Conveyancing solicitors are solicitors who have chosen to practise in the area of property law rather than other areas such as criminal or family law. They are not only fully qualified solicitors but must also be registered with the Law Society in the UK country they practise in. So what is conveyancing and why do you need a solicitor to do it? Conveyancing is process of preparing the legal paperwork necessary to carry out a land or property transaction, such as buying or selling to another. Most of us only come across it in connection with houses, but it covers any property transaction, from farm land to factories.
What Are Conveyancing Fees For?
So why use a solicitor? Buying and selling property is hardly ever straightforward. There are a number of legal checks that must be completed and the agreement between buyer and seller (the ‘contract’) needs to be properly drawn up and checked. If any of these are not carried out properly, your property sale or purchase could be in trouble; or you might be storing up years of legal problems and litigation for the future. The people best placed and most qualified to do all this legal paperwork (and there is plenty of it!) are property solicitors. We pay these conveyancing solicitors large conveyancing fees, so what are we getting for our money? Well in brief, solicitors fees for buying a house cover all the checks needed to ensure that the property you are purchasing is, in fact, the vendor’s legal property to sell. Checks are also made on any restrictions (or ‘encumbrances’) on the property which might affect you. These may limit what you can do to the property or allow other people access to it (such as rights of way or shared access). A conveyancing solicitor will also ensure there are no outstanding debts on the property. Such encumbrances can often affect the value of the land and/ or buildings in question.
Make Sure You Get Reliable Conveyancing Quotes
Similarly for vendors, solicitor fees for selling a house include checks that your buyer has the means in place to pay for the property. Your legal representative will also ensure that the change in the title (the legal paperwork proving ownership) is properly registered and any outstanding debt on the property, like an existing mortgage, is paid off. To fully complete these actions, solicitors offer legal advice; draw up contracts; carry out local and land change searches through dealings with the Land Registry and others; calculate stamp duty; and transfer the funds to pay for a property. All of these services are typically included in your solicitors conveyancing fee. As with many services, fees for conveyancing work can vary a lot between solicitors, so it’s a good idea to obtain and compare conveyancing quotes from a number of different companies. When looking at quotes, make sure you are comparing like with like. In other words, ensure that you know what costs are covered in the quote. Conveyancing solicitors will include charges in their quote to cover their time, letters, faxes, emails, phone calls and an indemnity fee. Make sure you know whether the quotes are ‘fixed fee’, as some solicitors may charge you extra if any unforeseen problems arise.
Check More Prices Quickly And Easily With Online Conveyancing Quotes
Having said that, research shows that most people do not shop around and instead use either their usual family solicitor or a firm recommended by the estate agent or mortgage broker when conveyancing work needs to be done. This same research also indicates that doing this is often the most expensive and least efficient option. With the growth in communication technologies such as the internet and smart phones, many of us are now used to using price comparison websites for sourcing cheaper and better services such as home and car insurance, utilities or credit cards. It is therefore perhaps unsurprising that you can now also compare conveyancing quotes online. In a similar way to other comparison sites, those that deal with online conveyancing are now available to UK property buyers and sellers. Websites such as these are usually provided by specialists; and the good news is that you can now find an expert conveyancing firm to find the best service at a lower cost. Remember, however, that the cheapest quote does not necessarily equate to the best value. You should still check each quote carefully, making sure you know upfront how much you are paying for each part of the service on offer, and not just being given an overall rate with little detail.
Using Trusted Conveyancing Comparison Sites
Many people are wary of using conveyancing comparison sites because they do not feel confident that they can trust either the site or the solicitors that they represent. That’s why it is worth taking time to check through a conveyancing site’s credentials, by which we mean two things. First, check that the comparison site itself actually has some kind of vetting process in place, so that there are reasonable criteria a firm of solicitors needs to meet or exceed before it is authorised to appear on the site. These might include factors such as reliability, professionalism, speed of service and/ or customer satisfaction. The best conveyancing sites will also have a continuous review process in place to maintain and improve quality. Secondly, look for reviews and testimonials for property conveyancing work, and not just on the site itself, but additionally on trusted review sites. For most of us, a mortgage is a necessity when buying or selling UK property so it is worth establishing that your chosen conveyancing firm includes mortgage solicitors to deal with this aspect. This might include finalising the mortgage for buyers, or ensuring it is settled for sellers. One company that offers conveyancing price comparison from pre-approved conveyancing firms is Conveyancing Index.
Use Conveyancing Index To Quickly Find Your Next Conveyancing Solicitors
At Conveyancing Index, we provide a service that lets you compare instant conveyancing quotes from the best local property solicitors. All our conveyancing solicitors are pre-approved to meet stringent quality and service standards and we have excellent review ratings. To see what we can offer you, whether you are buying, selling or re- mortgaging your property anywhere in the UK, visit us at https://www.conveyancingindex.co.uk. Complete a few details on our online form and get instant quotes from up to four of our expert conveyancing practitioners. If you have any questions, please contact our conveyancing experts on 0203 874 2020.