Conveyancing Solicitors
Conveyancing & Property
Moving home is undoubtedly one of the most stressful things you’ll ever do and it’s little wonder given the emotional and financial investment you are making.
We are here to take care of all the conveyancing and property legalities so that you can concentrate on the practicalities of ensuring a smooth move to your dream home. Wherever you are on the property ladder we can help you to climb to the next rung.
We keep you up-to-date from start to finish, so you always know what to expect. No nasty surprises, no swamping you in unnecessary paperwork, just the very best legal advice delivered in plain English.
For an informal chat about how our conveyancing and property experts can support you, give me a call. I’d love to help you with your move.
Emma Millington
Conveyancing and Property Associate
Talk to us about:
- Buying a residential property
- Selling a residential property
- Leasehold property
- Transfer of equity
- Re-mortgaging your property
Buying and selling property is exciting, but we know that it can also be a stressful experience, which is why our conveyancing solicitors keep you informed of progress every step of the way and are always accessible if you have questions or need reassurance.
We even have our own Beswicks Legal app so that you can track progress with your transaction, receive alerts and updates, and view your documents securely.
Buying or selling
Once you have agreed a price, you will need to appoint an experienced residential property solicitor to take care of your conveyancing. Whether you are buying or selling in the UK or overseas, our property solicitors will make sure the process goes smoothly from start to completion.
Our transparent approach to charging provides you with a quote for all legal work with additional set charges for searches and fees clearly outlined.
Contact us for a quote.
Leasehold property
Leasehold means having an agreement with a landlord specifying how many years you’ll own your property before ownership returns to the landlord.
If you have a leasehold property with less than 80 years remaining, extending the period of your lease is likely to increase the value of your property and make it easier to sell.
Transferring ownership of your property
If you and your partner are separating or if you want a family member to have a share of your home, you might need to change the legal ownership of your property.
Where part-ownership of a property changes but one or more of the original owners remain, this is known as transfer of equity. A solicitor can guide you through this legal process.
Re-mortgaging your property
Re-mortgaging is a popular way to reduce your monthly repayments or release some of the equity in your home. We can handle the legal aspects of your re-mortgage, dealing with all the paperwork to transfer the funds once your re-mortgage is complete.
Sometimes mortgage lenders encourage you to use their nominated legal representative, but be aware that this person is acting for your mortgage lender, not you.
What are the steps in the conveyancing process for a buyer?
Conveyancing is the legal transfer of home ownership from seller to buyer. It begins when your offer on a property is accepted and finishes when you receive the keys.
It is important to appoint a fully-qualified, experienced conveyancing and property solicitor as they will have the knowledge and experience to deal with your transaction.
Step one
When you instruct Beswicks’ conveyancing team, the first thing we will do is contact your seller’s solicitor to let them know that we are acting for you and to request a copy of the draft contract and other important documents.
Step two
We examine the contract and supporting documents and order your searches and then go back to the other party’s solicitor with any questions that we might have.
Step three
If you need a mortgage, you now need to ensure this is in place. When your mortgage is approved your mortgage lender will send a copy of the mortgage offer to us so that we can go through their conditions to make sure they are complied with.
Your lender will arrange a mortgage valuation, which is for their purposes only to make sure the property is worth the same or more than the sum you are borrowing. It is always a good idea to carry out a survey of your own to make sure you have a complete picture of the condition of the property that you are purchasing.
Step four
Once all questions have been answered and search results and mortgage offer received we will invite you into the office to sign the contract papers. Alternatively, we can post or email the papers to you for signing. We will also provide a comprehensive report outlining all pertinent points that you need to be aware of.
Once you have signed your papers and a completion (moving date) is agreed we will seek your authority to exchange contracts and legally commit you to your purchase. Exchanging contracts is actually a telephone conversation between the seller and buyer’s solicitor and you pay a 10% deposit when the contracts are exchanged.
We then request your mortgage advance from your mortgage lender to ensure we receive it in time for you to complete your purchase. You need to place your buildings insurance on risk from the date contracts are exchanged unless you are buying a newly built property from the developer.
Step five
On the completion date we send the purchase monies to the seller’s solicitor and when they acknowledge receipt your purchase is complete.
The solicitors acting for the seller will authorise the estate agents to release the keys to you. You can then collect the keys from the estate agent and begin the process of moving in.
Typically, the whole process takes 10-12 weeks.
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Your questions... answered
How long does completion of conveyancing take?
A usual conveyancing transaction takes around eight to 12 weeks on average.
At what point do I need a solicitor when buying or selling a house?
Once you have agreed a price, you will need to appoint an experienced resid
Do I need a solicitor to re-mortgage my home?
You will need a solicitor to handle the legal aspects of your re-mortgage,
What’s the difference between freehold and leasehold?
The freeholder of a property owns the property and the land it is built on