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Residential Conveyancing

Our team of specialist residential conveyancing lawyers can help with both simple and complex conveyancing matters.

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Along with being an important and exciting milestone in a person's life, buying and selling a house can also be a stressful time. At Forbes Solicitors, our aim is to eliminate the stress and ensure that everything runs as smoothly as possible for you throughout the house conveyancing process.

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Services for Residential Conveyancing

Our Residential Conveyancing Solicitors provide services in the following areas:

Our Conveyancing Fees
Residential Property Sales
Residential Property Purchases
Remortgages
First Time Buyers
Auctions
Equity Release
Buying Repossessed Property
Shared Ownership
Step by Step Guide to Buying and Selling a House
Our Conveyancing Fees
Residential Property Sales
Residential Property Purchases
Remortgages
First Time Buyers
Auctions
Equity Release
Buying Repossessed Property
Shared Ownership
Step by Step Guide to Buying and Selling a House
Property Fact Sheet - Helping children onto the property market
Property Fact Sheet - Buying and selling your home
Property Fact Sheet - Buying a property at auction
Instant Conveyancing Quote
Forbes Landlord Assist
Property Litigation
What is conveyancing?

What is conveyancing?

Conveyancing is the process of transferring ownership of a property from one person to another. This typically involves a transfer of legal title and involves various legal and administrative steps, including the preparation and exchange of contracts, and the transfer of funds.

What is a conveyancing solicitor?

What is a conveyancing solicitor?

A conveyancing solicitor is the person or team responsible for handling the legal aspects of a property transaction from one owner to the next.

Conveyancing solicitors can act on behalf of buyers or sellers, as there is legal work required for both parties in a property sale.

Great experience with a residential purchase through Forbes. Having a named contact who you can email and talk to directly is worth its weight in gold, even more so when they are experienced and helpful like our contact at Forbes.

Craig

Excellent service with Forbes from start to finish. Prompt replies, everything properly explained and nothing too much hassle. Both Kathryn and Amanda were fantastic, even when working within tight timeframes towards the end. Highly recommend and reasonably priced

Kelsey Whitehouse

The Team at Forbes were always available to reply to my queries, quickly answering both e-mails and answering phone calls. There was never a need to leave any answer phone messages.

The advice was clear and the whole transaction speedy, despite an unusual Title requirement.

Highly recommended and a pleasure to deal with

David Brooks

Michelle and Kathryn have now helped us on five property moves over the years. Bringing an attention to detail and friendly enthusiasm to make sure everything is right for our property moves and we know all the details have been checked.

Raphael

Thoroughly professional and friendly service provided yet again by Kathryn Lofthouse, Michelle Thompson and the team. We were guided through the whole process smoothly and kept fully informed as to how the sale was progressing. Would not hesitate in recommending this firm.

Mr & Mrs Haines
What do conveyancing solicitors do?

What do conveyancing solicitors do?

Whether you are buying or selling a home, you will need to find an experienced lawyer to take care of the conveyancing side of things, which ensures that the house legally moves from seller to buyer and all of the required checks, searches and documents are completed in the correct way.

This will include:

  • Obtaining the title deeds and guide you when filling in all of the necessary questionnaires

  • Preparing and distributing a contract for sale

  • Requesting a settlement figure for your mortgage

  • Acting on your behalf and liaising with the relevant parties in order to negotiate a moving date

  • Acting as the recipient of the house deposit

  • Organising the final accounts and preparing a final settlement

  • Approving the deed of transfer

  • Paying off the remainder of the mortgage

  • Handing over the property deeds

Your specialist conveyancing solicitor will guide you through the process, giving you practical legal advice and ensuring that you are kept updated with all developments.

Our reputation as leaders in conveyancing law precedes us, demonstrated by the significant number of clients who return to us and recommend our conveyancing service to others.

Our team of conveyancing solicitors are committed to ensuring the sale or purchase of a house goes through as smoothly as possible, as well as keeping you informed of any developments along with your rights along the way.

How can our residential conveyancing solicitors help?

How can our residential conveyancing solicitors help?

Whether you're buying a property or looking for a solicitor for selling a house, you'll want to be sure that you instruct experts in the field of conveyancing, who understand the local and national market and will provide the best advice. The team at Forbes are highly experienced in handling residential property transactions and can give specialist assistance.

Landlord Assist

Landlord Assist

For landlords who already have a contract in place and have been having issues with their tenant, we offer Landlord Assist. Our Landlord Assist Department will handle the whole dispute until a resolution is found, this includes handling the eviction process from start to finish.

We act exclusively for landlords and letting agents.

Additional Information

What is the conveyancing process?

One of the first and most vital things that your conveyancing solicitor will do, is conduct the necessary searches, (alongside organisations such as local authorities and utility companies) to ensure that there are no overriding issues with the property you are looking to buy. This can include:

  • Ensuring that there are no building plans in place that will affect you if you were to buy the property, for example; fracking or prison developments

  • Checking that there are no sewers running close to the property

  • Checking whether the area is categorised as a flood risk or not

  • Ensuring that the property doesn't have any financial liabilities hanging over it from previous owners

Your conveyancing solicitor will also handle all of the related issues that come with buying a new home. These will include:

  • Reviewing the contracts drawn up by the seller's solicitor that contain all of the important details including the sale price and the property boundaries

  • Liaising with your mortgage lender to ensure all of the legal requirements are met in order to proceed

  • Checking for any costs that may be incurred, such as stamp duty and land transaction tax

Your conveyancer will also pay all the related fees on your behalf and register you as the new owners of the property with the Land Registry.

