Residential property solicitors

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Buying or selling your home

Moving home? Looking to refinance or transfer ownership? We can help on a wide range of residential property matters.

We know that this is the biggest financial commitment you are ever likely to make and is often one of the most stressful. We understand this and so want to make the process easy and trouble-free for you.

Our services

We are able to offer advice and guidance on a wide variety of residential property matters including the following :-

• General sale and purchase transactions both freehold and leasehold
• Remortgages
• Transfer of ownership and gifts of property
• Sale and purchase of newly built properties
• Shared ownership properties to include staircasing (the purchase of additional shares)
• Equity release and Lifetime mortgages
• Drafting of new leases, Lease extensions or amendment
• Advising on and registration of second charges and additional loans such as HM Forces and keyworker loans
• Granting and terminating rights of way and other easements
• Joint ownership agreements
• Residential Tenancy Agreements and licences
• Auction sales and purchases
• Probate sales and gifts
• Collective Enfranchisement and Right to Manage
• Sale and purchase of Commonhold properties
• Applications to the Land Registry for adverse possession of land and bulk applications for voluntary first registration.

Our primary aim is to make sure that your property transaction is completed quickly with little complication whilst providing you with an efficient, personal service. Our experienced Property team know that effective communication, good file management and often a sense of humour all play a vital part in achieving a successful outcome for you.

Call us for a no-obligation quote or pop in to any one of our four offices to discuss your specific requirements.

Why choose Kiteleys?

We are specialist property experts
All of our team are highly experienced and pride ourselves on being professional, friendly and accessible. We have the understanding and capacity to take on the simple to the most sophisticated transactions in today's marketplace. Your file will be assigned to a qualified member of the team and they will personally deal with your transaction to make the conveyancing process move quickly and smoothly.

We offer fixed all-inclusive legal costs
We are proud to offer the highest level of personal service and expert advice at competitive rates with no hidden costs. If you would like to speak to a member of our residential property team, please do not hesitate to telephone and discuss your individual requirements. We can easily provide you with a prompt and full breakdown of legal and third party costs.

We keep you updated
We know the value of good communication with all parties involved in the transaction and so will work closely with you right the way through. We will regularly telephone and write to you by post or e-mail to keep you updated. Likewise, you are always welcome to call in to see us at any one of our four offices to discuss any aspect of your sale or purchase.

We have excellent case management systems
Our investment in case management procedures allows us to manage the routine day-to-day paperwork and deal efficiently with correspondence. This leaves our team free to deal with you and anyone else involved in the transaction, meaning we can offer a more timely and reliable service.

We are independent
We are independent property lawyers and unfortunately, we are noticing that national estate agents are convincing clients to use their preferred panel of solicitors. Please be aware that a number of agents have financial agreements with such firms who often have no local knowledge and do not offer a personal service. It is of course your decision who you decide to act on your behalf but it is reassuring to instruct a local firm with local knowledge who have only your interests as its priority.

How does the home selling and buying process work?

Essentially, there are three main stages to a standard conveyancing process.

Stage 1 - Initial investigations
Once you have instructed your solicitor, the estate agents will send out a Memorandum of sale giving details regarding the seller and buyer, the property, price and any other relevant information. Once received, both the sellers and buyers solicitors will contact each other to confirm they are instructed to act in the matter.

As a seller, you will need to complete various property information forms which although are lengthy, they are fairly simple to complete and help reduce delays as most information is provided at an early sage in the process. A seller will also need to complete a contents list detailing items that are to be included or excluded from the sale.

Once all forms are back with the sellers solicitor and the title documents are to hand, the solicitor will prepare and issue, to the buyers solicitors, the contract package which will include copies of the title deeds (and Lease if applicable), property information forms, contents list, guarantees, planning documents and any other supporting documentation.

As a buyer, not much can realistically be done until the contract package has been sent by the sellers solicitor. Once received however, your solicitor will review all paperwork and if necessary, raise any further enquiries with the sellers solicitor on matters that need further information or clarification on. The seller may be required to assist with answering such enquiries.

