How long does it take to move house?
Those new to buying property are often surprised by how long the process can take from start to finish. There are several factors that come into play when determining how long your transaction will take from having your offer accepted to moving into your new home: The number of people involved in the chain (the shorter it is, the easier to manage and therefore shorter in duration potentially), problems with one or more buyers in the chain getting a mortgage offer, communication, management and many others.
The greatest time that needs to be set aside is for the conveyancing, which is the complex legal process of transferring ownership of the property from seller to buyer, replicated along the entire chain. Typically, the conveyancing can take an average of between eight and twelve weeks to complete, so, in reality, you should be thinking in terms of months.
However, if you appoint a results-focused and proactive solicitor, who will do everything possible to reduce the length of time, including talking to everyone involved in the chain, pushing for swift return of forms and documentation, and using modern technology to drive the process forward, you will stand a better chance of the conveyancing being a lot shorter. And the earlier you appoint them, the quicker they can get started on your transaction.
Looking for great conveyancing where our solicitors work hard to deliver your completion as early as possible? Call Homeward Legal on 0800 038 6699 to find out how low our fees are.
For fast conveyancing to buy a £377,000 home, what do we need to organise?
As is often reported, instructing a proactive lawyer is the key to a fast transaction. There are, however, several things you, as the buyer, can also do. These include:
- promptly answering your lawyer's questions (by email if possible)
- getting your mortgage offer in place
- contacting your lawyer regularly
If I’m renting out rooms in my house, do I need to appoint a solicitor?
No, you don’t, because there is no legal imperative for you to do so. However, it’s not as straightforward as simply leasing out a room to a renter because there are certain provisions that must be met in order to protect you as the renter and the person renting the room.
This depends on the room and where it is in the property, state of the plumbing, insurance, and a number of other factors. You’ll also need to draw up a tenancy agreement to ensure demarcation and rights for both parties. While you won’t necessarily need a solicitor involved, it’s worth contacting a letting agency who will have the experience and knowledge to ensure you have everything in place. Be aware that any advice you seek from professionals may come with a fee, so it would be worth shopping around first.
Can you advise how to defer paying HMRC stamp duty?
We strongly advise against any form of stamp duty mitigation. These schemes are often uneconomical and HMRC may challenge a scheme up to six years later meaning that the full stamp duty amount will then be due.
If there are outstanding works approved in the planning consent, can I still use it?
Generally speaking, planning permission legally has to have an expiry date, which is usually for a period of three years from approval for the building work to start (and not necessarily complete, unless the consent has a suitable caveat).
This means that the consent is against the property and the intended construction rather than the person who made the application. As such, if the planning consent remains within the expiry period, the agreement is transferrable to the new owner of the property.
Your solicitor will be able to provide further advice, once enquiries with the local authority have been satisfactorily completed as part of the conveyancing.
I am going to purchase with Aviva, what will I need to check?
Your mortgage lender will require legal work to be performed on their behalf. Buyers need to be aware that, recently, a number of lenders have limited the number of solicitors who can act for them. Homeward Legal, however, will act for most lenders in the UK.
What will the council tax cost on a Fifties Band A flat in Histon?
The respective council tax band will conventionally be given in the conveyancing report on title along with the local authority.
The latest tax charges for residents of Histon are tabled on the South Cambridgeshire council website. Currently (05 January 2013) rates for all bands are:
- Band A - £996.00
- Band B - £1,162.00
- Band C - £1,328.00
- Band D - £1,494.00
- Band E - £1,826.00
- Band F - £2,159.00
- Band G - £2,491.00
- Band H - £2,989.00
Property environmental searches are based on past information but when one considers recent climactic events such as the serious flooding in the UK in April 2012 are they still appropriate to advise us enough about the Histon area flood risk?
The Histon solicitor should always include property environmental searches if the environmental searches identifies a significant risk Histon flood risk.
Sometimes home buyers to get in touch with a future neighbour for additional added assurance.