Purchase Timeline

This gives an overview of the PURCHASE conveyancing process once you have found a property to purchase.

• You instruct us to act on your behalf. We will then send to you a Purchase Questionnaire, a request for you to send money on account to buy the searches and also the documentation needed to prove your identity.
• You will need to make arrangements and applications with regard to a mortgage if you need one. You may also wish to have a survey of the property carried out. We can assist with this.
• We should then receive the contract papers from the seller’s solicitors. We will check through these and send for appropriate searches (usually a Local Search, a Drainage Search and an Environmental Search). We will also send the seller’s solicitors our enquiries on the papers.
• It is our practice to then send to you a copy of a plan of the property and any relevant forms completed by the seller for you to look through at this stage and let us have any questions you may have regarding these.
• Your solicitor will then not be able to proceed until they receive:-
  • a. Your mortgage offer
  • b. Replies to any enquiries they have put to the seller’s solicitors
  • c. The results of the searches (Local, drainage, environmental)
• Generally, we will then prepare a written report on the purchase and send this to you. This will give you all the information we have regarding the property and mortgage (if you are having one) and will include the documents you need to sign including the contract itself. You will also be asked for the deposit.
• Once you confirm you are happy, have returned the documents and agreed a completion date, your solicitor will then be in a position to exchange contracts with the seller’s solicitors and fix the completion date.

CONTRACTS EXCHANGED – the purchase is legally binding.

• A certificate is then sent to the lender to confirm their legal requirements are satisfied and to request the mortgage advance in time for the completion date. They will also request any final balance due from you, including fees.
• Your solicitors will then do the final searches and await the mortgage money and any money due from you.

COMPLETION DATE (moving date and when keys are handed over)

• On your behalf your solicitor will pay any Stamp Duty Land Tax to the Inland Revenue and register you as the new owners of the property at the Land Registry.

• Once you are registered as the new owners, we will write to you to confirm this, send any documents required to your lender and the remainder to you. We will then close the file.