I am very pleased with Laker Legal firm, my Solicitor John Hirst, was extremely helpful throughout the drawing of my prenuptial agreement. A very professional and knowledgeable approach yet warm,and friendly enough to feel comfortable with in a situation that can be quite uncanny to discuss or uneasy as per say. Thankyou again!
A city packed with culture; Bath has a rich history that draws an estimated 4 million visitors a year.
Bath’s vast tourism opportunities include dozens of sight-seeing attractions. It is renowned for its Georgian architecture, commercial spas, theatres, a bustling retail sector and service industries.
Bath is also home to many major employers, as well as 2 universities.
Bath also has strong transport links throughout the local area and to the rest of the UK. and ideal place to live or work in. It is an extremely attractive place to own or sell property.
Whether you hope to relocate to the heart of the lively City Centre in a leasehold Property, purchase freehold property in Keynsham, or, sell and downsize to a bungalow in the quieter villages in Chew Valley, at Laker Legal, we can help you with all your conveyancing needs in Bath.
What Conveyancing Services in Bath do Laker Legal offer?
Our dedicated team of conveyancing solicitors and licensed conveyancers are well experienced in dealing with all kinds of conveyancing matters. They will ensure you have all the help you need bringing your transaction to an efficient conclusion, including:
– Selling and Purchasing various types of property. We assist in relation to residential freehold properties, leasehold properties, apartments, listed buildings, new build properties, commercial property transactions and land.
– Equity Release
– Advising in relation to ownership of Property: joint tenants or tenants in common?
– Commercial Conveyancing
Why use Laker Legal for my conveyancing needs in Bath?
“Best conveyancing experience ever.”
“A solicitor firm that cared”
“I never had to chase the firm for anything. They always answered my calls efficiently.”
“I felt like they were friends not just a firm.”
You may consider that you do not need conveyancing solicitors to act for you in relation to your conveyancing matter. When buying property, some lenders won’t loan you necessary funds if you don’t hire a solicitor or conveyancer to help you.
Our conveyancing solicitors are members of the Law Society Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS). CQS is a quality standard for residential conveyancing practices. We ensure we are well equipped with the required expertise to deliver you high-quality conveyancing advice.
Our services extend to client all across the UK or worldwide wishing to buy or sell Property in Bath. We have broad, national expertise and knowledge in dealing with all kinds of complex transactions.
At Laker Legal we put client care first. We will provide you with transparent quotes for your conveyancing transaction. These quotes will clearly state the cost of the process from the start.
Once your matter is underway, our proactive, knowledgeable and efficient team of fully qualified conveyancing lawyers are here to help you, not just in Bath, but throughout England and Wales.
Our approachable and friendly conveyancing team are readily available to assist you with any queries and concerns.
All means of communication are always open. You are directly guided through the purchase or sale process by the team member handling your matter and all your queries and concerns will be remedied by the person who knows your matter in depth.
What is the difference between a conveyancing solicitor in Bath and a Conveyancer in Bath?
At Laker Legal, our Conveyancing team includes Licensed Conveyancers and Conveyancing Solicitors highly trained in completing conveyancing transactions.
Practically, there is little difference between the expertise and assistance both are able to offer to you. Conveyancing solicitors may be able to provide advice on other areas of law. However, this may not be relevant to you as a conveyancing client.
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) regulates Licensed Conveyancers. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) regulates conveyancing solicitors. The CLC and SRA have slightly different rules for their members but this does not affect you.
How much would it cost for me to use Laker Legal for conveyancing in Bath?
For a large number of conveyancing matters, we are able to offer a fixed fee service.
Our easy-to-use Conveyancing Calculator enables you to instantly know how much the transaction will cost you from the outset.
Any quote you receive in writing from our conveyancing team will remain valid for 30 days.
We will explain any extra fees that might arise during your transaction.
You may have to pay Stamp Duty upon completing your property purchase in Bath. You can calculate this using the HMRC Website. We can also help determine any Stamp Duty that will be payable on your purchase.
How long will my transaction take in Bath?
The time between you making/accepting an offer and moving in to/out of the Property depends on a range of factors. We would estimate that on average, the process can take from 8 to 12 weeks for a straightforward freehold transaction (i.e. no chain / cash purchase)
It may take place much sooner, or longer, than this estimate as the circumstances of each transaction vary considerably.
Some matters may have a large chain of parties, which each have different circumstances. Some Sellers may require a Grant of Probate before they can sell the Property to you. You may be a first-time buyer purchasing a new-build Property which is not yet build-complete. Each of these external factors can impact upon the overall length of time taken to complete your transaction.
What is the Process of purchasing Property in Bath?
Once you have instructed us regarding your Property purchase in Bath, we will request a Contract pack from the Seller’s Solicitors. This will include copies of the Land Registry Title or, if the property is unregistered, copies of the relevant Title Deeds.
If you require a Mortgage, your Lender should send us a copy of your Offer.
A crucial part of the conveyancing transaction is to obtain searches. This enables us to determine whether or not the Property is at any adverse risk.
Once we have the search results, considered your Mortgage offer and the Contract Pack, we will raise any necessary enquiries with the Seller’s solicitor.
Upon receiving satisfactory responses to the enquiries from the Seller’s solicitor, we then prepare a formal Report on Title. This report which sets out the details of the legal title and important matters you need to consider. We also report to you on your Mortgage Offer (if applicable) and your Searches.
