Conveyancing Services
We aim to get our clients moved quickly and ensure that we are thorough and efficient
It’s often said that moving house is the most stressful thing you can experience.
What we hope to do is ensure that at least the legal aspect of moving is not a source of stress.
We aim to get our clients moved quickly and ensure that we are thorough and efficient and leave our clients feeling happy and excited about their house move.
Our fees are very competitive and when we give an estimate of charges we are utterly clear and comprehensive and don’t include ‘add on’s’ to our bills that can come as a nasty surprise at the end of your move.
We know that our clients our happy with our fees and the service they receive… our collection of ‘thank you’ cards and considerable repeat business from our existing clients are testament to that.
The conveyancing services that we offer are residential property sales, purchases, equity transfers and re-mortgages.
(Please see fees page for details)
The length of time it takes to complete a conveyancing transaction will vary from case to case and is not just down to us given that every sale or purchase will involve at least one other party plus we will often be reliant on search providers and mortgage lenders.
The market can also be affected by economic trends and political interventions like stamp duty holidays and reliefs. Where there are no complications or delays, a typical house sale or purchase should take 8 to 14 weeks.
We have in the past had transactions that have complete much quicker but also cases that have taken longer for reasons outside of our control.
Conveyancing Process
- Sale agreed – buyer and seller appoint a solicitor and the estate agents send a memorandum of sale to everyone – buyer’s solicitors and seller’s solicitors then know who is acting for the other party and this gets things started. Each solicitor will write to their client with forms and letters. Buyer and seller then respond their solicitor with the paperwork and ID requested.
- Armed with paperwork provided by their client, the seller’s solicitor will download title register and plan from the Land Registry , combine it with paperwork provided by the seller and will send a draft contract with a package of supporting documents to the buyer’s solicitors.
- The buyers solicitors will then need to look through the paperwork provided and consider raising enquiries with the seller’s solicitors, they may refer paperwork at this stage to their client and searches will commence subject in some cases as to whether a mortgage offer has been received. The buyer will arrange a survey .
- The seller’s solicitors will start work on answering the enquiries – assistance from the seller is usually required as there will often be enquiries that only they can answer.
- When… and only when the buyer’s solicitors have received
- Mortgage offer (if relevant)
- Satisfactory search results, replies to ALL enquiries they start to discuss dates. It is only sensible to discuss possible dates once all of the above has been done. You would never ask a builder to construct a wall and ask them at the outset how long it will take. You would never order a meal in a restaurant and ask the chef along the way when the food will be ready. We have to be allowed to do the work we are contracted to do. Obviously, you have to make plans to move, consider taking time off work, and book removals but if you attempt to do that before the process is compete then it makes for a stressful and blame game transaction. Conveyances are much less stressful when dates are agreed once everyone is ready.
- Both solicitors will send out contact and any other paperwork that needs to be signed once enquiries and searches have been completed . They will be looking then to agree a timescale for exchanging contracts and setting a date for completion with the solicitors for the other party and will engage with their clients to see what dates are suitable for them.
- Contracts are exchanged once everyone is ready – in order to do this, paperwork needs to have been signed, funds ordered and confirmed for release etc.
- Completion is the date that you move and then the solicitors deal with the transfer of paperwork, submit stamp duty returns and register the change of ownership with the Land Registry.
- In respect of all of the above stages, the time for each step will vary from case to case usually a few days or a week or two depending of various factors such as search results and the how complicated the title is.
- In the case of re-mortgages, the time scales are less . We check the title once we get your mortgage offer and will ask you questions about the property before we arrange for you to sign and draw down mortgage funds – the time to complete a re-mortgage is typically 6 to 8 weeks.
The content of this website is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
C Wilson Solicitors makes no representations or warranties as to the accuracy or completeness of the content of this website.
The reader acknowledges that any reliance on material found on this website will be at their own risk and you should contact the solicitor directly if you need legal assistance.
C Wilson Solicitors is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority SRA number 400836