What happens during conveyancing? A guide for buying a home in Huddersfield

If you’re buying a home in Huddersfield, you’ve probably had somebody mention conveyancing to you – but just what exactly is conveyancing and what happens whilst it’s taking place?

First, the basics.

Conveyancing is the process of transferring ownership of property from one person to another. In order to buy property, a conveyancer is needed to complete all of the necessary legal paperwork to ensure the property officially becomes yours.

Many people confuse the conveyancing process with a property survey, but they are not the same thing.

Conveyancing deals with the legal status of a property

A survey deals with the physical state of a property.

Both can play an important role in helping your house move or property purchase go ahead with fewer surprises.

Why Conveyancing Matters

When you’re buying a home in Huddersfield – be it a terraced house, a new-build, or another type of property – your conveyancer will check the legal position carefully before ownership transfers.

In the UK, a record of each and every property, domestic or commercial, is contained on the Title Register-sometimes referred to as the property deeds

The Title Register is the official record of ownership maintained by the Land Registry, and it’s this register that conveyancers use to check the legal status of a property and prepare the documents needed to Transfer the property between seller and buyer

Once a buyer completes, on that day, they become the official owner of a property and incur any liability and legal risks for anything to do with it.

Each property is unique and can come with its own set of circumstances and arrangements, some of which can be complex to understand and navigate.

For example, two or more houses may share things like water drains or access points for maintenance, in which case both or all owners would have certain legal rights concerning them.

It’s complicating factors like this which conveyancers need to check, and that process can take time.

The conveyancing process at a glance

For most who are buying a home in Huddersfield or across West Yorkshire, the conveyancing process usually follows these broad steps:

1. You’ve made an offer on a property that has been accepted
2. Choose your conveyancing solicitors and instruct them to act on your behalf
3. Await Solicitors to contact you with updates and answer any questions they may have about the property as best you can
4. Once all enquiries have been clarified, contracts will be exchanged between the buyer and seller and all parties will sign to complete the transaction
5. Money will then be transferred between the two parties
6. You’ll then be able to collect the keys from the estate agents, this is the completion date.

Common misunderstandings about conveyancing

There are a few misconceptions when it comes to conveyancing. Many people perceive the process as unnecessary, making things more complicated than they need to be.

Others think that there are certain circumstances where conveyancing becomes optional, such as if you’re a cash buyer.

Whilst we sympathise and understand that buyers are simply keen to progress with their property purchase, conveyancing is a requirement for all property transactions, and no transaction can be completed without conveyancing taking place.

In addition, the conveyancing process is not completely under your solicitor’s control. As with any transaction, property sales involve buyers and sellers, and the communication between the two sides greatly impacts the time taken for completion.

Even if your solicitor acts as promptly as possible, there is no guarantee the other side will move as quickly. Likewise, if your property purchase involves a chain, where the seller is also buying a new property, then the process can take even longer whilst all sides progress with their part of the transaction.

Another commonly misunderstood aspect of conveyancing relates to pricing.

Conveyancing is priced according to a base fee for the service and the work your conveyancer must physically conduct or produce.

As checks are carried out on a prospective property, questions may be raised which need to be clarified. Depending on the nature and volume of those enquiries, this can sometimes mean the final cost is higher than the original estimate.

How long does conveyancing take?

It depends.

As touched on above, it’s difficult to state a realistic time frame because the nature of the process means that unexpected enquiries or issues that need to be raised about a property are common.

A local conveyancing solicitor can help explain the process clearly, but the timescale will still depend on searches, enquiries, mortgage arrangements and communication between all parties.

As a bench mark: according to the Home Owner’s Alliance, the national average time frame for conveyancing is 12-16 weeks. Although this can vary, it’s wise to assume the process will take at least that long to avoid disappointment or frustration.

What you can do before you even start

1. Secure your mortgage in principle
   If you require a mortgage, arrange that before anything else. This helps you avoid spending time and money on later stages before you know what you can realistically borrow.
2. Instruct your conveyancing solicitors asap
   Once your mortgage in principle is arranged, and you’ve made an offer, instruct your conveyancing solicitor as soon as possible. Ensure that you complete all paperwork and ID.
3. Provide as much information about the property as you can
   The more information you can supply, the fewer surprises are likely to be found.
4. Respond to communications promptly.
   If you delay your responses and communications, then it will only take longer for things to progress.

If you’re buying a home in Huddersfield, choosing a solicitor who understands local property transactions can help make the process feel clearer from the outset.