Our highly qualified and experienced conveyancing team has in-depth knowledge of the local area and property market.
Here’s a helpful guide so that you can be confident of having remembered everything to make your move day go smoothly.
How much will it cost? Get an instant estimate with our online calculator.
Buying and selling houses is not just about paperwork, it’s about people and their futures.
Our diligent and highly qualified property team has a strong focus on looking after you and your interests while working efficiently on your behalf. Add to that our attention to detail and in-depth knowledge of the local area, and the likelihood of any unexpected hold-ups or unwelcome revelations is greatly diminished.
We are proud to have helped communities all over our region and beyond for more than 100 years. It is quite possible that we have dealt with property matters for your parents, grandparents, and even great-grandparents!
Our conveyancing property advice team has an excellent reputation for its service and is also a member of the Law Society's Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS), which provides a recognised quality standard for residential conveyancing practices.
From high-value properties to studio flats, from portfolio holders to first-time buyers, you can be confident in entrusting one of life’s most significant financial commitments to us.
Our exceptional service is backed up by knowledge of the local property market and a genuine desire to protect your investment and your future. So, whether you are a seasoned buyer or on the first rung of the property ladder, we always have an eye on the bigger picture and on protecting you and your assets.
Our conveyancing and property solicitors are committed to simplifying the process of buying a property, and our local knowledge and timely communication eliminate avoidable delays and stress.
It starts with setting out a clear path to completing your purchase and then keeping you informed at every stage.
Once you have appointed our property lawyers to act on your behalf, our conveyancing team will receive details of the seller, their solicitor, and the deal agreed upon from the estate agent (if they have used one). We will then explain the process and what you need to do, along with details of our fees and terms of business.
It may be sensible to be careful about mentioning your property purchase on social media. Criminals have software enabling them to pick up key words and gain information that can help them to commit property fraud.
The seller's solicitor will send us a draft contract package which includes relevant information regarding the property. We will consider all these documents and investigate the ‘title’ – a legal document with important information including the current owner, any restrictions and official boundaries. Then we will report back to you and raise any queries with the other solicitors.
Once we have received the location plan of the property, we will submit the Local Authority Search (which provides vital information such as development plans for the area and for neighbouring properties) and any other searches that you have requested, such as flood risk for example.
If you are obtaining a mortgage, we will need to see your mortgage offer before we can exchange contracts. Once this is received, we will arrange for you to sign the mortgage deed.
The mortgage company will have organised a valuation to confirm you have offered a fair market price for the property. We advise you to commission a more detailed private survey at this point in the proceedings.
Once our conveyancing solicitors have received the replies to our searches, and enquiries regarding the property title, your mortgage offer and all outstanding documents, we will send you a full report on the title and arrange for you to sign the contract.
Once a completion date has been agreed upon with all parties in the chain, contracts will be exchanged, and the transaction will become legally binding.
At this point, it is usual to pay 10% of the purchase price if you do not have a related sale. However, in some circumstances, it can be reduced. If you do have a related sale, we can normally use your buyers’ deposit as your deposit for your onward purchase.
We will draft a transfer deed (a legally binding document which transfers ownership of the property) and have this approved by the seller’s solicitors. A full completion statement is then prepared, at which point we will require our fees. We will also arrange for you to sign a form relating to Stamp Duty Land Tax.
Completion is the date that the property becomes legally yours, and you move. We will receive the monies from your related sale and from your mortgage company (unless you are a cash buyer) and will transfer this to the seller’s solicitors’ bank. Once they have received the funds, completion will take place, and they will arrange the release of the keys.
Once the purchase has been completed, we will pay any Stamp Duty Land tax owed on your behalf. We will receive the documents from the seller’s solicitors and register your title to the property at HM Land Registry. We then send you the office copy entries for you to keep safe.
Generally, the legal process for buying a property takes between 8 - 12 weeks from when we receive your formal instructions and the contract pack from the seller solicitor. We do everything in our power to keep things on track, but we are dependent on the efficiency of third parties.
This part of buying a property can seem unusual, intrusive or complex, so here are some questions and answers!
There are many reasons for selling a home, and at Wilkin Chapman, we are here for you – whether it’s a happy occasion or a consequence of life’s challenges.
We will efficiently carry out the vital conveyancing work needed to complete your sale, keeping you informed and supporting you along the way.
Our team does everything it can to ensure that no unnecessary stress is added to the process, so you can progress to the next stage of your life.
If you have an estate agent, we will receive the information from them including the details of your buyer's solicitor, who we will notify. We will then explain the process and what you need to do along with details of our fees.
