Before we begin any conveyancing work on your behalf, we will give you an estimate of the costs. We will also ask you to provide proof of your identity, as this is a requirement of most mortgage lenders. There are a number of parts to the conveyancing work involved in buying a property. Our step-by-step guide will take you through the process.
Visitors to this site may already be aware that the Government has suspended the requirement for sellers to provide a Home Information Pack (HIP) for all residential properties put on the market from 21st May 2010. However, an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) will still be required. If one is not already available for your property, it will be necessary to commission an EPC.
Obtaining the Deeds and Titles
To proceed with any conveyancing work on your behalf, we will need to obtain deeds and title to your property. If you have a mortgage, your deeds will be with your lender. You should give us details of your mortgage account as soon as possible to enable us to request them. We will obtain official copies of your title from the Land Registry.
Filling in Forms
We will ask you to complete a Seller's Property Information form and a Fixtures and Fittings form. You should take care completing these forms as they make up part of the pre-contract package which will be forwarded onto the buyer's solicitor. It is therefore vital that all the information you provide is accurate. If you have any problems completing these forms, we are happy to help you.
Drafting the Contract
We will then prepare the draft contract and forward it to the buyer's solicitors as part of the pre-contract package.
When we have forwarded the necessary documents to the buyer's solicitor, they will begin conducting various searches on the property. The buyer, or their lender, will also arrange for a survey to be carried out on the property. At this stage, we will, with your help, answer any further enquiries the buyer may have about the property.
Once we in a position to proceed further, we will ask you to come in and sign the contract. We will then be able to proceed to exchange of contracts. This will make the sale legally binding. It is only at this point that we will be able to set a date for completion.
There will generally be a gap of approximately two weeks between exchange of contracts and the completion date (the date when you must move out of the property). The buyer's solicitor will prepare a draft transfer deed and send it to us. This will enable the conveyance of the property to the buyer when the sale is complete. You will need to sign this once it has been checked. During this time between exchange and completion, we will also obtain a final mortgage statement from your lender, and the final account from your estate agent. This will enable us to prepare the final account for our conveyancing services and send you a statement.
The completion date is the date when you must move out of the property. It will be agreed between you and the buyer through your solicitors. If everything runs smoothly, this will normally be approximately two weeks after exchange of contracts. To avoid upset and disappointment, it is very important that you do not make any premature arrangements regarding the completion date as the legal paperwork may not be ready in time. Things like booking removal vans should be left until after exchange of contracts - this is the only time we can reasonably say that the paperwork will be in place on a given date.
When the sale is complete, we deduct all outstanding mortgage fees and payments, estate agent's fees and our costs from the proceeds. We then pay the balance to you.
Guides to Conveyancing: