Conveyancing
Buying your first home brings plenty of questions, from making an offer to knowing when you can collect the keys. You do not need to understand every legal term before calling. We help you make sense of the paperwork, costs and decisions involved, with room to ask questions along the way.
Understanding your next steps
We review the title, contract, searches and replies to enquiries. For a leasehold home, the remaining lease, service charges, ground rent and planned works need attention. Tell us about intended alterations, letting or other plans so relevant restrictions can be checked.
Tell us early if someone is contributing money. A gift and a repayable loan are different arrangements, and your lender’s requirements must be checked. Identity documents, bank statements and evidence showing how the money was obtained may be needed from you and the person helping.
If you are buying with someone else, discuss ownership before exchange. Different deposits, family contributions and what should happen on separation or death can affect the arrangement. A declaration of trust and a will may be relevant alongside the purchase.
A clear way forward
Send the property address, agreed price, estate agent and lender details, identification and an outline of your deposit. Mention any purchase scheme or deadline.
We explain the legal documents and raise enquiries. Arrange a suitable survey separately and share any findings that may need legal investigation.
When the necessary checks and funding are ready, we discuss exchange, the completion date and the money needed to finish the purchase.
Planning ahead
Your quotation should separate legal fees, VAT and payments to others, called disbursements, such as searches and registration fees. Budget separately for the survey, mortgage charges, moving and any property tax. Ask what additional work could change the estimate, particularly for leasehold or more complex purchases.
Timing depends on the mortgage, enquiries, searches and other buyers and sellers in the chain. Leasehold management information can add time. A preferred moving date is a starting point, not a confirmed completion date.
Read our published Price Guide, then contact us to confirm the work you need and the costs involved.
View Price GuideUseful to know
No. In England, SDLT relief depends on the price and each buyer meeting its conditions. Wales uses Land Transaction Tax, with different rules and no specific first-time buyer relief.
Often, but tell your lender and solicitor early. The arrangement and source of the money need checking; moving it into your account does not remove those checks.
No. A survey considers the property’s physical condition. Conveyancing addresses legal matters, and the lender’s valuation serves a different purpose. Ask a surveyor which survey suits the property.
Ask about the lease length, recurring charges, planned major works and restrictions on using the flat. These can affect your budget and future plans.
Exchange makes the purchase contract binding. Completion is when the purchase money is transferred and the transaction finishes, normally allowing you to collect the keys.
Tell us and your ISA provider before withdrawing money. A qualifying first-home purchase has conditions, including when you first paid into the account, the property price and the mortgage arrangements. The provider pays the funds to the solicitor or conveyancer. Taking the money out yourself can trigger a withdrawal charge. Check the current GOV.UK rules before relying on the funds.
Yes. Give us the lender's name before instructing us. We need to confirm the representation arrangements and whether the lender requires its own solicitor. Any separate legal fees and effect on the timetable should be clear before you proceed.
General information for England and Wales. Contact us for advice about your circumstances.
SJS Solicitors · Balham