At this stage, the buyers solicitor will apply for the searches with the Local Authority, Environment Agency, Water Board and any other agencies that may be appropriate to each individual case.

Buyers will be responsible for arranging their own mortgage, if one is required. They must ensure that it is progressing well and a written offer is sent with a duplicate copy to their solicitor as soon as possible. A delay in receiving a correct written offer, may lead to a delay in progressing the matter.

It is also strongly recommended that a buyer obtains an independent survey to advise as to the state and condition of the building. Neither solicitor will be able to do this and a seller is unlikely to have any specialist knowledge to give a specific reply that could be replied upon.

Once all information once to hand (importantly the replies to enquiries raised, results of all searches and a written mortgage offer) the buyers solicitor will then collate and fully report to the buyer on the legal and financial aspects of the property with paperwork for signing.

If all is satisfactory, a contract is sent to the seller and one to the buyer for signing in readiness for progressing the matter further. The contract would have previously been agreed between solicitors so they are exact copies. Please note that simply signing the contract does not bind you to the sale or purchase at this stage - this occurs at stage 2, exchange.

Stage 2 - Exchange of contracts
Exchange of contracts is when the contract becomes contractually binding between a seller and buyer - this is essentially, your point of no return! Once respective solicitors are holding a signed contract from their client and the completion date (your moving day) has been agreed between all parties involved in the chain, the exchange of contracts takes place.

Exchange usually happens over the telephone between solicitors and it is at this stage that a deposit (typically 10% of the purchase price) is paid by the buyer to the seller via their solicitor. Please note that money should never pass between the seller and buyer directly.

Rest assured, we will not authorise the exchange of contracts without speaking to you immediately before - you may have won the lottery the night before and decide not to proceed! Similarly, if you are buying and selling together, there are procedures in place to prevent you owning two homes or neither.

Following exchange, the solicitors will then prepare matters ready for the next stage - completion.

Stage 3 - Completion
This is your moving day and usually happens about lunchtime, if not sooner.

The process starts with the buyer when the balance of the purchase price is sent by electronic banking to the sellers solicitors. Once they receive the funds, the property is sold.

As a seller, you need to vacate the property of all of your belongings and cleared of all rubbish as soon as possible and then drop the keys in to the estate agents office. The buyer will then collect the keys from the agents and begin moving in.

The solicitors will then deal with several post completion issues such as repaying any mortgages, paying third party costs or dealing with the stamp duty and Land Registry formalities before closing the file.

How long is this likely to take?

How long is a piece of string? We understand that this is not at all helpful to you but it is difficult to advise on any given timescale before the transaction has really begun.

You are likely to be part of a chain of transactions that extend beyond both your control and ours and so the chain can only move as quickly as the slowest link.

For example, we can ensure you are ready to exchange contracts within say 6 weeks but if your buyer does not have their mortgage offer in place, the matter cannot proceed until that offer is to hand. Similarly, your seller may have previous commitments such as a month long holiday so frustratingly matters must be put on hold until their return.

We can however guarantee that we will of course keep you updated as to timescales as the transaction progresses.

How much will it cost?

We are proud to offer the highest level of personal service and expert advice at competitive rates with no hidden costs - we are able to offer you an all inclusive fixed fee on our legal costs.

If you would like to speak to a member of our residential property team, please do not hesitate to telephone and discuss your individual requirements. We can easily provide you with a prompt and full breakdown of legal and third party costs.

We have prepared three online quotation forms to help you calculate the cost of moving with Kiteley's solicitors.

Purchasing a new property

If you are looking to buy a new house and want to find out our conveyancing charges, please see our 'calculate cost of purchasing a new property' form

Remortgaging a property

If you are looking to remortgage a property and want to find out our legal fees, please see our 'calculate cost of remortgaging a property' form

Selling your property

If you are looking to sell your property and want to find out our legal fees, please see our 'calculate cost of selling your property' form

We'd be happy to answer your questions! Call us on 01202 299992 or enquire online.

Request a call back!