Whether you're a layman looking to understand your own transaction or a lawyer needing assistance with a client's conveyancing our step by step sale and purchase guides will lead you through the process while our mini guides will break the whole thing into manageable chunks and give a deep insight into the key issues and stages. Leasehold, freehold, unregistered, registered – we've got it all covered.
Need help with a remortgage or transfer of equity / deed of gift? Our guides will walk you through the process and highlight some of the common pitfalls. Mortgages and transfers can be very simple procedures but complex issues can sometimes arise and mistakes are easily made. These guides will help you deal with them.
So you want to have a go at your own conveyancing? First you should read about the risks, then if you're still happy to proceed, our guides will take you through each stage of the process telling you what to look out for and helping you avoid falling into expensive traps. Our subscription service will give you access to all of the documents you should need for your conveyancing and we can even supply you with the Land Registry Official Copies you'll need. Our general guides will cover all the obstacles you are likely to face and offer a practical solution. Have a look at our sale and purchase guides too.
A big part of the conveyancing process is the conveyancing searches. This section tells you all about them. What they are, how and when to order them and how to interpret the results. Each search has its own guide and you'll see they are separated into Standard (should be done in every case), Regional (area specific) and Optional (not essential but often useful tools for the would be purchaser). All buyers should beware that when you buy a property, the law assumes that you have seen the information that would have been revealed by searches whether or not you have actually carried them out, so you buy the property subject to the results.
Using a conveyancer to handle your conveyancing will greatly reduce the risk to you and sometimes, particularly if you are taking out a new mortgage, you will have no choice but to instruct a conveyancer. The good news is it doesn't have to break the bank. Get a free, instant quote here. We can also help with quick easy quotes for other moving related services.
Are you looking for the documents you'll need for your conveyancing transaction? Or official copies of the title or other documents from Land Registry. We can help you. Follow the links below.
Hello,
would you be able to advise please, I was planning to purchase a house, unfortunately, I have recently received an email from our solicitor that "We have ascertained from our enquiries that the title to the property is defective due to lack of Planning Permission in relation to the extension."
and I was offered insurance to cover potential losses.
my worry is that it is an extensive double story nearly extension nearly half of the original house size, build on the old detached garage, the extension was build approx in 2011.
should I back from the transaction, it took us nearly 6 months to get to this stage and I am worried I am taking too greater risk, please advise.
kind regards,
Pawel
Planning permission and building regulations are a common area of contention when it comes to buying and selling, as many people carry out home improvements without considering the regulatory requirements.
I would advise speaking to your solicitor in detail about this issue; this is after all what you are paying them for. However, where a property is missing planning permissions most seller's offer "lack of Planning Permission indemnity" insurance to address the issue. However, it is important to check what this policy covers as they often only cover enforcement proceedings for non-compliance with planning, brought by local authorities. If your concern is the structural integrity check the extent of the policy's cover.
You can ask the seller's to apply for retrospective planning permission. However, if you go down this route you cannot later decide "this is taking too long let's just get the indemnity policy", because once you tell the council you are missing planning permission you have notified them of the defect and the indemnity policy quote would then be invalidated.
If your concern is the structural integrity of the works you could ask the sellers to both pay for the indemnity policy to protect against council enforcement action but also ask them to pay for a structural engineer to inspect the extension and draft a report confirming whether or not they are sound.
Your solicitor will be able to advise you of your options in more detail but should you need future representation please contact Notary Express: www.notaryexpress.co.uk