Conveyancing Solicitors Southampton
For the legal work involved with your house move, it is in your best interests to hire the services of a good conveyancing solicitor. This applies whether you're buying or selling a house in Southampton. On this page, you will find out what they can do for you and the importance of having a solicitor on your side.
What is conveyancing?
At some point during the moving journey, your mortgage lender will mention the term ‘exchange of contracts.’ This is the legally binding process wherein property ownership is transferred from one party to another.
The legal transfer of one property to another is known as conveyancing. The process is made easier with the assistance of a conveyancing solicitor. So, while you could take on this side of the move yourself, you will experience far less stress if you hire the services of a legal professional.
Access To The Best Conveyancing Solicitors In Southampton
At YesCanDo Money, we can offer you advice and support for many aspects of your home move. This begins by helping you explore affordable mortgage options. We can also provide access to competitive quotes from reputable residential and commercial conveyancing in Southampton. All of the quotes you receive will be ‘fixed fee,’ meaning all of your expected legal fees will be included in one price.
Legal quotes are provided via our online conveyancing quote system. You will have the choice of a range of regulated solicitors from Southampton, and because you will get to see their fixed fees upfront, you will have the opportunity to make an informed choice before settling on a law firm.
For your peace of mind, we offer a ‘No Move, No Legal Fee’ guarantee, so should your property transaction fall through, for any reason, you won’t be charged the solicitor’s legal fee.
To find out more, contact our friendly team today.
What does a solicitor do for you when selling a property?
A solicitor will deal with the title transfer process when you are ready to move from your current home. They will also ensure that your legal rights are protected during the transaction. This is what a solicitor can do for you in practical terms. However, as they can also ensure the conveyancing process is stress-free for you, you can also benefit from greater peace of mind before and during the final transaction.
When selling a property, there are a number of stages the solicitor will go through. We break these down for you below.
Starting the conveyancing journey
After you have accepted an offer on your property, you need to instruct your solicitor to begin the conveyancing procedure.
They will give you a Letter of Engagement that covers the scope of the agreement between you, including their terms and legal costs. If you are happy with this, you sign and return the letter to give the go-ahead for your solicitor to begin their service to you.
Following this, your solicitor will ask you to:
- Provide proof of ID
- Complete and return a Property Information Form and a Fixtures and Fittings Form
- Send them the documents that are detailed in the forms they have given you
Your solicitor will use the information provided to draw up a draft contract to send to the buyer for their approval.
The draft contract will include information on:
- The fixtures and fittings that are to be included in the sale price
- The cost of fixtures and fittings that AREN’T included in the sale price
- Details related to any maintenance issues at your property
- Warranties, guarantees, planning permission, building control certificates, and land covenants
At this point, the buyer will usually book a surveyor to examine your home. If the survey flags up any issues, they may want to renegotiate the contract. The buyer’s solicitor might also contact you for other information that wasn’t answered in the Property Information Form.
Finalising the contract
When the buyer and their conveyancer are happy with the information they have received, a formal contract will be drawn up for the buyer to read and sign. You will also be asked to sign a contract.
At this point, a completion date that suits both you and the buyer will be agreed upon.
Either party can pull out without penalty before contracts have been exchanged. When they have been exchanged, however, the agreement becomes legally binding, and penalties may be incurred if either party then decides to pull out before completion day.
Once contracts have been approved, the exchange of contracts will take place. This transaction usually takes place between the two legal representatives over a telephone call. After this has taken place, your solicitor will request the buyer’s deposit.
You now have time before completion day to finalise arrangements for your move, such as hiring a removal company and letting your utility companies know that you are moving.
Completion day
On completion day, your conveyancer will:
- Transfer the legal documents that prove ownership to the buyer’s conveyancer
- Organise the redemption of your mortgage
- Create a completion statement that sets out the payments that have been made and received
- Make a request for any outstanding payments to be made
- Confirm completion and give you final pieces of advice
- Request any fees you owe
Once completion has been finalised, you need to vacate the property by a certain time. You will also need to hand over your keys to the estate agent so that they can be given to the buyer.