Once you are happy to proceed, we negotiate a completion date with the Seller’s Solicitors and prepare for exchange of Contracts.
Exchange of Contracts can take place at any time before completion and sometimes, even on the day of completion itself. This process is known as simultaneous exchange and completion. If you need longer between exchange and completion for example, to make arrangements to move, you should let your Licensed Conveyancer or Solicitor know as soon as possible.
When obtaining a Mortgage, we will request funds from your Lender prior to exchanging Contracts. We will also ensure that the Lender confirms their commitment to providing the funds in a timely manner for completion.
We will prepare a financial statement known as a Completion Statement. This is a document which sets out the financial aspects of the transaction. The Completion Statement will tell you how much we need from you to complete the purchase. We will ask you to send us funds before exchange of Contracts.
Exchanging Contracts is a key part of the process. It is at this point that the Contract becomes legally binding. Completion of the purchase will take place on the agreed completion date.
The Contract usually requires a 10% deposit upon exchanging. However, it is not common for this deposit to be sent to the Seller’s Solicitors.
The deposit is usually “held to order”. It will be held by us in our Client Account. Deposits can be requested at any time by the Seller’s Solicitors.
On completion, the full purchase price (including any other agreed amounts) is sent to the Seller’s Solicitors to formally complete.
Once Contracts have been exchanged, we are now in the final stages of the conveyancing transaction: completion. Completion will take place on the agreed date and the Seller will make arrangements to vacate the property if they have not already done so.
Completion is typically done around midday. However, the exact timing depends on the chain and the speed at which funds moves through the banking system. Rest assured, we will keep you informed and notify you if there are any potential delays in completion. We will keep you updated and let you know if completion might be delayed for any reason.
Once the funds have been received by the Seller’s Solicitors, you will be able to collect the keys to your new home from the estate agent’s. The transaction is now complete.
Following completion, we will pay Stamp Duty Land Tax and register the Property in your name with the Land Registry.
What searches will I require in relation to my Property Purchase in Bath?
Most searches are general but also may specific to the local area in Bath. For example, in Bath, it may be important to carry out a Flood Risk search. It is estimated there are currently around 500 properties which are at 1% risk of flooding. Experts estimate this may increase to around 2000 properties in coming years, as a result of the impact of climate change.
Most common searches include:
– Local Authority Searches are one of the most important searches. They address whether the Property is subject to any legally binding restrictions or local land charges. This may include financial charges or planning decisions within a 250m radius potentially impacting the Property and other important information.
– Water and drainage Searches to ensure you are aware of the essential information concerning mains waterworks and drainage.
– Environmental Search to determine whether there are environmental issues that could affect the Property
– Land Registry Searches confirm any changes to the Title since a copy of it was issued and also protect your Lender’s interest in the property
– Flood Risk Searches where there are concerns that the Property is vulnerable to flooding.
– Mining Searches to determine whether the Property could be impacted by an old mine.
If you are buying the property with a mortgage, then the Lender will require a Local Authority Search, Drainage and Water Search and Environmental Search. Additional further Searches may be needed. We will advise you if this is the case.
What do I need to provide Laker Legal for my purchase of the Property in Bath to complete?
You should ensure you have complete documentation including:
– photographic identification
– proof of address
– proof of funds for the purchase
– Your mortgage offer (This may also be sent to us by your Lender)
How can Laker Legal assist me in selling the Property I own in Bath?
The process of selling Property in Bath is as follows:
At the outset of your matter, we will obtain the legal title to the property from the Land Registry.
We will draft the Contract for sale and obtain any other documentation we need, for example Leasehold information Packs if the Property you are selling is a leasehold. Your Landlord and/or Management Company may charge a fee for obtaining this information.
If there are any mortgages registered against the Property, we will obtain redemption figures from the mortgage company.
The Buyer’s Solicitors will send us the Transfer Deed for approval. After Completion, this will be sent to the Land Registry to change the legal ownership of the property into the Buyer’s name.
Once the Buyer’s Solicitors have reviewed the draft Contract and the documentation required, they will raise their enquiries.
We deal with these enquiries and negotiate a completion date. We can then prepare for exchange of Contracts.
To prepare for exchange, we obtain an updated Redemption Statement from your Lender. We will also obtain details of the estate agent’s fees and prepare a completion statement. If the property is leasehold, we will obtain up to date ground rent statements, service charge statements and prepare any necessary apportionment statements.
On completion, the Seller’s Solicitors will send the purchase monies to us. They will also send any other agreed amounts (such as apportionments for service charges/ground rent). On receipt of the funds, legal completion has taken place. We will inform you that completion has taken place and authorise your estate agent to release the keys to the Buyers.
Once monies are received, we will redeem the mortgage. We will also settle the estate agent’s fees and transfer the remainder of the sale proceeds to you. This concludes the transaction.
What do I need to provide Laker Legal for my sale of the Property in Bath to complete?
You should ensure you have complete documentation, such as:
– Land Registry Title Documentation
– Property Information Forms
– Fixtures and Fittings Forms
– Energy Performance Certificate
– Mortgage information
– All necessary certificates and planning permission documentation
How can I instruct Laker Legal Solicitors in Bath?
Please contact us on 01225 251576 . We are happy to have a chat and discuss the initial stages of your matter. You can also request a quote via our website.
