What is conveyancing?
What is conveyancing?
Conveyancing is the legal process of transferring ownership of a property from one person to another. Whether you’re buying, selling, remortgaging or doing all of these at once, a conveyancer or property solicitor manages the contracts, carries out the searches, liaises with mortgage lenders and the Land Registry, and handles the transfer of money on completion.
What does a conveyancer actually do?
- Reviews and prepares contracts between buyer and seller.
- Carries out property searches (local authority, environmental, water and drainage) to surface anything that could affect the property’s value or your ability to sell later.
- Raises and answers enquiries about the title, boundaries, planning and building regulations.
- Handles the money — deposit, mortgage funds, stamp duty and the final balance — and registers the change of ownership at the Land Registry.
How a quote is made up
A typical conveyancing quote combines three things: the legal fee (the firm’s charge for the work), VAT on that fee, and disbursements (third-party costs such as searches, Land Registry fees and bank transfer fees). Comparing quotes side by side is the easiest way to see the true total cost rather than a headline legal fee.
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