House Conveyancing Process for Buyers

Wondering what is the conveyancing process for buyers?

Conveyancing is a legal and administrative process enabling property ownership transfer from one person to another. It starts when your offer on any property is accepted and ends when you receive legal ownership.

The conveyancing solicitor has a critical role during the property purchasing process. He secures the legal title of the property with all the applicable rights of the land. An experienced and qualified solicitor or a licensed conveyancer generally conducts the property conveyancing process.

To streamline the house conveyancing process for buyers, the conveyancer ensures that you are aware of any restrictions imposed on the property before you are legally committed to the deal. The house conveyancing process consists of two stages, i.e., the exchange of contracts and completion, but many things must be done before you get to that point.

In this article, I will discuss the complete house conveyancing process for buyers to have the house of their dreams without facing any challenges.

Let’s get started! 

House Conveyancing Stages

Purchasing a house is a substantial financial commitment, and you can have a daunting experience, especially when you are a first-time buyer. However, the house-buying process is not that complex as it seems if you have an excellent conveyancer by your side.

You can hire an experienced and qualified conveyancing solicitor who can effectively guide you through the entire house conveyancing process and ease your mind, enabling you to concentrate on other essential tasks.

There are several stages involved in the house conveying process. Here is the step-by-step guide to the house conveyancing process for the buyers to help you understand the process:

1- Instruct a Conveyancing Solicitor

The first step in the conveyancing process is to find a suitable and cost-effective conveyancer and instruct them to start work on the legal side of the purchase.

Related resources for further reading:

Your hired conveyancing solicitor writes to the seller’s solicitor to confirm that they are instructed and request a copy of the draft contract and other details like the property’s legal title and other standard forms.

It is highly recommended to hire a conveyancer with ample experience in property purchasing and an established track record so that you can have the house of your dreams without facing any challenges.

2- Draft Contact and Raise Enquiries

Your solicitor thoroughly examines the draft contract and other supporting documents and raises enquiries, if any to optimize the buyer home conveyancing process . The solicitor enables you to go through the paperwork completed by the seller.

In order to want the conveyancing process to be as smooth as possible, ensure that you respond promptly to queries. You can also ask for regular updates from your conveyancer. 

In addition, you can also conduct a property survey. The survey report highlights all the significant challenges so you can make precise decisions about the property you intend to buy.

3- Conduct Property Searches (Crucial House Conveyancing Process For Buyers)

Conducting property searches is essential as there are many things about the property that you need to know that are not even revealed in the survey reports.

Related resources for further reading:

The conveyancer conducts various legal property searches to ensure you know all the significant factors about the property. These searches enable you to make precise decisions about the property.

Here are the most common searches that you should obtain before purchasing any property:

  • Local authorities search to know about planning permissions granted and refused, building regulation certificates, and more information related to the property. 
  • Land registry search to check the title register and title plan to confirm the seller’s legal right to sell the property
  • Environmental search to check for ground stability, flooding predictions, the presence of landfill sites, contamination hazards, and more
  • Chancel repair search to ensure that the property is not responsible for the repair work of the local church
  • Water and drainage search to check that the property is appropriately connected to the water supply and drainage system

4- Signing Contracts

Signing the contract is another significant step involved in the house conveyancing process.

The hired conveyancer needs to ensure that the enquiries regarding the property are answered satisfactorily and that all the fittings and fixtures included in the purchase are what you have expected.

It is also recommended for both parties, i.e., the purchaser and the seller, to mutually decide on a completion date before signing contracts. 

5- Exchanging Contracts

Your conveyancing solicitor draws up a final version of the contract once everything has been agreed upon, including the completion date. If applicable, the solicitor requests the mortgage funds from the mortgage lender.

Both parties agree to fix a date for the exchange of contract. Your solicitor commutes with the seller’s solicitor to ensure the contracts are identical. 

This exchange of contracts is one of the most significant steps in the house conveyancing process as it enables both the buyer and the seller to be legally bound for the transfer of the property ownership with a fixed date of moving.

Once the contracts are exchanged, the seller can not accept another offer and has to transfer the legal title of ownership to your name. 

Find local conveyancing solicitors for house conveyancing:

It is therefore recommended to resolve all the issues related to the property that could create challenges in the future before exchanging contracts.

6- Completion Day

Completion is the final step in the house conveyancing process, which takes place on a fixed date as per the signed contracts. 

The remaining amount is transferred by your solicitor to the seller’s solicitor, enabling you to collect the keys to the house of dreams from the estate agent. The title and transfer deeds are then forwarded to your solicitor, who registers the property with the land registry authorities.

Get local conveyancing help for first-time home buyers:

Once the seller’s conveyancing solicitor confirms that all the remaining amount has been received, the process is complete, enabling the purchaser to move into the house. 

Conclusion

The conveyancing process for buyers plays a significant role in selling and purchasing any property. It enables the buyer and seller to close the deal without facing any challenges.

I hope this article gives you a clear understanding of the conveyancing process for buyers and helps you significantly during the property purchasing process.

Get a FREE Conveyancing Quote


Categories