An obligatory and most stressful part of buying or selling a property is conveyancing. It is a legal process of transferring the property ownership from the seller to the buyer. This process will be done either by a legally licensed conveyancing lawyer or by a solicitor. On behalf of the buyer, conveyancer will perform several major legal tasks. Conveyancer conducts crucial searches with local authorities and other related bodies just to make sure there are no questionable financial liabilities. He or she will give you all the details about “incurred cost”, including stamp duty and other charges. A conveyancer will also take care of the registration process, payment of the fees, along with checking the contracts regarding the purchase of the property.
Tips for Choosing Conveyancing Lawyers for Your Property
- What Type of Conveyancing Service You’re Buying: There are so many ways of purchasing legal service. You may contact conveyancer just by visiting his office, searching online, or through call centers. Contacting conveyancing lawyers online or through call may seem cost-effective. Nevertheless, always choose a method of service delivery, which best suits you. One method may not be ideal in all situations. Ensure that you’re comfortable with the method of service delivery offered by your conveyancer.
- Evaluate Online Reviews and Check with Family/Friends for Recommendation: Don’t forget to ask your family/friends for the recommendation. You’ll surely know somebody who has purchased or sold a property. Ask for their personal experience and how did they find conveyancer. Also, make sure to check online reviews to see if the conveyancing lawyer you’re about to consider has the people’s vote.
- Cheapest isn’t Always the Best: While, purchasing a property or home is the biggest investment, it is a good idea to get the quotes. Don’t always look forward to the cheapest, but make sure to get competitive quotes. A few quotes are usually enough, make sure that you do not spend your quality time simply inquiring and ringing many conveyancing lawyers to save few pennies.
- Beware of Hidden Costs: When it comes to property buying/selling, there are so many payments involved in it. Ensure your conveyancer give you details about all incurred cost; also, the initial quote you get includes all costs including, VAT, and disbursements. Disbursements contain search fee, land registry fee, and stamp duty. Do not get cheated later by the quotes that look a lot cheaper than the other ones.
- Communicate Clearly: Property buyers or sellers need to thoroughly communicate with their respective conveyancer. Usually, conveyancing lawyers won’t be visiting the site, they just take care of the paperwork. However, when purchasing a property, there are a lot of things a conveyancer can carry out for you, such as local authority search, water & drainage search, environmental search, and more. You should ask your lawyer about the different available services. Additionally, ask about whichever service you would like him to carry out for you.
- Know What You’re Buying: Conveyancing lawyers are responsible to show the title plan to their clients. It will have the outline of the property. If your lawyer doesn’t show you this plan, make sure to ask them. In addition, it is a good idea to visit the site you’re buying just to make sure the outline matches with your actual site.
- Remember You Have the Right to Complain: As, we all know, purchasing a property is a huge investment. Arranging the finance that is associated with it is itself a stressful task. Your conveyancer should not do anything to add to that stress. If you face such problem, you have the right to lodge complaint against your conveyancer.
Overall, keep the above-mentioned points in mind to find your conveyancing lawyer easily. Always hire a well qualified and an experienced lawyer to ensure a smooth move.
