Our residential property lawyers are experts in their field and boast many years' experience handling our clients' matters. Our clients range from first time buyers and individuals managing their own homes and additional buy-to-let properties through to commercial landlords with large property portfolios.
Whether you are buying, selling or rearranging your property affairs our lawyers are able to advise on all aspects of the conveyancing process. We understand that dealing with your home can be a stressful experience and we handle our clients' matters with real care.
Our lawyers provide a one to one, personal service; we are on hand to answer all of your questions and guide you smoothly through the conveyancing process. We are able to assist with:
- First time purchases
- Large chain conveyances with or without the assistance of a mortgage
- Sales and purchases of leasehold and freehold titles
- Remortgages
- Transfers of equity
- Sales and purchases on behalf of multiple parties buying as joint tenants or tenants in common
- New build developments
Purchase Overview
Stage 1:
Initial Instructions from you
We will send you an estimate of the legal costs and disbursements and some initial forms about you and your transaction to complete. We request that you provide copies of your ID documents and that you pay a sum of monies on account for searches. Once we have received your completed forms, ID documents and funds on account we can commence the legal work. You should contact the selling agent to let them have our details and they will issue a memorandum of sale accordingly. You should also arrange any.
Stage 2:
Draft Contract
Once we are fully instructed, we will request the draft contract papers from the Seller’s solicitor and on receipt of the papers we will request the usual conveyancing searches. The searches can take approximately 2 to 3 weeks to be returned to us.
Stage 3:
Additional Enquiries
Whilst awaiting the search results, we will review the draft contract papers and if there are any gaps in the information provided, or any matters that require further investigation, we shall raise additional enquiries with the Seller’s solicitor. The Seller’s solicitor may need to refer the enquiries to their client or managing agents/landlord before providing full replies. This part of the transaction can take approximately 2 to 3 weeks depending on the number of enquiries raised.
Stage 4:
Reporting to you before exchange
Once the Seller’s solicitor has replied to all enquiries in full, we will send you a report on title together with the legal documents for signing and mortgage deed (if applicable). If you are happy to exchange contracts, we shall request that you transfer the 10% deposit when returning your signed documents.
Stage 5:
Exchange of contracts
When we are in receipt of your signed documents and deposit, we will contact the Seller’s solicitor to carry out the exchange of contracts. The transaction becomes legally binding on exchange of contracts and the completion date is fixed. We will request your mortgage advance (if applicable) and send you a completion statement confirming the balance due from you to complete and request that you send funds in good time for completion.
Stage 6:
Completion
On the completion date We transfer the purchase monies to the Seller’s solicitor who, upon receipt of funds, will authorise the estate agent to release the keys to you. We will contact you to let you know once completion has taken place so that you can arrange the collection of keys with the estate agent. There is no fixed time for completion but often it is around midday to 1pm.
Hot Tip:
Pack your kettle last so it is the first thing you can unpack after moving in. You can enjoy a hot brew whilst thinking about unpacking the rest of your items. It doesn’t hurt to have biscuits too!
Hopefully this overview helps with your understanding of the process. There are many factors out of our control so any timescales referred to are estimates only, actual timescales will vary from transaction to transaction. Please do not panic if you have not heard from us for a week or two during stages 2 and 3, your transaction is still getting our full attention and we will update you as soon as we have any updates.
Purchase Overview PDF
Sale Overview
Stage 1:
Initial Instructions from you
We will send you an estimate of the legal costs and disbursements as well as providing various property forms for you to complete and return. We will request that you provide copies of your ID documents and pay a sum of monies on account for disbursements. Once we have received your completed forms, ID documents and funds on account we can commence the legal work. You should contact your estate agent to let them have our details and they will issue a memorandum of sale accordingly.
Stage 2:
Draft Contract
Once we are fully instructed, we will obtain up to date copies of the Land Registry entries (if the property is registered) and prepare the first draft of the contract for approval by the buyer’s solicitor. We will also request initial redemption statements from your mortgage lenders (if any).
Stage 3:
Additional Enquiries
After the draft contract has been issued, the buyer’s solicitor will apply for searches and review the documents. If they have any queries about the contract, property forms and searches they will contact us. It may be necessary to refer some of the enquiries requiring personal knowledge of the property. This stage can take approximately 1 to 3 weeks depending on how long the searches take and how quickly we receive your replies to enquiries.
Stage 4:
Reporting to you before exchange
Once the buyer’s solicitor has approved the legal documents we will report to you with the documents for signing and returning ahead of exchange.
Stage 5:
Exchange of contracts
When we have received your signed documents, we can agree a completion date with the chain and carry out the exchange of contracts when the completion date becomes legally binding. We advise that you do not make any firm arrangements for completion until exchange of contracts has taken place.
Stage 6:
Completion
The buyer’s solicitor sends us the completion monies and you are required to vacate the property (usually by 1pm) and leave all keys with the estate agent. We will redeem any outstanding mortgages and settle all fees from the sale on your behalf. We will send the balance of the net proceeds of sale to your nominated bank account in accordance with the completion statement we send you shortly after exchange.
Sale Overview PDF
Contact Us
Call our head office in Welling on 020 8301 0808 or contact us for a consultation.
