Moving house can be a stressful experience for anyone.  There are so many different things to organise and arrange.  Here at Wilkins we aim to guide you through the formalities in a friendly and efficient way.

It will help us to get things underway for you quickly if you can let us know when you decide to sell, even if you do not immediately have a buyer.  If your home is mortgaged, we can get the Deeds from the Bank or Building Society avoiding unnecessary delay.  We use the Law Society’s Transaction Scheme where the idea is to give the buyer a complete package of documentation at the outset.  We will ask you to complete some forms about the property before the sale goes ahead.  We can also let you know about costs.

Some things to think about if you are buying

The Mortgage.   Wilkins are Panel Solicitors for most Building Societies and Banks and so we will usually be able to act for your Lender as well as you. If you chose a lending institution where Wilkins are not Panel Solicitors, the lender may require their own Solicitors to act on the Mortgage at your cost.  The Mortgage Lender will do a valuation of the property, but that is only a valuation from the Lender’s benefit.  Its purpose is to confirm the Lender should get back the money lent if the property were sold.

Joint Purchases.   You may be buying jointly with your spouse or partner and you will need to consider which form of joint ownership to go for.  One is a joint tenancy, the other is a tenancy in common.  If it is a joint tenancy, the property goes to the survivor on the death of the first.  With a tenancy in common on the death of that person's share goes to his or her beneficiaries.

Local Searches.   We make Searches with the Local Authority but this is in respect only of the property you are buying and so the term Local Search is slightly misleading.  The fees charged by Local Authorities vary from about £85.00 to about £150.00 and we will ask you for a cheque for the Local Search when you decide that you are going ahead.

Identity.    We are required by law to check your identity when you instruct us on either a purchase or a sale.  This means that we will normally require to see some photographic identification (eg a passport or driver's license) together with evidence of your current address (eg a recent utility bill).   If you are not coming into the office we will require 3 types of id.   We hope you will understand the need for this.

Survey.   It is often wise to have at least a Home Buyers Report done on the house you are thinking of buying.  We can suggest a suitable Surveyor if you need help organising this.

What does it cost?   

We feel that our costs are highly competitive.  We will give you an estimate of our costs at the outset.   If you want a quote' please telephone.    This is not normally altered, but we will explain to you the circumstances in which it might have to be amended such as our finding a fundamental problem with the title of the Seller.  If the sale or purchase is abortive, we will have to make a charge for the work done.  We can give you details of Stamp Duty, Land Registry fees, Local Searches and the other expenses that go with buying or selling your home.  

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We believe the information contained herein to be correct at the time of publication. While all possible care is taken in the compilation and presentation of this web site, no responsibility for loss occasioned by any person acting or refraining from acting as a result of the material on this web site can be accepted by this firm or the author. The information only relates to English and Welsh law and legal practice.