What Services Do Conveyance Solicitors Offer?

Conveyancing is the legal work that moves the ownership of property from one person to another. It is possible, in theory, to do it yourself; it is rarely wise. Buying or selling a home involves more money than most of us handle at any other moment in life, and a conveyancing solicitor exists to see that the intricate details are right before you are committed. At Trent Law our experienced team handles every stage, and this short guide explains what that actually involves.

Buying, and the mortgage

On a purchase, your solicitor obtains the title from the seller's solicitors, investigates it, raises searches and enquiries, liaises with your mortgage lender, and arranges the exchange of contracts that makes the transaction binding. The investigation is the quiet heart of the work: checking building work and planning matters in the area, consulting bodies such as the Environment Agency, and uncovering the problems you would not think to look for, whether a sewer running beneath the property that the water company must be able to reach, or a lease with fewer years left than the price assumed. Far better to discover these things before completion than after. Once the transaction completes, your solicitor registers you at HM Land Registry as the new owner.

Remortgaging

Conveyancing also covers the legal work of moving from one lender to another, whether you are chasing a better rate, borrowing more or responding to changed circumstances. Your solicitor reviews the existing mortgage, deals with the valuation requirements and any leasehold points, and sees the new charge safely registered, which considerably improves the prospect of the remortgage completing without drama.

Selling

On a sale, the work runs in the opposite direction: your solicitor drafts the contract and assembles the title and property documents for the buyer's solicitor, answers the enquiries that inevitably follow, and investigates anything that cannot be evidenced at once. Replies to enquiries are where sales most often slow down, and where an experienced hand pays for itself. The seller's obligation is to give the buyer proper information, and doing that promptly and accurately is what keeps a chain moving.

Residential and commercial

The residential and commercial processes look alike from a distance and differ considerably up close. Residential clients are often new to property and need the jargon translated along with the work done; commercial transactions bring their own layers of planning, environmental and tax considerations. We handle both, and we match the solicitor to the transaction.

About the author: Dr Aamir Nawaz, LLB (Hons), LLM, PhD, Solicitor, Barrister (np) and Notary Public.