It may be sensible to be careful about mentioning your property sale on social media. Criminals have software enabling them to pick up key words and gain information that can help them to commit property fraud.
Our conveyancing and property solicitors prepare a draft contract package to send to the buyer's solicitor, which includes evidence of your Title to the property (proof of ownership), a property information form, fixtures, fittings and contents form, planning and building regulations evidence and guarantees for work completed.
When the buyer's solicitor has approved our draft contract, we arrange for you to sign it. They will then carry out searches against the property and raise any further queries. We discuss these with you and reply on your behalf. The buyer's mortgage offer will be sent to their solicitors, who will arrange for them to sign the mortgage deed and then the contract.
Once all outstanding matters have been dealt with, a completion date is agreed upon, contracts are exchanged, and the transaction becomes legally binding. After this, the buyer's solicitors prepare the final Transfer Deed which we will approve on your behalf and arrange for you to sign. The buyer's solicitors carry out their final searches and apply for the funds to complete the transaction from their mortgage company and buyers.
This is when the buyer becomes the legal owner of the property, and you hand over the keys.
The buyer's solicitors will send the monies to us through the bank system directly from their bank. Once we have received this, we will pay off your mortgage, pay the estate agent fees (if you used one) and deduct our own fees.
Our conveyancing solicitors submit the signed Transfer Deed and any other Title deeds to the buyer's solicitors so that they can register the buyer's Title to the property at HM Land Registry.
An average transaction takes in the region of 8 to 12 weeks, but some can be shorter or longer. We are very much dependent on third parties and factors such as unregistered land, leasehold titles, mortgage difficulties, problems with the title and also the length of the chain of transactions.
Please do not book removals or commit yourself to any expense in connection with moving house without discussing it with us first.
If you need to fund an exciting remodel or some long overdue improvements, re-mortgaging your property could be the most cost-effective way to achieve it. Or you may simply want to save money by switching lenders.
Our hard-working conveyancing team have extensive experience working with banks and mortgage lenders and will work to secure your new funding with the minimum of hassle or delays.
Our conveyancing solicitors will send you a questionnaire and paperwork to complete, which includes requiring you to provide information about your current building's insurance.
We will contact your current mortgage lender to get an initial statement, which tells us how much it would cost to pay off the mortgage.
Your new lender will send us a mortgage offer, which we will review before sending the mortgage deed for you to sign.
Our conveyancing solicitors check the Title Deeds – the legal documents that show the rights of ownership to your property. We are legally obliged to inform your mortgage lender if we find an issue.
We will agree on the date with you to complete the re-mortgage. We then let your new lender know and request the funds to be sent on the date of completion.
On the day of completion, we receive the money from your new lender and ensure that your current mortgage is repaid.
Our solicitors check that your old lender has been removed from your Title Deed and that your new one is added.
It takes four weeks on average, but some transactions can be quicker, and some can be considerably longer.
The length of time is takes is very much dependent on the speed of communication with your existing and new lender, along with other factors, such as leasehold titles and unregistered land.
Typically, our fees will be in the region of £480.00 inclusive of VAT. In addition, there will be a bank transfer fee of £25.00 plus VAT. We will be happy to provide you with a fixed fee quote when you contact us.
This calculator sets out an estimate of what you will pay which varies depending on the sale, purchase and re-mortgage price.
As the value and type of each property differ, in addition to the service you require, the calculator provides an estimate only. We are happy to discuss your specific requirements and give you an appropriate quote.
Should you be selling a property with a value in excess of £1m, please contact Claire Parker-Robson or Caroline Fletcher-Shaw for a bespoke quotation and an explanation of our fees.
Because of the varied nature of property work, our standard scale fees do not apply in a number of circumstances. Examples of such circumstances would include the following:
Selling a property which is owned under a shared ownership scheme
Selling a parcel of land, such as part of your garden
Selling a property/properties that you have built within the boundary of your residential property
If any of the above circumstances apply, please contact us for an estimate of our fees.
What work is covered?
Dealing with the sale of your property including obtaining deeds, drafting the contract, and providing the buyer’s solicitors with evidence of your title
Obtaining the management pack(s) for leasehold properties only
Dealing with any queries raised by the buyer’s solicitors
Completing the sale of your property, paying off any mortgage, paying the estate agents and transferring any proceeds to you
What work is not covered?
Settling any tax liability other than Stamp Duty Land Tax
Dealing with issues relating to the physical structure and condition of the property
Accountancy advice
Valuation advice
Any other matter outside the scope of the work detailed above
Factors that would typically change the cost of the service
If the information needed for sale is withheld
If the transaction becomes unduly protracted or complicated
If there is a management company involved
If you are buying a property with a value in excess of £1m, please contact either Claire Parker-Robson or Caroline Fletcher-Shaw for a bespoke quotation and an explanation of our fees.
