Selling your home can be daunting, especially with so much to think about and the logistics to consider. With our help, you’ll have the peace of mind you need to focus on planning your move.
Selling your property with our conveyancing solicitors
At BHW Conveyancing, we have a specialist team of experienced and driven property solicitors and professionals who work hard to make sure the property selling process is streamlined for our clients.
We understand that selling a home can be very stressful and you’ll always be wondering whether everything is going smoothly. Delays can be caused by unnecessary waiting times and a lack of communication between buyers and seller’s solicitors. We know the importance of open communication throughout the entire selling process. We will update you throughout the process and communicate efficiently with other solicitors, estate agents, and lenders. We will work proactively to keep all parties moving towards a successful sale completion.
To request a personal conveyancing quotation please call us on +44 (0)116 402 9000 or send us an email at info@bhwconveyancing.com.
We will update you throughout the process and communicate efficiently with other solicitors, estate agents, and lenders. We work proactively to keep all parties moving towards a successful sale completion.
Sarah Newcombe Partner & Head of Residential Property
What is the process for selling a house?
Once you have put your home on the market, arranged all the viewings, and accepted an offer on your house, it’s time to get everything in order to move out and move on. Selling your home can feel like a huge task. Not only do you need to get all your paperwork ready, but you’ve also got boxes to pack and rooms to tidy. With the right solicitors by your side and a team to rely on, the selling process can be much easier.
Picking a conveyancing solicitor
The first step is to choose a property solicitor as soon as you can. This way, you can start the selling process as efficiently as possible, reducing potential hold-ups.
Solicitors are required to complete ID and AML checks on all of their clients before beginning work on their transaction. Instructing your solicitor early will help them to complete the initial checks in your selling process without delaying your transaction.
Complete questionnaires & handover documents
Your solicitor will ask you for some information that they will need to put a draft contract pack together for the buyer. They will ask you things like what will be included in the sale, such as garden sheds, fireplaces or cabinets for instance. To help you to gather the required information, you’ll be asked to complete the following forms:
The TA6 form will ask you about any boundaries, disputes with neighbours or alterations.
The TA10 form will ask you about any fittings and fixtures within the property.
The TA7 form is only for leasehold properties and provides information about maintenance responsibilities, costs and rights to buy the freehold.
Title documents including the register and plan, conveyances, transfers and the lease if the property is leasehold.
The TA13 form will ask about completion details and whether your house is free from mortgages and liability claims.
Property survey
Your buyer may decide to instruct a surveyor to carry out a survey of your property to inspect its construction and condition. The surveyor will usually require access to the property to complete the survey and they will contact you to arrange a convenient time.
Property searches
Depending on the buyer’s circumstances, they may require or want property searches to be done. The buyer’s conveyancing solicitors will order the property searches from the relevant local authorities. This takes a few weeks and they will come back with important information about the land and surrounding areas such as whether it is affected by radon or contamination, environmental impacts, mines, flood risks or sewage networks. The search results are compiled from data held about the area, and no physical access to your property will be required to complete them.
Title report & enquiries
The buyer’s property solicitors will review all the information sent to them in the contract pack. They will raise any follow-up questions, known as ‘enquiries’, with your solicitor to confirm and clarify any details like obtaining any safety certificates, building regulations certificates or planning permissions, if applicable. Some enquiries will be answered by your conveyancing solicitor, however, in order to answer others as accurately as possible they will forward them on to you for your input. This process may continue until the buyer and their solicitor are satisfied that they have been provided with all of the relevant information about the property to proceed with the transaction.
Paying the mortgage
Your conveyancing solicitors will ask for a redemption statement from your mortgage lender if you have a mortgage on the property. They will normally do this twice, once at the beginning of the transaction to ensure there are sufficient funds coming from the sale to settle the mortgage balance on completion, and once more just prior to completion to ensure they have the most up to date figure considering any interest applied or monthly payments made. Your solicitor will be required to send the required amount to your lender to redeem the mortgage on receipt of the purchase funds from the buyer’s solicitor.
Contracts are signed & returned
Providing you are happy that you wish to go through with the sale, and the buyer is happy with the results from any surveys, searches and enquiries, you can proceed to read and sign the contracts. These will be signed by both yourself and the buyer and sent back to your respective solicitors.
Exchange & Completion
Exchange and completion are the very last stages of the property process. These can happen simultaneously on the same day, or they can happen on different days, depending on the circumstances of the buyer and the seller. Exchange of contracts is where both solicitors confirm that all the legal documents are in order and have been signed by both parties, whereas completion is where the funds are transferred and the keys can be handed over. Once your solicitor exchanges contracts with the buyer’s solicitor, all parties are tied into completing the transaction. This allows you to finalise plans for moving out of the property on or before the agreed completion day.
Your conveyancing transaction in the safest hands – and the reviews to back it up
Overall, I had such a positive experience using BHW as a first time buyer. My property purchase was quite complex and had many delays/ complications. However, Rebecca who dealt with me from the very beginning was fantastic. A very good conveyancer and a credit to the company. She explained everything thoroughly. Always responded to my phone calls and emails. I would say all the team at BHW are highly professional and helpful also including Kim who helped with exchange and completion right at the end. I will use BHW in future sales or purchases. Highly recommend.