What does your solicitor do for you when buying a property?
The details for the buyer are very similar to what we have already outlined. For more detailed information about the legal work carried out follow this link: 10 Steps to Conveyancing.
How do I find a good conveyancing solicitor near me?
Google: Local Conveyancing Solicitors
What are the conveyancing costs?
Conveyancing costs for buyers
The average conveyancing fee for buyers is £1040
The costs you have to pay include charges related to:
- Basic legal fees
- Conveyancing searches, including a local authority search and environmental search
- Anti-money laundering checks
- Ownership transfers
- Bank transfers
- Covenant deeds
Conveyancing costs for sellers
The average conveyancing fee for sellers is £1,000. These include charges related to the above, as well as additional charges. These may include the Mortgage Property Supplement Fee and the Leasehold Property Supplement Fee.
Your solicitor will explain these charges to you as well as any others that are attributed to their fixed fees.
Buying A Property In Southampton
This bustling port city on England’s south coast is popular with many, partly because of the sunny weather and partly because of the wide employment choices on offer for job seekers. It is also a city rich with historical significance, due to its ties to the Titanic and the areas of the city that date back to the Medieval era. Excellent schools, great shopping opportunities, and the many indoor and outdoor entertainment options are also a big pull for home movers.
The average price for a property in Southampton is £267,452. Desirable places to live include the historic village of Netley, with an expected average price of £359,642, and the waterfront-located Ocean Village, with an average price of £267,197. For first-time buyers and those looking for more affordable options, Kingsland Place and Shirley are two popular places to consider. Here, properties generally fall under the £200,000price mark.
Learn more about living in Southampton here.
Contact us today re the mortgage options that can be made available to you if you’re planning on a move to Southampton.
Conveyancing Solicitors in and around Southampton
Southampton is a great place to live but to make your move go easier, get in touch with our team. Not only will we find you an excellent mortgage deal but we will put you in touch with the best solicitors in and around Southampton too. Get in touch with us today for advice and support that is tailored to your personal and financial circumstances.
Property Solicitors Southampton
We work closely with property solicitors based in Southampton and around England and Wales to ensure you get the best possible legal support during your house move. So, if you are thinking about purchasing a property in this area, get in touch with our team. With access to top legal support, you will have greater peace of mind when you’re getting ready for your next house move.
Fill out our online form to begin your search for a solicitor.
Selling or buying a home with Southampton Conveyancing Solicitors
There are a lot of legal and administrative tasks involved with conveyancing and these are best left to the professionals that know what they are doing. So, while you may be tempted to cut costs by not hiring a law firm, know that this could be a bigger mistake than forgetting to pack an essentials box on moving day! If you do anything in error, you could disrupt the property chain, and this could damage your chances of moving. You will have no legal protection either so you could land yourself in financial trouble if you make any mistakes. To overcome such situations, benefit from the legal help that can be provided by a solicitor.
Frequently Asked Conveyancing Questions
Is it better to use a local solicitor for conveyancing?
Not necessarily as you can benefit from a friendly and personal service from any number of solicitors across the country. However, if you do hire a solicitor in Southampton, you will benefit from somebody with knowledge of the local area. If you already live in the area, you will also have easier access to legal support if you prefer face-to-face visits. Regardless, always consider your budget and make that a priority when assessing legal fees from local or distant solicitors.
Is a solicitor better than a conveyancer?
They are both fully insured and licensed and able to complete the legal aspects of buying and selling a property. However, licensed conveyancers can’t deal with complex legal issues outside of conveyancing, so should there be any legal setbacks with your move, you would get more support from an authorised solicitor.
Is a conveyancer cheaper than a solicitor?
Yes! This is because licensed conveyancers don’t deal with the complex legal issues that can sometimes arise from their clients’ house move. Solicitors charge more because they can advise on these issues and they can offer a range of other legal services if required.
