Conveyancing 101 – What Your Conveyancer Does and How to Choose One

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For the uninitiated, conveyancing is the legal process that deals with the transference of property from one person to the other. With house-buying being one of the most stressful things a person can go through, choosing the right conveyancer is vital for your peace of mind and your wallet.

You can choose a Solicitor as all are qualified to carry out the conveyancing work, but being able to do something and being good at doing something are two different things. Taking on a specialist who is able to carry out the work quickly and expertly such as Quick Move Conveyancing can take a lot of the stress out of the process as they will usually deal with your mortgage provider directly and manage things such as informing the land registry of the completion of your sale.

Regardless of whether you choose a specialist or rely on your Solicitor, there are several key tasks that your conveyancer is going to perform:

• They will check that there are no outstanding liabilities on the property you are purchasing; this includes checking with utility companies, sewerage proximity, archaic church repair charges and other potential costs.
• They will review and check all the contracts pertaining to the purchasing of the property.
• They will take care of the payment of fees such as stamp duty and estate agents costs, which will be factored into their fee at the end of the process.

When choosing a conveyancer, cost will be an important factor. However, as with so many things cheaper does not necessarily mean better. A specialist will have experience with all the regular channels, as well as contacts and procedures that are likely to be slower for a non-specialist.

You can ask your mortgage provider for a list of approved conveyancers, which is a good starting point, but be sure to compare not only costs but experience and testimonials. Many online conveyancers have the added benefit of being able to track their progress online, resolving one of the most problematic issues in house buying: communication of progress with the other party.

Do make sure that your conveyancer is regulated and insured; there are two regulating bodies. The Solicitors Regulation Authority regulates conveyancing solicitors and the Council for Licensed Conveyancers regulates licensed conveyancers in England and Wales. Do not take the word of the company you choose to use that they are registered; both of these bodies have lists of the people they license so check out the credentials of the company with the regulating body itself.

Finally, make sure you know what you are paying for. Make sure your conveyancer is fully comprehensive and make sure you get it in writing exactly what is covered, and what the abort fees are. Make sure you know exactly what costs you are liable for before you sign anything.