Housebuying In The UK: How It Happens, What to Do
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Many people wonder why buying a house is such a time-consuming process. The answer is that many different legal areas (land deeds, contracts, planning, insurance etc) as well as multiple interested parties (buyer, seller, lenders, legal representatives, government, local council etc) need to dealt with.
All of this takes time – and paperwork! Probably the best advice that can be given to first-buyers who wish the process to be as smooth as possible is to place their affairs in the hands of genuine professional property lawyers with extensive local knowledge.
A good local solicitor will have the contacts on the ground, as well as the legal expertise, to ensure swift completion. Once you have been granted finance by your lender, the solicitor will prepare and fine-check title deeds and contracts, deal with local authority checks and handle your mortgage transfer. Your role will be to secure adequate insurance for the property, arrange a survey and find a removals company if required. Again, a practised local solicitor will usually be able to advise on these services, or arrange directly on your behalf.
Once all relevant documentation is signed, contracts are exchanged. At this point a deposit is lodged with the seller’s lawyers, final searches are conducted and a title certificate is sent to your lender subject to the mortgage advance being received. As a buyer your insurance cover should be activated and your removal arrangements confirmed.
Your solicitor will present you with a full financial statement and you contact the estate agent to arrange, subject to completion, collection of the keys. The balance of the mortgage will be transferred to your solicitor by your lender , with the appropriate monies then being advanced to the seller's solicitor, who returns title deeds.
Any surplus funds agreed with your lender are released to yourselves. All being well, you now collect the keys and move in, with your solicitor tying up loose ends such as paying stamp duties and registering ownership with the Land Registry.
All done: you're a homeowner.
