Services - Conveyancing

Residential and Commercial

What does conveyancing involve?
Buying or selling a home can be a daunting process, no matter what type of transaction’s involved. There’s a lot of legal work to be done that absolutely must be completed by a professional. Failing to carry out the proper steps in time could be a costly mistake and potentially even lead to the transaction or chain falling through.

Our conveyancing solicitors here at Grand & Machyle Solicitors can help with:

• Drafting contracts. At the heart of any property transaction is the contract, which lays out the terms and conditions of the sale which will be agreed upon by both buyer and seller. An experienced conveyancing solicitor is needed to draft such a contract, as well as checking it thoroughly on the buyer’s side. There may also need to be negotiation and compromise on the terms of the contract before an exchange of contracts can take place.
  
  
• Conducting searches and checks. If you’re purchasing a property, you’ll need a trained legal professional to conduct certain searches and checks on your behalf. These include Local Authority searches which investigate the property’s boundaries, rights of way, planning constraints or permissions and any disputes. Other searches include environmental, water, drainage and land charges, as well as any other checks you may wish to have carried out.
   
• Property surveys. A conveyancer can advise on valuation surveys, homebuyers reports and full structural surveys that may need to be carried out on a property you plan to purchase.
   
• Exchanging contracts. When everyone’s happy with the terms of the contract, conveyancing solicitors on both sides will set a date to exchange contracts. On this date, both parties are committed to the transaction.
   
• Handling completion day. This is one of the most important dates of any property transaction, when the property purchase is completed. Between the date of exchanging contracts and completing, a solicitor can help with any last financial checks and set the date for completion. On this crucial day, the services of a solicitor are essential as everything needs to happen at exactly the right time. Your conveyancer can handle the transfer of funds to pay the balance of the purchase price and, once the keys have been handed over, register the purchase with the Land Registry on your behalf. They can also arrange for stamp duty (if applicable) to be paid.

Ultimately, your conveyancing solicitor acts as your legal representative at all stages of the transaction. Most people underestimate the amount of back and forth involved in buying or selling property, from raising and answering queries to negotiating on important contract terms. A highly trained Grand & Machyle solicitor can take this time-consuming work off your hands, helping to move progress along as quickly and efficiently as possible while you focus on other things.

Crucially, our conveyancing solicitors will keep you updated at every stage of the process. We won’t leave you in the dark or use over-complicated legal jargon, and we’ll be available to answer any and all questions quickly, explaining everything in plain language.

Remortgaging

As well as assisting with property purchases and sales, our conveyancing solicitors are also highly experienced in handling the process of remortgaging. We can represent you when speaking to the lender, helping with:

• Proof of identity
• Checking the title deed
• Property searches
• Legal work relating to remortgaging leasehold properties
• Requesting a redemption statement
• Explaining and discussing the terms of the new remortgage offer
• Final checks (including bankruptcy searches, investigating changes made to the property title since the remortgaging process began) and arranging completion
• Handling the transfer of funds on the completion date and, once the Land Registry has completed the registration, supplying you with a copy of the title deed.

Our conveyancing solicitors have extensive experience in carrying out property sales and purchases, looking after the best interest of our clients and ensuring that there are no hidden problems down the line.
Whether it’s your very first purchase or you’re an experienced buyer or seller, you can be reassured that you’re in safe hands when you choose Grand & Machyle to handle your property transaction.

WHAT WE DO

Whether buying or selling a freehold or a leasehold property, the main task we undertake in all transactions include

• Review your instructions and give initial advice.
• Review the legal property’s title and addressing issues of joint ownership (if applicable).
• Negotiate/draft/advise on contractual documents
• Initiate/respond to any inquiries about the property.
• Manage exchange of contracts and provide regular updates
• Dealing with the assignment of the lease (unregistered leasehold properties only).
• Preparation, submission and payment of Stamp Duty Land Tax returns HMRC if instructed.
• Register purchase and any mortgage at Land Registry
• Advising on the need for legal indemnity insurance (where applicable).
• Overcoming any Land Registry Restrictions to registration of your purchase (where applicable).

When purchasing a property

• Conduct conveyancing searches in relation to the property.
• Ensure finances are in place to fund the purchase and correspond with the lender and or their solicitors (if applicable).
• Report on the legal title and issue a certificate of title in the customary form.
• Serve a Notice of Transfer on the landlord or its managing agents (leasehold only).
• Advise on ‘short’ leases (if applicable).
• Explain the conditions of mortgage offer to you (if applicable).

When selling a property

• Advise and prepare seller property information / other standard conveyancing forms (where applicable).
• Follow up with managing agents on inquiries (leasehold only).
• Discharge any charges (where applicable).
• Obtain landlord’s license to assign (leasehold only).
• Transfer any share in a freehold company or a management company to the buyer.