Conveyancing
Moving house can be a stressful experience - it is our aim to make the legal side of moving house stress-free.
The Firm has an excellent reputation for providing a speedy and competitive service without sacrificing quality.
Our work for you includes:
- Checking ownership of property
- Making searches of local and other authorities to safeguard your interests
- Advising you of the need to consult surveyors or other specialists
- Explaining any rights benefiting your property
- Informing you of any restrictions upon your ownership
- Making your contract to buy or sell legally binding
- Fixing a moving date for you
- Dealing with payment of stamp duty land tax and other disbursements on your behalf
- Registering your title at the Government Land Registry
We are normally instructed to act on behalf of your Mortgage Lender. This is because your Bank or Building Society needs to know that the property you are buying provides them with good security. Also, they require us to explain the terms of the mortgage to you. There is a wide range of mortgage products on the market and it is important to have any 'small print' explained to you. Special care is taken to run through your mortgage with you at a personal interview.
Complex issues can occasionally arise on a basic sale or purchase. Our conveyancing team has the knowledge and experience to identify and overcome obstacles of this type and to offer you unbiased advice. We ensure that our advice is kept up to the minute by encouraging our staff to attend courses during the year on recent legal developments.
Conveyancing Costs
Please contact Roger Petch or Ros Mann who will provide you with an accurate estimate of our fees for selling and buying property. Requests for estimates can be sent to rogerpetch@macklunt.co.uk or rosman@macklunt.co.uk
Written estimates will be sent out within 24 hours of request or we will reply by e-mail if you prefer.
We will have to make a number of payments on your behalf to others and you might find it helpful to have brief details of the main ones.
1. Stamp Duty Land Tax, a tax on house purchases, is payable at the following rates:
| £0 - £125,000 | nil |
| £125,001 - £250,000 | 1% |
| £250,001 - £500,000 | 3% |
| Over £500,000 | 4% |
There are new rules for first time buyers who will not pay stamp duty if the purchase price does not exceed £250,000. Refer to the Stamp Duty Legal Update on the website for more information.
A new rate of 5% will be introduced where the purchase price exceeds £1,000,000 if the effective date (which is normally the date of completion of the purchase) is on or after 6th April 2011.
2. Land Registry fees are also payable when you purchase a property in England and Wales. The fees vary from £50, for the cheapest property to £920 if you are buying for over £1 million.
3. Local Search. We will make a search with the local authority in respect to the property you are buying. This will give you information about planning, local plans, roads, the existance of a tree preservation order and whether the property is in a conservation area. The search is specific to the property so will not therefore disclose planning proposals in close proximity unless a separate request is made (at additional cost). The cost of a basic search varies around the country, but an average search is in the region of £150 with additional enquiries ranging from £10 upwards.
4. Environmental Search - for a cost of about £40 this will reveal such matters as Masts, Pylons, Overhead transmission lines, landfill sites and whether or not the area is subject to flooding or if the property is in an area of natural subsidence.
5. Drainage / Water Search. Whilst it is not always necessary to carry out a drainage search this may prove useful if your plans for the property include an extension. A drainage search will not only reveal te route of the nearest public sewer but also confirm whether the property drains to it. There are restrictions on building over or within 3 metres of a public sewer. It will also confirm whether or not the property is connected to a mains water supply and basis on which charges are made for water and drainage. We will only carry out a drainage / water search if we consider it necessary or you request us to do so. An average search costs £50.
6. Highway Enquiry. Not all Local Authorities are able to confirm whether the footpath or road directly abutting the property is maintainable at public expense. It may therefore be necessary to search the Highways Authority to seek confirmation of the status of the footpath/road to ensure proper rights of access exist to the property.
Our fee estimate will include all such payments and any search fees that need to be budgeted for.
If you are thinking of buying or selling Leasehold property, please specify this. There are usually other expenses that apply in Leasehold work, such as additional Stamp Duty Land Tax on new Leases and apportionments of service charges. We like to be able to estimate these for you at the outset.
Home Information Packs (HIPS)
HIPS have now been suspended and are no longer required. However, an energy performance certificate has to be supplied. We can help you organise this.
Fill in the details in the form below and click the send button to receive your quote. You can also phone or fax us if you prefer.