• Home
  • Our Services
  • Services for Individuals
  • Conveyancing Solicitors in West Sussex

Conveyancing Solicitors in West Sussex

There is a lot to take care of when buying and selling property. Often, all of the individual steps can start to feel like hurdles when you’re looking forward to getting into your new home. With packing, finances and relocating on your mind, having a conveyancing solicitor to take care of the paperwork and organise everything can lighten the load.

SMR Solicitors specialise in conveyancing and have been proudly recognised by the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme for our outstanding services.

Our dedicated Residential Property team have years of experience with all aspects of conveyancing and work closely with clients to complete their transactions quickly and efficiently.

Our conveyancing solicitors can help you with:

  • Buying property
  • Selling property
  • Shared Ownership
  • Remortgaging

Speak to our conveyancing solicitors in West Sussex

To discuss your requirements and find out how we can help, please get in touch to speak to one of our expert conveyancing solicitors.

Our conveyancing services

Buying property

Whether you are a first-time buyer or adding to a portfolio, buying property is a big investment.

Our residential property solicitors can help you secure your purchase on the best terms without being tripped up by contracts and fees.

We will support you throughout the process, ensuring it is in your interests to proceed and protect you from any issues arising further down the line.

Selling Property

Whether you are selling your family home or regularly making residential sales, the housing market can still find ways to surprise you.

When you’re ready to sell your property, we can offer expert conveyancing advice to ensure you get a fair price and your transaction completes smoothly.  

Shared Ownership

Shared ownership schemes can help to make house purchases accessible for first-time buyers.

If you enter into a shared ownership scheme, you will buy a share of the property and pay rent to a landlord on the rest.

The amount of the home that you own can range between 10% and 75%, and there are different rules for shared ownership in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

You may also be in a position to buy more shares in the home over time to reduce the rent that you have to pay, in a process known as staircasing.

Shared ownership can open doors for people who are eager to buy a home but financially need an extra boost to get there.

Remortgaging

There are a range of reasons why you may be considering remortgaging, such as wanting to secure a better rate or release equity from your property for home improvements.

Our residential conveyancing solicitors can review the documentation to ensure you understand the implications of remortgaging and help facilitate the process to ensure your old mortgage is settled and you are smoothly transitioned to a new one.

Frequently asked questions about conveyancing

What is conveyancing?

Conveyancing is the legal process of transferring property from one party to another.

It can be handled by yourself, a solicitor, or a licenced conveyancer, whose job it is to facilitate the buying and selling of property.  

How much does conveyancing cost?

At SMR Solicitors, we recognise that the cost of buying and selling a house is a significant consideration.

So, to give you a good understanding of what our fees would look like, we put together a conveyancing quote page.

Please reach out if you have any questions or would like to discuss fees.

How long does conveyancing take?

The conveyancing process typically takes between 12 and 16 weeks, including pre-contract work, mortgage offer negotiations, contract drafting, and contract completion.

It can take less time if everything goes smoothly, however, factors such as delays in mortgage approval or issues raised by a property survey can slow down the process.

What is the conveyancing process?

For buying a house, the process begins when:

  • The buyer makes an offer on the property and the seller accepts.
  • A survey of the home is arranged (to check for infrastructural damages or other issues such as mould).
  • If necessary, applications for a mortgage are made.
  • The buyer’s and seller’s solicitor then take care of some detail work, including:
    • Obtaining the contract pack from the seller or seller’s solicitor.
    • The buyer’s solicitor goes through the contract pack and takes the opportunity to make any pre-contract enquiries.
    • They also obtain a copy of the mortgage offer.
    • The buyer’s solicitor reads through the pack and informs their client of its contents, talks through the mortgage offer, and considers any pre-contract questions.
  • Once the buyer is happy to go forward, the deposit is made to the buyer’s solicitor in preparation for the contract exchange.
  • The contracts are exchanged, and the buyer and seller agree on a formal completion date. The exchange of contracts means that everyone involved is now legally committed to the transaction.
  • The buyer’s solicitor gets the completion statement ready, and pre-completion searches are carried out.
  • The buyer’s solicitor also arranges a mortgage loan with the buyer’s mortgage lender.

At completion, the seller will vacate the property on the agreed date and the buyer’s solicitor will send the proceeds of the sale to the seller’s solicitor.

  • The seller’s solicitor will release the keys to the estate agent, along with the title deeds and transfer deeds.
  • The buyer’s solicitor receives all of this and then sends the Stamp Duty payable to HMRC and registers the new owner with the Land Registry.
  • The buyer can move into their new home and enjoy their new property.

For selling a house, the process starts with:

  • The seller receiving an offer on their property.
  • The seller’s solicitor can then review the offer and write a letter that lays out the fixed fee costs and terms of business.
  • The seller’s solicitor will carry out proof of identity checks and send a property information form and a fittings and contents form for completion.
  • The seller signs these forms. Then, more paperwork is gathered and prepared:
  • The title deeds and copies of the title registry (alongside any details required by The Land Registry) are collected by the seller’s solicitor.
  • Also, if there are any outstanding amounts on any preexisting mortgages, this information is collected.
  • A draft contract and supporting contract documentation are written by the seller’s solicitor and sent to the buyer’s solicitor.
  • Any pre-contract enquiries are received and answered between the solicitors. Hopefully, the buyer’s solicitor finds that the searches and questions have been fulfilled and that they, if needed, have a mortgage offer.
  • The buyer and seller arrange a completion date and the contracts are exchanged.
  • The seller’s solicitor checks over the transfer deed and then sent across for signatures.
  • The seller can now move out and hand over the keys to the estate agent. Once all the payments are settled, the process is complete.

Do I need a solicitor to buy or sell a house?

There is no legal requirement to use a solicitor whilst buying or selling a house.

However, a property is a significant investment, and the conveyancing process needs to be carried out accurately to avoid any potential issues further down the line.

A conveyancing solicitor offers the security of knowing that you’re getting the best deal possible with no unwelcome surprises.

Speak to our conveyancing solicitors in West Sussex

To discuss your requirements and find out how we can help, please get in touch to speak to one of our conveyancing specialists in Chichester, East Wittering, Selsey or Bognor Regis.

For further information, speak to one of our experts