Conveyancing Explained

What is conveyancing?

Conveyancing is the process by which houses and flats are sold. Conveyancing involves the legal process of dealing with contracts and all of the questions and answers that buyers and sellers need to sort out.

Who does it?

In the vast majority of cases, conveyancing is dealt with by solicitors. Another small profession called licensed conveyancers are also able to carry out conveyancing, but mostly, conveyancing is conducted by solicitors.

How much will it cost?

The cost of conveyancing will normally vary with the price of the property being bought and sold. It will probably start from as low as two hundred and fifty pounds and will go up depending on the size of the property.

Can I do the conveyancing myself?

It is possible to do what's called "do-it-yourself conveyancing." I wouldn't recommend "do-it-yourself conveyancing", it's extremely complicated when you are dealing with properties that aren't necessarily "registered", and most people find that "do-it-yourself conveyancing" can be very time consuming, but it is done.

At what point should I find a solicitor?

You really need to find a solicitor when you've got a firm offer on your property. When a buyer has come along and made an offer you're prepared to accept, at that point you should look for your solicitor.

Should I use the same solicitor for buying and selling?

It is very sensible to use the same solicitor for both buying and selling, because it means that there's an economy of scale, and also it means that the money can be used from the sale to the purchase. So, I would recommend that you use the same solicitor when you're selling and buying.

What can I do if the other party is holding up the process?

If the other party is holding up the process, what you should do is get on to your estate agent and your solicitor to ask them to put pressure on the other party to make sure they stop holding up the process. Pressure can be exerted through those two parties quite successfully.

What are Home Information Packs and how will they affect the process?

Home Information Packs are a change to the conveyancing system that the government brought in with effect from 1st June 2007. The Home Information Pack contains several documents that the government believes should be made available to a buyer at a very early stage in the process. In fact, the law is that no seller can market a property without a Home Information Pack being available The trouble is that, with the passage of time, the contents required for this Home Information Pack have been reduced, so that people don't really understand what should be in it or what shouldn't be in it. Originally, they were going to have what was, in effect, a survey. That's now optional. So it's a very confusing and unsatisfactory state of affairs.