Hiring A Property Solicitor and Buying A Home

What does a property solicitor do?

Conveyancing is a term used to describe the legal work between yourself and the seller of your new home. In general, a property solicitor will manage things such as:

• Land Registry
•  Stamp duty charges and payments
• Collecting and transferring money during the house sale
• Drawing up and assessing contracts
• Providing legal advice

Preparing to exchange

Before you can exchange contracts, your property solicitor will carry out checks on the property you’re buying. Unfortunately, preparing to exchange is probably the lengthiest part of the conveyancing process.

Leasehold vs Freehold

If you’re unsure of the tenure of the property you’re buying, you’ll need to check with your estate agent. Conveyancing on leasehold properties can take your property solicitor a little longer, as it can be more complex.

Property searches

As well drawing up and assessing contracts, your property solicitor will also carry out a number of checks on your property. These include:

• Environmental search – to check factors such as flood risk and ground stability
• Drainage search – to ensure your property is connected to mains drainage and water supply
• Local authority search – to gather information about environmental issues, proximity to railways lines and any development plans

How can Middletons Solicitors help?

Our residential property services will ensure you get the results you want. For more information regarding property visit our residential property services page or contact our head of residential property Alison Brockman at: abrockman@middletonslegal.com