Residential Conveyancing Explained - What do Residential Conveyancers do?

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The residential conveyancing process can seem quite complicated, so we've prepared a quick quide to explain what happens at each stage of your conveyancing matter. We've also included a quick conveyancing quote form to the right, so if you're looking for a free, no-obligation conveyancing quote, just fill out the form.

Residential Conveyancing: Sale

Your residential conveyancing specialist will:

1. Once you are satisfied that the residential conveyancing quote information we have provided you with is satisfactory and you have also instructed us to carry out your conveyancing, you will be assigned to a specialist residential property solicitor or residential conveyancer who will look after your affairs. If required, we can arrange for an Energy Performance Certificate and obtain a personal local authority search along with an official drainage search. These are all completed online to make things faster. You will then be asked to complete a Seller's Property Information form and a Fixtures & Fittings list. If the property is leasehold, there will be an additional form for you to complete. If you provide us with your email address, we can send online versions of the forms to you in order to help speed up the conveyancing service.
   
   
2. The draft contract will be prepared and sent to the buyer's solicitors (again online where possible), who will then either suggest amendments to the contract or approve it. He may also carry out various additional searches and raise any enquiries about the property. With your help, we will answer any additional enquiries the buyer may have.
   
   
3. Once everyone is ready, the contract is signed. We can then proceed to exchange of contracts. At this stage the sale becomes legally binding. The buyer's solicitors will then send a draft transfer deed to us so that the property can be conveyed to the buyer on completion of the house sale.
   
   
4. We will approve the transfer deed and ask you to sign it. We will also request any mortgage repayment figure and prepare the final accounts.
   
   
5. On the completion date we will receive the balance of the sale price, in return for which we will hand over the title deeds to the buyer's solicitors which nowadays simply consists of the signed transfer deed.
   
   
6. We will arrange for any existing mortgage to be repaid out of the sale proceeds, collect our legal fees, pay any estate agents (where appropriate) and refund any surplus monies to you. If you are buying another property, any surplus funds will be transferred to your purchase. This completes the conveyancing service – until the next time, when we hope you will return to us!

Residential Conveyancing: Purchase

Your residential conveyancing specialist will:

1. Once you are satisfied that the residential conveyancing quote we have provided you with is satisfactory and you have also instructed us to carry out your conveyancing, you will be assigned to a specialist residential property solicitor or residential conveyancer who will look after your affairs. We will then request the pre-contract package from the seller's solicitor. Following receipt of this, we will suggest amendments to the contract or approve it, check the legal title to the property and raise any enquiries Please note that if you are obtaining a mortgage, your lender may require us to carry out some additional searches (at your expense). We will apply for these online (where appropriate) in order to make the conveyancing service faster.
   
   
2. Once your mortgage offer is available from your lender, we will take note of any special instructions from them. These could relate to a number of issues, for example, the lender may wish to retain advance monies for work required to the property. Please note that a copy of the mortgage offer will be sent to you at the same time as us.
   
   
3. Once we are satisfied with everything we will prepare a legal report on the property you are buying and send it to you.
   
   
4. You will then be asked to sign the contract, mortgage deed and stamp duty land transaction return. You will also be asked to provide a deposit, typically 10% of the purchase price of the property. More often than not, this is the time when you should put in place any buildings insurance as the risk will pass to you. We can then exchange contracts with the seller's solicitor. The purchase is now legally binding.
   
   
5. Once contracts have been exchanged we can prepare the final accounts and request the mortgage advance (where applicable).
   
   
6. Final searches are then made against the property and you.
   
   
7. On the completion date, we will hand over the balance of the funds and receive in return the title deeds which nowadays will be the transfer deed from the seller's solicitors.
   
   
8. If applicable, stamp duty is paid and return submitted online and we will arrange to register the transfer at the Land Registry. Once the title is registered we will arrange for the information to be sent to your lender. Title deeds are no longer issued as records are now maintained online at the Land Registry's computer! This completes the conveyancing service – until you move again, when we hope you will return to us!
   

Residential Conveyancing: Remortgage

Your residential conveyancing specialist will:

1. Once you are satisfied that the fixed fee remortgage quote information we have provided you with is satisfactory and you have also instructed us, you will be assigned to a specialist residential property solicitor or residential conveyancer who will look after your affairs. We will request official copies of your title online from Land Registry and also request a repayment figure to find out how much is still owed on your existing mortgage.
   
   
2. We will arrange for your mortgage offer and title documentation to be checked once it is received from your lender.
   
   
3. In some cases it may be necessary to carry out searches against the property (this depends upon the lender). At the very least we will need to put in place indemnity insurance to protect the lender and you.
   
   
4. We will forward the mortgage deed to you for signature and then agree a completion date with you.
   
   
5. Once the documentation is returned to us together with any balance payable (if applicable) we can arrange the completion.
   
   
6. On the completion date we will receive the mortgage advance and we will repay any existing loans secured on the property.
   
   
7. We will arrange to register the new mortgage at the Land Registry. Once the title is registered we will send the information to your lender. This completes the conveyancing service – until you decide to switch your lender again, when we hope you will return to us!