Conveyancing fees vary from firm to firm and according to the type and size of the property. When comparing conveyancing solicitor’s quotes please ensure you check like-for-like. Not all property conveyancing specialists offer fixed fees and in some cases there may be additional costs not quoted to you from the outset.

Both are regulated and capable of taking on the sale or purchase of your property. If it is a commercial conveyancing transaction you will often need to talk to a conveyancing solicitor as this area of law can be more complex.

Every sale and purchase is different and sometimes the slightest hiccup can hold up the process but typically it can be completed in 12 weeks. Our conveyancing specialists have completed conveyancing processes much quicker than this and others have taken much longer.

For property buyers, the stages include 1. Offer to vender, 2. Instruction of a conveyancer, 3. Payment of upfront fees, 4. Property Searches, 5 Mortgage offer, 6. Survey, 7. Deposits, 8. Planning of completion date, 9. Exchange and 10. Completion

For property seller, the stages 1. Find an estate agent and put property on the market. 2. Accept an offer, 3. Instruct a conveyancing solicitor, 4.Get an energy assessment, 5. Draft contracts, 6. Agree completion date, 7. Exchange, 8. Completion

Your property conveyancer will request a settlement figure for your mortgage if required and with liaise with all relevant parties to the completion.

The property searches in a property purchase include: Local Authority, Water and Drainage, Environmental, Commons Registration, Coal Mining, Land Charges, Index Map Search, Disadvantaged Areas, Chancel Repair
and Indemnity Insurance.

This is very much dependent on the local council. In most cases it is 2 – 3 weeks. This process can be lengthier if the results require further investigation if for example a problem has shown up in a search that could affect the value of the property.

Typically conveyancing lawyers recommend a window of 1 to 2 weeks to allow both parties time to organise themselves, book removal companies etc.

Divorces can take between 6-8 months but timescales can be prolonged if there is a lack of co-operation from one party or there are complicated financial arrangements.

Managing finances is central to the discussions for most divorcing couples and it is important from the outset that you seek legal advice to set out financial arrangements that are sustainable. If it’s a question of your spouse just refusing to pay when clearly they have the funds to pay then the matter can be raised with the court.

Yes unless your case involves domestic violence. If you jointly own the property, you have the right to remain in the property during the divorce process. If one of you moves out, you are both still responsible for paying your share of the mortgage until you come to a final decision on the property.

Ideally you should get your divorce underway and finalise the deal in a financial order approved by the court. An informal agreement, even if in writing, between husband and wife, however well intentioned, won’t stop any issues in the future.  For example, your husband could ask for the house to be sold at any time and due to his own money issues could stop paying maintenance etc.  A financial order is legally binding and will give you peace of mind and the ability to plan for the future.

We urge anyone with children or assets to seek professional advice from a solicitor when writing a Will. There are delicate decisions to be made around guardians for children, assets to give to beneficiaries as well as who to name as executors. A meeting with a professional will writer will not only simplify the process for you but it will ensure you avoid any costly mistakes.

Making a Will is one of the single most important documents you will create in your lifetime. Will-writing is not a regulated service which means the protection you have if something should go wrong varies hugely depending on who writes it. Insufficient knowledge on making or executing a Will can render it invalid.

If you do not make a Will you cannot be sure of protecting your loved ones. Without a Will your estate is declared intestate and your family will have to follow specific and sometimes lengthy procedures to manage your possessions. This can be particularly distressing and, in some cases, can lead to family disputes.

Yes, our probate solicitors will help you with the process of registering the death, applying for probate and managing the estate including paying any tax liabilities.

Like any conveyancing transaction the timescales vary on the readiness of parties involved and the complexity of the transaction.  On average it can take 6 to 12 weeks from initial agreement, however, multiple parties and more complex transactions will take longer.

Local authority searches for planning issues or restrictions, Environmental searches to search for any risks e.g. contamination, Water & drainage – to ensure property is connected to services and Title searches to check legal ownership and any encumbrances on the property.

Thorough investigation of the property to uncover any liabilities or potential issues is key.  Planning permissions and regulations, environmental compliance, details of leases and obligations and much more all form part of the solicitors due diligence in a commercial property purchase.

A commercial conveyancing solicitor is required for the purchase or sale of any commercial property.  This can be an office, a shop, an industrial unit or any other type of commercial building.

Solicitors have a professional duty to keep the affairs of their current and former clients confidential, unless disclosure is required or permitted by law, or it is consented to by the client. The duty of confidentiality in mergers and acquisitions is also buttressed by Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure Agreements, which protect the secrecy of deals and information disclosed between the parties. The requirement for solicitors to uphold their duty of confidentiality is one of fundamental importance to the profession.

These can be complex transactions with a large number of documents, which can be lengthy and technical.  The knowledge and experience of a commercial solicitor is therefore essential to protect the parties to a merger or an acquisition, regardless of whether you are the buying, or the selling party. Our commercial solicitors will also conduct legal due diligence to investigate the target’s affairs and make sure that any risks associated with the target are fairly allocated between the parties.

It is difficult to estimate a timeframe for completion on transactions relating to mergers and acquisitions. It depends on a number of factors, such as the progress of negotiations, the extent of due diligence required, if any consents are required and if conditions have to be satisfied. For this reason, it is difficult to estimate a completion date at the outset and it will often become clearer as the transaction progresses. However, if there is a preferred date in mind, our commercial team will be happy to work towards a reasonable and realistic timeframe.

There are various post-completion matters a commercial solicitor instructed on behalf of the buyer can deal with. These may include arranging payment of stamp duty, making any constitutional changes, updating Companies House records and facilitating payment of any deferred consideration.

It is possible to structure payment for a business in various ways, subject to the agreement of the parties. Payment can be by instalments, and part of the consideration can be paid conditionally, based on the performance of the target post-completion, by way of an earn-out if the sellers are to continue to work for the target. Loan notes can also be used to enable the sellers to roll over part of any capital gain.  There can also be adjustments to the purchase price, which must again, be agreed by the parties, on production of an agreed set of completion accounts. However, it is worth noting that the adjustment to completion accounts works both ways, so a buyer may end up having to pay more than initially agreed.