Please note our scale fees as set out below do not apply in the following circumstances:
Purchasing a new build
Purchasing a property under a shared ownership scheme
Purchasing with the help of an equity loan, through a help-to-buy scheme or with the assistance of a help-to-buy ISA
Purchasing buyer company with a mortgage
Situations where the source of funds are unusual or complicated, particularly where funds are coming from abroad
Additional fees may be payable if during the course of the transaction it comes apparent that we need to make an application to the Land Registry on your behalf (for example, first registration or an application for possessory title)
Situations where you would need bespoke Stamp Duty Land Tax advice
Additionally, it is this firm’s policy to check the identity of the seller’s solicitor should they not be known to us. We use Lawyer Checker and this will be an additional cost of £18 (inclusive of VAT). This will help to protect both yourself and your lender against the risk of a criminal stealing the identity of a legitimate legal firm. Lawyer Checker enables us to assess the risk of transferring the purchase funds to the seller’s solicitor’s firm by comparing the bank account details they supply us with against a database of previous conveyancing transactions.
What work is covered?
Checking the legal Title to the property and reporting to you
Carrying out appropriate searches and reporting the findings to you
Obtaining the property information and fixtures and fittings forms from the seller, checking that these are satisfactory and reporting to you
Drafting the Transfer Deed, which is the document that legally transfers the property to you
Exchanging contracts with the seller’s solicitor and proceeding to complete the purchase, including dealing with requesting mortgage funds from your lender
Registering your title to the property at HM Land Registry following completion, together with any mortgage you have obtained, and dealing with any Stamp Duty Land Tax requirements
What work is not covered?
Settling any tax liability other than Stamp Duty Land Tax
Dealing with issues relating to the physical structure and condition of the property
Accountancy advice
Valuation advice
Any other matter outside the scope of the work detailed above
Factors that would typically change the cost of the service
If the information needed for sale is withheld
If the transaction becomes unduly protracted or complicated
If there is a management company involved
A re-mortgage is the process of paying off one mortgage with the proceeds from a new mortgage using the same property as security. In effect, it is simply the transfer of a mortgage from one lender to another. You may choose to re-mortgage your property for various reasons, but the most common is to reduce the overall monthly payments.
Fees
Typically, our fees will be in the region of £480.00 inclusive of VAT. In addition, there will be a bank transfer fee of £25.00 plus VAT.
We will be happy to provide you with a quote when you contact us.
Disbursements
Disbursements are payable in addition to our fees. These are payments to third parties, such as payments to the Land Registry for an official copy of the title to your property. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.
The anticipated disbursements are set out below.
Official copy of the register - £14
Land Registry registration fee – determined by the value of the property but starts at £20
Local search fees - if your property is located within North East Lincolnshire, East, or West Lindsey or the Hull boundary this will be £70. Otherwise, it is £95
What work is covered?
Corresponding with your existing lender to obtain details of the amount required to pay off that mortgage
Investigating the legal Title and associated legal issues to enable us to advise your new lender that your property will offer adequate legal security
Obtaining your signature on the mortgage deed and obtaining the funds from your new lender
Redeeming your previous mortgage
Registering your new mortgage at HM Land Registry
What work is not covered?
Any tax liability
Accountancy and/or financial advice
Valuation advice
Any other matter outside the scope of the work detailed above
Factors that would typically change the cost of the service
If the information needed for the re-mortgage is withheld
If the transaction becomes unduly protracted or complicated
Equity release schemes have grown in popularity in recent years as the over 55's look to use their homes to unlock the money that has built up in their home by decades of property price increases.
As homeowners over the age of 55 go through this process, the role of a knowledgeable solicitor is essential and recommended by the Equity Release Council which promotes safe equity release. As a member of the Equity Release Council, we have specialist solicitors within our property team at each of our four offices who offer personal legal advice to anyone considering a scheme.
Within the Council's 'Statement of Principles,' an essential aspect of the equity release process is for homeowners to seek independent legal advice.
This ensures:
Professional and friendly support with a face-to-face meeting that ensures a homeowner understands the long-term nature of an equity release contract
The homeowner proceeds with full knowledge of the rewards and risks, as well as the legal obligations of the plan
Our conveyancing and property solicitors understand the law, but just as importantly, they also understand the personal decisions that homeowners are making and the need to discuss such long-term financial matters with empathy - taking time to ensure clarity and certainty, with all options considered.
Submit an enquiry and one of our team of experts will be in touch as soon as possible to discuss your needs.
Or call the conveyancing team on 01507 527521