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.
When should a pre-completion search be made in relation to the actual completion? I.E. Should this be done before the day of exchange / completion and what guidance in terms of timings to request this search should be adhered to by the solicitor in order to make sure the exchange and completion is not hampered in anyway and that the clients interest is adhered to?
National Conveyancing Protocol says that the searches should be done no later than 5 working days before completion, or immediately following exchange, if later. Strictly speaking the OS1/2 should not be done before exchange since at that point the buyer has no interest which he is entitled to protect though in practice it is often preferable to do the search immediately before exchange. The sear his only valid for 6 weeks so the conveyancer has to strike a balance between carrying it out early enough to allow time to resolve any issues revealed but late enough to ensure the matter can be completed and registered before expiry. The bankruptcy search is typically done immediately following exchange though it can be done before. It is valid for 3 weeks and must be valid on completion. There is a school of thought that says it should be done at the outset and repeated after exchange, though this would mean an extra fee of £2 per name for the client and consequently it is rarely done.