Woodward Conveyancing

Conveyancing - Buying or Selling Property

Buying or selling a property can be a stressful time. Here at Woodward Solicitors, we have the knowledge and experience to make the process as easy and stress-free as possible.

Having established our conveyancing department, we are proud to announce that we have worked towards and been accepted onto the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS). CQS provides a recognised quality standard for residential conveyancing practices and establishes a level of credibility which allows us to work with the major lenders.

Our team will explain to process in plain English, ensuring that you are fully informed throughout the process. We also provide step by step guidance and assistance in completing the required protocol forms and help you to ensure that your property transaction goes smoothly.

We deal with a wide range of property transactions, including:

· Residential purchase
· Residential sale
· Transfer of equity
· Re-mortgaging
· Commercial property
· Probate sale or purchase
· Auction sale or purchase

At Woodward Solicitors, we also offer the following services:

· Simple and plain English
· Fixed fees
· Appointments to fit around your commitments
· Telephone appointments
· Home appointments

How much do we charge?

You can find full details of how we calculate our conveyancing charges by clicking here . For a quote specifically tailored to your case please just drop us an email and we can give you an exact quote.

Our charges are made up of:

1. our fees for the legal work;
2. ‘disbursements’ - disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to other people, such as Land Registry fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process; and
3. for property purchases, Stamp Duty Land Tax (see below).

Where VAT is referred to below please note that this will be charged at the applicable rate, which is currently 20%.

Our fees

Our fees depend upon the value of the property you are buying, selling or re-mortgaging andcan be viewed here:

Please note that VAT of 20% is also charged on all of our fees or legal work.

Disbursements

The ‘disbursements’ which you pay will depend upon whether you are buying or selling property or both, whether you are buying a freehold or leasehold property and the location and type of property concerned. Properties in certain locations for example need more searches and checks than others.

Normally all clients who are buying a ‘freehold’ property will need to pay the following disbursements:

• Search fees
• HM Land Registry fee
• Land Charges Search
• Land Registry Search

When selling a property you will ordinarily need to pay the following disbursements:

• Land Registry Office Copy Entries and Title Plan.

If the property is a ‘leasehold’ property then the disbursements will be more numerous, and details can be found in our price list, click here.

Stamp Duty Land Tax

If you are buying a property you will also need to pay stamp duty land tax. The amount which you need to pay to the government depends on the price of the property. You can calculate the amount you will need to pay by using HMRC's website (or if the property is located in Wales by using the Welsh Revenue Authority's website here.).

Other costs to consider?

If you have a mortgage on the property or have incurred an estate agent’s fee money we would also typically need to pay the money owed directly to your lender and agent as needed from the sale money we receive for you.

You should also be aware that if you are purchasing a leasehold property then ground rent and service charges are likely to apply throughout your ownership of the property. We will confirm the ground rent and the anticipated service charge as soon as this we receive this information.

How long will my house sale / purchase take?

How long it will take from your offer being accepted to completion will depend on a number of factors. The average process takes between 8 and 12 weeks.

It can be quicker or slower, depending on the parties in the ‘chain’. For example, if you are a first time buyer, purchasing a new build property with a mortgage in principle and the transaction goes smoothly it could take as little as 6 weeks. However, if you are buying a leasehold property that requires an extension of the lease, this can take significantly longer, between 3 and 6 months. In such, a situation additional charges would apply.

What legal work will you be doing for me?

The precise stages involved vary according to the circumstances. However typically in a property sale we need to do the following:

• Take your instructions and give you initial advice
• Receive and advise on sale contract documents where applicable
• Carry out searches on the property you are buying where appropriate
• Give you advice on all documents and information received
• Send final contract to you for signature
• Agree completion date (date from which you own the property)
• Exchange contracts and notify you that this has happened
• Complete the transaction

In a property purchase we need to do the following:

• Take your instructions and give you initial advice
• Check finances are in place to fund purchase where applicable and contact lender's solicitors if needed
• Carry out searches on the property you are buying where appropriate
• Obtain further planning documentation if required
• Make any necessary enquiries of seller's solicitor where applicable
• Give you advice on all documents and information received
• Go through conditions of mortgage offer with you
• Send final contract to you for signature
• Agree completion date (date from which you own the property)
• Exchange contracts and notify you that this has happened
• Arrange for all monies needed to be received from lender and you
• Complete purchase
• Deal with payment of Stamp Duty/Land Tax
• Deal with application for registration at Land Registry

If we are simply helping you to remortgage your property then we would generally speaking only need to:

• Take your instructions and give you initial advice
• Carry out searches on the property you are buying where appropriate
• Obtain further planning documentation if required
• Go through conditions of mortgage offer withyou.
• Send final documents to you for signature
• Apply for mortgage advance.
• Redeem any previous mortgages
• Deal with application for registration at the Land Registry.

It would not normally be necessary to undertake other work or incur other costs other than those described above. However, we would be very happy to provide you with a more tailored quote for all stages of your particular case once we know about your specific circumstances.

Who will be dealing with my matter?

Your conveyancing transaction will be handled by a trusted member of our experienced conveyancing team. We have a number of qualified lawyers in the team as well as experienced paralegals specialised in this area of law. Once we know who will be handling your case for you we will introduce you to them and provide you with full details of their background and qualifications. Full details of our team are available on our website including the types of work normally undertaken.

Regardless of who is working on your case the matter will be supervised by one of our Solicitors on the Board of Directors, namely Tim Wood or John Gibson-Scott.

Contact Woodward Solicitors

Simply obtain a quote here Purchase Quote / Sale Quote or contact us on
0345 340 0061, email at Conveyancing@woodwardsolicitors.co.uk or get in touch online.