Amy Notchell
A* service from Jennie and the team. I will certainly be using BHW again for any future matters. Thanks again.
Sam
BHW Residential were fantastic for the sale of my property. Waheeda Alli and her team – Adnan, Elle, Foram and Mariya- were brilliant. They were friendly, approachable, efficient, kept me informed throughout and worked hard to bring my sale to completion in the quick timescale I required. I have no hesitation in recommending them most highly.
Kafi Walker
The team at BHW especially Lauren & Kimberly were fantastic. The communication was excellent throughout and I felt they did absolutely everything possible to get us across the line as quickly as possible whilst also protecting our interests. I would highly recommend BHW to anyone buying or selling a property.
Chris Penney
My wife and I had the good fortune to have Binita handle our first time home purchase of a new build. BHW came highly recommended and we would gladly recommend them to any prospective home buyer. Binita was always helpful, meticulous and efficient; we absolutely sailed through to exchange and have Binita to thank for it! Thank you Binita for your lightning fast work and answering all of our questions.
Jason Wickham
What to expect from BHW Conveyancing
If you choose to sell your home with us, you can expect the highest quality standards and a specialised conveyancing team who are dedicated to your property sale experience.
At BHW Conveyancing you’ll be given a dedicated team of expert conveyancers who will work tirelessly to complete your sale. Each one of our teams is overseen by an experienced property lawyer with the required knowledge to thoroughly and seamlessly process your sale, responding to queries efficiently.
Your allocated team will always be on hand to answer your questions. You won’t be passed from pillar to post because all of your team will know your transaction. At BHW we actively manage the number of live transactions each of our conveyancing teams are handling at any given time. This ensures their caseloads are always manageable and our quality of service is protected, meaning you will always receive the best service to make your experience streamlined and personal.
BHW Conveyancing is part of BHW Solicitors Limited, which is one of the leading property law firms in Leicestershire and the wider East Midlands. BHW is a top ranked real estate firm in the East Midlands by the Legal 500, as well as being ranked in the Chambers & Partners legal industry guide.
We hold the Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) accreditation and have been awarded the Lexcel quality standard by the Law Society. This recognises our impeccable standards of competence, risk management and client care practices as conveyancing experts.
What are the first things to do when selling your house?
When you have decided that selling your home is the right move for you, there are a number of things you need to think about. The very first thing to do would be to work out how you want to sell your house and how much you want to sell it for. There are a few ways you could sell your home such as going through an auction, an estate agent or doing it yourself privately.
How long does conveyancing take?
This all depends on the route you choose and is dependent on how quickly you want to sell up. You’ll also need to decide how much you want to sell your home for. You might want to get a few valuations from different estate agents in your area to see how much they value your home at and take a look at properties that have recently sold in your area on websites such as Zoopla, which will affect the time it takes to complete the conveyancing process.
Do you need a solicitor if you are selling a house?
It is highly recommended that you instruct a local conveyancing solicitor like BHW even if you are just selling your house, and if you have a mortgage on the property your lender will likely require it. It’s also key that you are aware of the legal stages of selling a house, how searches are conducted and issues like who is responsible for any repairs before selling.
However, you do not strictly need to hire a solicitor if you are just selling your house. You should bear in mind that there are a number of legal administrative procedures throughout the process of selling a house that need to be followed, such as drafting the sales contract, approving the Transfer Deed, and changing titles through the Land Registry, as well as ensuring the sale goes through legally and on the terms expected. If you don’t understand the process or have little experience with selling a property, not having a solicitor will likely give you a headache.
Why should I engage a local conveyancing solicitor?
Selling a home without a solicitor will be complex, there is a lot of legal jargon involved and if you are not certain about the documents required or the process, you could run into some problems and delays which may ultimately frustrate your buyer enough for them to pull out of the purchase. It is also worth considering that conveyancing solicitors are required to hold appropriate professional indemnity insurance and are reportable to the Legal Ombudsman, giving you means for recourse if any aspect of your sale is not handled correctly.
What are solicitor fees for selling a house?
How much solicitors charge to sell a house can range between £500- £2000 depending upon the sale price and the circumstances involved. Usually, solicitors offer a fixed fee service based on the information available at the outset, so you have an idea of how much the overall process will cost. However, this will assume that legalities were correctly dealt with when you originally purchased the property and any additional work to rectify issues found may be subject to additional fees.
What ways can I sell a property?
The most common methods of selling a property are selling by auction, through an estate agent or selling privately. The costs, timescales, and conditions of the sale may vary depending on the method you choose. Your conveyancing solicitor can help you learn when the best time to sell your property is.
Who do you notify when selling a house?
When you’re selling your home, you should notify your mortgage lender. You will need to know what the outstanding mortgage balance is, and whether you will need to pay any penalties for leaving a fixed-term mortgage earlier than the end date for instance.
You can request a redemption statement from your lender which will give you this information. Your solicitor will also request one and set out the amounts in a completion statement for you along with the other costs associated with your sale. The Land Registry will also need to be notified so that the title deeds can be transferred, but the buyer’s solicitor will ultimately be responsible for this after completion.
Nicola Dixon
Legal Executive
Ready to get moving? Speak with a conveyancing professional
