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.
A planning search is not one of the standard conveyancing searches and is not required to be carried out by conveyancing lawyers to satisfy CML requirements however a planning search can be a very useful tool for property buyers when looking to find a property that suits their requirements. A planning search is useful where buyers would like to know more about the surrounding area as well as the property they are purchasing as part of the conveyancing process.
Whereas a local authority will only reveal information about the actual, property being purchased, a planning search will reveal information relating to surrounding properties up to a radius of 250m. In addition a planning search can reveal information about crime rates in the area, the performance of local schools and what services are available, which is information not generally revealed by the conveyancing process but which can be vitally important to purchasers.
If you are a purchaser, it makes sense to order a planning search if you are moving to an area which you do not know well, or if you have children and want to know about local schools or if crime rates are an important factor in your decision whether or not to purchase a property. You might even consider ordering the planning search before you instruct a survey.
If you are a conveyancing lawyer you should probably at least offer your client the option of a planning search and explain what it might reveal in order to ensure that your client is fully informed. A planning search is not currently considered a requirement to satisfy the CML requirement to carry out “all necessary searches and enquiries”.
A planning search will reveal information about the local area such as crime rates, performance of local schools and what local services are available. It will also reveal any planning applications relating land within a 250m radius of the subject property, going back to 1997, so if for example a major new development is planned which might alter the character of the area it would be revealed on a planning search but not on a local authority search.
A planning search will also reveal details of the local authority's planning policies for the area which can be an indicator of what types of development might be approved (or rejected) in future.
There are various companies which will supply planningl searches. We have partnered with a reputable specialist search company to make ordering a planning search easier, click link to order.