It’s important to understand what exactly a conveyancing solicitor can do for you when you either buy or sell a property. The process of selling or buying a property is actually known as conveyancing, and the complexity of the process can surprise even the most experienced homebuyers. Conveyancing involves all of the legal aspects of transferring ownership of a property from one person to another; usually it takes around eight weeks and involves a wide range of stages.
Many buyers and sellers are unsure of what benefit working with a conveyancing solicitor can offer, and are unsure whether it’s worth the additional cost. However, the stages of conveyancing are complex at times and require a strong legal knowledge to effectively navigate through, which is where the assistance of a conveyancing solicitor can be vital.
Now let’s look at what a conveyancing solicitor should do to help make the process as simple and free of stress as possible.
Examine the draft contact and support documents
One of the initial parts of the conveyancing process involves the examination of the draft contract and supporting documents, and determining what enquiries need to be raised with the seller’s solicitor. A conveyancing solicitor can help with this key aspect of property conveyancing, ensuring that any queries or concerns are picked up and dealt with.
Undertake a set of legal searches about the property
Your conveyancing solicitor can also help to broaden your knowledge in regards to the property and its history. There are plenty of things that you may not know about the property simply by viewing it or even by getting a property survey completed. However, a conveyancing lawyer can undertake a set of legal searches to ensure that there are no other facts that you should be aware of. To complete these searches, your solicitor can utilise a number of key legal resources, including:
- Local authority searches
- Checking the ‘title register’ and ‘title plan’ at the Land Registry
- Checking floor risk
- Doing water authority searches
- Looking at Chancel repair searches
- Doing an environmental search
- Undertaking location-specific searches
Check the conditions of your mortgage
Another area in which a conveyancing solicitor can help you is when it comes to the conditions of your mortgage. Your solicitor will receive a copy of your mortgage and the associated conditions, allowing them to go through these and ensure that each aspect of the mortgage agreement is in order. Before you are able to sign the contract, your solicitor will need to ensure that a number of key areas are properly covered within the contract and that nothing has been amended without you being made aware of the changes.
Ensure the contracts are correct
Since seeing the original contract draft at the start of the conveyancing process, your solicitor should be in constant contact with you about the terms of the agreement and what is covered. Your solicitor can help you to ensure that your property’s contract is correct and meets the terms that you expected it to, making sure that the sale is fair and legal. If you are buying or selling a property, the Bond Adams Conveyancing solicitors in Leicester are here to assist you in with your property law needs – we’ll ensure the process is smooth and hassle-free for you.