How do I find a good conveyancing solicitor?

When buying, selling or re-mortgaging a property, missing even the smallest of details can prove to be a costly mistake. That is why it is essential that you put your conveyancing in the hands of an expert property law firm that can offer you a comprehensive service without cutting any corners.

At Forbes Solicitors, our expert team offer fixed price conveyancing fees and can take care of every aspect relating to your home. We are also a member of the Law Society's Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) which ensures a standard of excellence when we deal with both buyers and sellers.

At Forbes our "complete" conveyancing service includes:

  • Direct contact with a qualified, expert conveyancer

  • Property Plan

  • Land Registry search

  • Bankruptcy search

  • Local Search*

  • Drainage Search*

  • Coal Mining Search*

  • Chancel Insurance*

  • Environmental search*

  • Land Registry registration fee

  • Telegraphic transfer fee

*If applicable to the home you are buying

Recognition of our work

FAQs

Do I need a conveyancer to sell a house?

Whilst you don't necessarily need a conveyancer or conveyancing solicitor to sell your home, there are some issues that can arise if you decide to take on the role yourself, and the consequences of getting things wrong can be severe. For this reason, most sellers trust expert conveyancing solicitors with the process. Some of the potential issues that can arise with DIY conveyancing for sellers can include:

If you are selling a leasehold property, the complexities associated with this type of sale are much more substantial than with a freehold property and often the owner of the freehold can insist that you use a solicitor or conveyancer for the house sale.

Some mortgage providers will insist that you use a professional conveyancing solicitor in order to protect their interests.

It is likely that you will not be insured against any mistakes or oversights that can occur during the conveyancing process if you take on the role yourself, which opens yourself up to the possibility of being sued.

If you have an outstanding mortgage, the buyer's solicitors may refuse to accept any 'undertaking' from you. An 'undertaking' is a legally binding agreement between solicitors or conveyancers that any remaining mortgage will be paid off using the proceeds from the property sale.

With this in mind, whilst it is possible to carry out all of your conveyancing yourself, you may wish to seek professional legal advice in order to avoid any complications and give you peace of mind.

Do I need a conveyancer to buy a house?

If you require a mortgage to buy the house, most lenders will only agree to let you borrow from them if you instruct professional conveyancers to handle the legal side of the transaction. There are many things that can potentially go wrong with a property sale if things are done incorrectly, and this can have serious consequences. This is why most buyers will choose to let the experts handle the house-buying process and instruct experienced conveyancing solicitors with a track record of successful property transactions.

Do I need to have a survey before buying a house?

If you need a mortgage, a valuer will inspect the property on behalf of your lender to assess whether the property has a sufficient value to support the amount you want to borrow. You can usually arrange with the lender for a more comprehensive survey - we would strongly recommend undergoing your own survey or opting for the more detailed lenders report. Whilst the seller must not misrepresent any aspect of the property, he is under no obligation to disclose any defects.

How long will the conveyancing process take?

Determining how long the conveyancing process will take from the outset can be difficult, as there are a variety of factors which can influence the timescale. Delays tend to occur if your transaction is in a chain of dependant sales and purchases; the more properties involved, the more likely the delay. However, your team of conveyancing solicitors will keep you informed of developments as and when they occur. Once contracts have been exchanged, the completion date (i.e. the date you move) is fixed. We will discuss and agree this date with you beforehand.

Is it better to use a local solicitor for conveyancing?

While it's not essential to use conveyancing solicitors in the area where you are buying or selling the property, it can be the case that the local property market knowledge can be of assistance and help the process go more smoothly. It's also the case that local conveyancing solicitors will have relationships with other local professionals, such as surveyors, which can also assist you.

How much do solicitors charge for conveyancing in the UK?

The cost of conveyancing solicitors can vary, depending on a wide range of factors specific to the property that you are buying or selling or the way you're doing so. There could be higher costs for leasehold properties, or those that are part of certain schemes, but good solicitors will always ensure you're aware of the costs at every stage of the process. At Forbes Solicitors, we offer fixed-price conveyancing fees and can discuss and explain the costs and expenses involved with you during our initial meeting, whether this is face-to-face, via telephone or other email. These will also be confirmed in the client care letter which we will send to you at the beginning of the transaction.

When do I pay the deposit for a house purchase?

A deposit is paid to the seller's solicitor when contracts are exchanged. It is usually between 5% and 10% of the property price, but some homebuyers will put down a higher percentage of deposit to qualify for a better mortgage deal and reduce the amount that they are borrowing in relation to the new property's value.

Our Dedicated Residential Conveyancing Team

Michelle Thompson.jpg

Partner, Residential Conveyancing

Michelle Thompson

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Associate, Residential Conveyancing

Jennifer Ross

Kathryn Lofthouse.jpg

Paralegal, Residential Conveyancing

Kathryn Lofthouse

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Contact Us

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0800 689 1358 - Monday - Friday: 09:00 - 17:00

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Please note that our offices will be closed from midday, Friday 20th December 2024

The offices will be open as usual on Monday 23rd December 2024.

The offices will then be closed from Tuesday 24th December through to Wednesday 1st January (inc), reopening as usual from 2nd January 2025.

The emergency contact number during this time is - 01772 220022 or 01254 675050.