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| Buying property

We deal with all types of property purchases, including leasehold purchases and buy-to-let investments. You can use our conveyancing app, which streamlines the administration process, and we will make sure that we let you know when we need information or documents from you.

The basic stages in dealing with a property purchase are as follows:

Securing a mortgage offer in principle

It is beneficial to ask your chosen lender for a mortgage offer in principle before you find a property to buy. They will carry out a preliminary credit check and let you know how much they will be prepared to offer you. This will help you work out how much you can pay for a property.

Having a mortgage offer in principle can also be helpful in persuading a seller to accept your offer, particularly if they are looking at more than one potential purchaser.

Instructing conveyancing solicitors

You can instruct solicitors early on in the process. If you would like us to represent you, we will prepare by sending you the forms we will need you to complete, verifying your identity as required by law and opening a file.

This means that as soon as you have an offer accepted, our details can be passed to the seller’s solicitor and they will be able to get the contract papers to us so that we can start work.

Ordering a survey

It is advisable to have a survey carried out if you are buying a property. While your lender will send a valuer to look at the property, this is unlikely to be an in-depth examination. A surveyor will be able to draw your attention to areas of concern and let you know how much any repairs or maintenance might cost.

You can have an in-depth structural survey carried out or a less detailed homebuyer’s report, depending on the age and condition of the property. A surveyor will be able to help you decide which is appropriate.

If the survey reveals a problem but you still want to go ahead with the purchase, you will be able to use the information to try and agree on an allowance in the price so that you can have the work carried out.

Pre-contract enquiries and searches

The seller’s solicitor will send us a contract package which will include a copy of the legal title to the property, property information, a fixtures and fittings list and other relevant documents.

We will go through everything in detail and go back to them with any questions we have. We will also apply for searches at this point. This is the main part of the conveyancing process, and it can take several weeks for everyone in the chain to secure all of the documentation they need.

You can finalise your mortgage application and once we have all of the information we need, along with your mortgage offer, we will go through everything with you, drawing your attention to any unusual points.

You will then be able to sign the contract and mortgage deed in readiness for exchange of contracts. We will need the cleared deposit from you, which is usually 10% of the purchase price. If you are also selling a property, we can use the deposit on your sale.

Exchanging contracts

We will discuss completion dates with you and once a date is agreed upon and everyone in the chain is ready, we will exchange contracts. This is when the purchase and completion date become legally binding.

Once completion has occurred, we will carry out the final checks and order your mortgage advance.

Completion

On the day of completion, we will send the balance of money to the other side and let you know when it has been received. The estate agent will then be able to release the keys to you once the seller has dropped them off.

In the days after completion, we will arrange for registration of your ownership and mortgage at the Land Registry.

| Selling property

It is often important to move a sale forward quickly, particularly if you are part of a chain. We have the experience to avoid delays wherever possible and our team members are used to working to meet tight deadlines.

You can ask us to represent you as soon as you decide to put your property on the market. This will give us the chance to do some of the initial work in preparation so that we are ready to send out the contract package as soon as you find a buyer.

We will make sure that we stay in contact with your buyer’s solicitor throughout the sale process, responding to their enquiries promptly and checking that they have everything they need from us.

| Transferring property

Transferring a property from joint names to your sole name or from your sole name to joint names with someone else has major legal implications. You need to make sure that your interests are protected and that you have independent legal advice.

We can make sure that you understand the options available to you and explain the relevant conveyancing law. We will deal with the change in names on the title deeds on your behalf, including the transfer of a property subject to a mortgage or a transfer combined with a remortgage.

We will register the change of ownership at the Land Registry and make sure that you have any other necessary documents in place, such as a deed of trust or a will. 

| Remortgaging property

If you are moving to a new lender, you will need a solicitor to carry out the transaction, as the mortgage company will want various checks carried out, including searches and investigation of the legal title to the property.

We know that it is often important to complete a remortgage quickly so that you can move to a more beneficial deal and if you ask us to deal with it on your behalf, we will work proactively to finalise matters promptly.

| Equity release

Having independent legal advice is a requirement of the equity release process. If you are considering taking out an equity release policy, we can give you the information you need and make sure that you understand the terms and conditions that you will be agreeing to.

For more information about our services, see our residential conveyancing solicitors page.