Conveyancing in Bishops Stortford
Conveyancing is the legal process for transferring the ownership of property from one party to another, or the legal work involved in a transfer of equity or remortgage. If you need a solicitor for conveyancing in Bishops Stortford, we can help you with fast & proactive conveyancing from a national panel of conveyancing specialists.
We have helped clients in Bishops Stortford and throughout East Hertfordshire with buying, selling, buy-to-let, Help to Buy, Right to Buy, shared ownership, new build, leasehold, lease extensions, remortgage and transfer of equity.
Other areas covered: Sawbridgeworth, St Albans, Stevenage and Watford
Buying property in Bishops Stortford
A market town in Hertfordshire, Bishops Stortford is known for its historic town centre. Major employers include GlaxoSmithKline and the local council. It has direct rail links to London Liverpool Street and Cambridge, and is near Stansted Airport.
Council Tax in Bishops Stortford (2023/24)
Bishops Stortford is in East Hertfordshire Council.
| Band | Amount |
|---|---|
| A | £1,411.31 |
| B | £1,646.52 |
| C | £1,881.74 |
| D | £2,116.96 |
| E | £2,587.40 |
| F | £3,057.83 |
| G | £3,528.27 |
| H | £4,233.92 |
What does a property lawyer do?
For the purchase of a house or flat, the property lawyer will address all the legal details of the transaction.
Your lawyer will raise questions for the seller, order property searches, review the lease (if applicable) and handle post-completion tasks, like registering the property ownership with the Land Registry.
In addition to standard searches, Bishops Stortford conveyancing solicitors may also carry out searches for contamination due to the area's industrial past.
Will you be taking out a mortgage?
If you are getting a mortgage, your solicitor will also need to act for the bank.
If your conveyancer isn't accepted on your chosen mortgage provider's panel, it could take weeks longer to complete your purchase.Our chosen partner solicitors have established relationships with the majority of building societies, banks and lenders, from major banks like Co-operative Bank to smaller, specialist lenders including Lendinvest - helping to facilitate a faster completion for your purchase.
Read more:
Conveyancing for buying a property
Find out if our panel solicitors can act for your mortgage lender
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We can help home movers in Bishops Stortford with the conveyancing for:
When you buy a house or flat in a conservation area, your lawyer will check for potential planning breaches, including missing consents for basement work, and solar panel restrictions. Conservation areas in Bishops Stortford and across the East Hertfordshire local authority include:Buying in a conservation area
Leasehold flats
Buying a leasehold flat in the UK is significantly more complex than buying a freehold property. The many potential problems lying in wait for an uninformed buyer can include legally technical issues like sinking fund issues and onerous covenants.
A leasehold solicitor will look into all potential issues with the lease and report back to you.
Read more:
What you need to know about buying a leasehold property
Should I be wary of buying a leasehold house?
Should I buy a property with a short lease?
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Selling a house or flat in Bishops Stortford
When you're looking to sell property in Bishops Stortford, you can expect your solicitor to first compile key documents, including the draft contract and the various property information forms, and help you fill out these forms.
The solicitor will respond to inquiries from the buyer's solicitor and resolve any potential issues.
By taking action to work with all parties, like estate agents and banks or building societies, your conveyancer will help make sure your sale is completed successfully.
Does it take longer to sell a leasehold property?
Yes, that's correct, it can take considerably longer to complete the legal work on a leasehold home when compared to conveyancing on a freehold house.
The solicitor acting for the buyer will need to review this leasehold-related paperwork, including a copy of buildings insurance for the common parts of the property. The time needed by the seller's conveyancer to source this information is usually the cause of these delays.
Your conveyancing solicitor should get this underway as soon as possible, as this paperwork can take a long time to gather if the landlord or managing agent is slow or difficult to contact.
Read more:
Selling a leasehold flat? What to do before going on the market
Conveyancing for selling a property
Remortgaging a property in Bishops Stortford
The official base rate is 5.25% (7 December, 2024)
Before you appoint a solicitor, verify your conveyancing solicitor's lender panel status.
We work with solicitors who are members of all major lenders' panels. Whether you are switching to an offset mortgage from Yorkshire Building Society or moving to an interest only mortgage with Cynergy Bank, we can help you.
Read more:
Check our panel solicitors can act for your mortgage lender
Get a remortgage conveyancing quote
Bishops Stortford Transfer of equity
If you are intending to reduce or increase your ownership share of a property, whether you are tax planning for the future, gifting a property or buying out another part-owner, you will need to transfer equity.
Your solicitor will handle the legal side for a low, fixed fee.
Read more:
Transfer of equity Stamp Duty calculator
Get a transfer of equity conveyancing quote
How much does conveyancing cost in Bishops Stortford?
Getting a quote is simple - but knowing what the quote does and does not include can be tricky.
Solicitors' fees
These fees are what your conveyancer charges you for the work they carry out on your behalf. Your solicitor's quote will set out the legal fees (inc. VAT) to be paid when the conveyancing transaction completes.
Conveyancing disbursements
A disbursement is a cost that your conveyancer must pay to a third party for a tax or additional service. Third-party disbursements include Stamp Duty and Land Registry fees.
Check for additional fees
Some solicitors' quotes include additional fees in their terms and conditions, resulting in a final bill that is higher than the original quote. When you compare conveyancing quotes, beware of hidden charges not mentioned in the initial conveyancing quote.
