What’s included in the conveyancing process

Our conveyancing solicitors will:

• Make sure that the property title is sound and verify the ownership.
• Check if the property is freehold or leasehold and advise accordingly.
• Draw up a contract of sale and send it to the buyer’s solicitor.
• Check for restrictive covenants or rights of way that could affect your
• plans for the property.
• Check that buildings and alterations have the correct planning permission, licences and warranties.
• Check that there are no debts owing against a property, and if there are that they are released before the property is transferred to you.
• Carry out local authority searches to make sure if there are zoning restrictions or any debts due.
• Check if there is a lease, and if so, check the lease conditions.
• Arrange for additional property searches, depending on the circumstances. These might include checking previous land use, whether the land is prone to flooding, if there are planned railway or motorway developments, whether medieval laws still require you to contribute to the local church and so on.
• Check mortgage documents.
• Ensure the deposit has been paid.
• Exchange contracts for you which makes the deal legally binding.
• Lodge an interest in the property so that the property cannot be sold to another.
• Calculate the final figure to pay.
• Arrange for the title to be transferred to the new owner’s name.
• Pay Stamp Duty Tax on your behalf.
• Lodge the title deeds with the Land Registry.
• Send a copy of the deeds to your mortgage lender.
• If you are buying with the assistance of a mortgage, we charge an additional
• fee of £195, assuming the mortgage is being provided by a high street
• lender. This includes:
• Checking finances are in place to fund purchase and contact lender’s
• solicitors if needed
• Go through conditions of mortgage offer with you, including a report on
• mortgage

Additional fees may apply in instances that fall outside of the normal conveyancing transaction. Please see Potential Additional Fee section below.

Please note that for all new clients of the firm, we will conduct an electronic ID search for Anti Money Laundering compliance. The administrative fee for arranging these checks is £15.

If we are arranging the transfer of funds electronically, we will charge a fee for our time involved in arranging each transfer, for example sending completion money to your seller’s solicitors on completion, the cost of this and the amount we pay to the bank for the transfer is £25 per transfer.