Information about Conveyancing

In short a conveyancer is a solicitor who deals with the legal aspect of buying and selling property, however, legally, conveyancing can be undertaken by anyone. In most instances though a property buyer will recruit a solicitor or licensed conveyancer to deal with this complicated and time consuming issue.

It is also worth noting here that most mortgage lenders will insist on a solicitor or licensed conveyancer acting for them to ensure the procedure is done to a very high standard. But the most important thing to remember when choosing a conveyancer is to check the person is a member of a governing body, such as the Law Society or the Council for Licensed.

There are a number of steps in the conveyancing process, which are detailed below:

• The draft contract is initially written by the seller's conveyancer, and it contains details about the property, items that are to be included in the sale, the buyer and seller's details, how much the property will be sold for, and the transaction date.
• Once the buyer's conveyancer has seen the draft contract, a summary of the property information will be sent to you, so you can check that what's included in the sale meets your expectations.
• The buyer's conveyancer will also check that the seller actually owns the property and is permitted to sell it, as well as obtaining the title deed and the Land Registry certificate for the property.
• A conveyancer will also ask the local authority to check if any new developments are planned next to the property, such as roads or new buildings. The local authority will also check water drainage and planning restrictions on and next to the property.
• Once the buyer and seller are satisfied with the terms, the conveyancers will send out draft contracts to both parties for signature. After both parties have signed the documents an exchange date will be arranged through the conveyancer for when the keys will be handed over to the new home owner.