what you will be paying and what for. Use the conveyancing quote calculator, or give our conveyancing experts a call on 0800 038 6699 to talk about getting a fixed-fee quote.

Do you advise taking precautions to bypass paying out for stamp duty land tax (SDLT)?

SDLT must be paid for home purchases priced at over 125,000. Homeward Legal does not recommend any form of stamp duty reduction, since such schemes are expensive and unreliable. The upshot of the failure of any such scheme is that you will be liable to pay a penalty of up to 100% of the outstanding duty.