Once a sale has been agreed, conveyancing solicitors or licensed conveyancers will be instructed by the buyer and seller. It is usual for the seller’s solicitor at this point to:
The buyer’s solicitor will act on the buyer’s behalf to:
Once the buyer’s solicitor is happy that all the legal issues have been resolved, the mortgage offer has been received along with the other monies required to pay the deposit, legal fees, and stamp duty, etc, then a date can be agreed to complete the sale. Once agreed, the buyer pays over their deposit and contracts can be “exchanged,” this is the legal point of no return. Completion is the date the seller will move out, the buyer will pay over all remaining monies for the purchase and collect the keys from the seller. This is legal completion
The completion date can be at any time and date agreed between all parties but given the need to arrange the transfer of utilities and to organise a moving company, etc, it’s normal for completion to be at least a week after the date that the contract is exchanged. Sometimes, solicitors agree to exchange contracts and complete on the same day. There is nothing wrong with this practice, but if the sale falls through at the last minute, before contracts have been exchanged, you could end up with removal lorries parked outside a home you do not own and with a great deal of expense incurred which you have no legal right to recover!
The benefit of exchanging contracts a couple of weeks before the completion date is that, if either party does not then stick to their obligations under the terms of the contract, they can be either sued by the other party and ask the courts to make the property sale proceed in accordance with the contract terms, or alternatively, sue for damages.
Usually, the seller would retain the buyer’s deposit and instruct his agent to remarket the property.
Next article: What does Completion Mean?
Skipton Building Society launches ‘Delayed Start’ mortgage meaning first time buyers won’t be required to make repayments for the first three months.
According to a survey by Skipton, first time buyers who bought their home in the last five years found that in the first three months of living there, they were spending upwards of £30,000.
5 days ago
If you have recently moved into a property with a garden that requires a little TLC, or you’d like to get on top of your current green space, check out our tips.
8 days ago
High street lender, NatWest, have launched a new product to help first-time buyers purchase a property with assistance from a family member or friend to get them on the property ladder sooner.
‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ (BNPL) schemes, such as ‘Klarna’ are short-term loans that allow shoppers to make a purchase, but delay paying for it for an agreed amount of time.
Klarna is one of the most popular BNPL services with 18 million customers in the UK alone, and offers interest-free payment options which is appealing to shoppers. However, does it affect a mortgage application?
14 days ago
We look at how to get the best Buy to Let mortgage rate, what's in store going forward, and options as a landlord with increasing costs.
23 days ago
Throughout this past week, lenders have continued to reduce their mortgage rates giving borrowers in the UK some welcome news following the change in global tariffs under US President, Donald Trump.
23 days ago
Did you know that buying a house, or relocating is in the top 10 most stressful life events?
Stress of course is an unavoidable part of life and there are many reasons why people experience stress, not just buying a house!
There are lots of effective ways to manage and reduce stress, check out our tips to help you.
With the stamp duty relief ending in England and Northern Ireland, we have listed the top 10 cheapest areas for first-time buyers as published by Rightmove.