Conveyancing in Braintree
Conveyancing is the work a solicitor does to transfer the legal title of a house or flat from one person to another. If you need a solicitor for conveyancing in Braintree, we can help you with fast & proactive conveyancing from a national panel of conveyancing specialists.
We have years of experience helping homemovers in Braintree and throughout Essex handle their sale, purchase, buy-to-let, Help to Buy, Right to Buy, shared ownership, new build, leasehold, lease extensions, remortgage and transfer of equity.
Other areas covered: Bishops Stortford, Halstead, Thurrock and Witham
Buying property in Braintree
Situated in Essex, Braintree is known for its bustling town centre and shopping village, Freeport Braintree. Other attractions include the Braintree District Museum and the picturesque Great Notley Country Park. The town offers a variety of property types, with homes in the Old St. Michael's area being particularly popular. Major employers include Freeport Braintree and the local council. Braintree has excellent rail links to London and is near the A120 road, providing easy access to Stansted Airport. Braintree has a population of approximately 41,700.
Council Tax in Braintree (2023/24)
| Band | Amount |
|---|---|
| A | £1,340.25 |
| B | £1,563.63 |
| C | £1,787.00 |
| D | £2,010.38 |
| E | £2,457.13 |
| F | £2,903.88 |
| G | £3,350.63 |
| H | £4,020.76 |
What will my Braintree solicitor do?
A conveyancer helps you with the legal aspect of the transaction.
They will raise enquires of the seller, order property searches, review contracts and take care of tasks after the sale, like HMLR registration.
Braintree conveyancing solicitors may also carry out flood risk assessments due to large low-lying areas, and potential for London's green belt issues.
Are you purchasing a property with a mortgage?
When you purchase a property, your solicitor also needs to carry out some legal work for the bank or building society.
Your transaction could take significantly longer to complete and cost you more in the process if your conveyancing solicitor is not on your mortgage provider's panel.
Our chosen partner solicitors have established relationships with the majority of lenders, such as major banks like Barclays, to smaller lenders like Leeds Building Society and Cynergy Bank - facilitating a quicker completion of your transaction.
Read more:
Conveyancing for buying a property
Find out if our panel solicitors can act for your mortgage lender
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We have also helped Braintree home buyers with conveyancing for:
Approximately half a million listed properties exist across the country, and around 3,240 of which are in Braintree District Council. Listed buildings in and near to Braintree include: Buying and owning a listed building can be a lot more complicated. Our experienced panel of solicitors will offer guidance on what commitments you are making as a listed building owner. Examples include a duty to maintain the exterior appearance, and consent for any alterations that might change the character of the property. Read more:Listed buildings
New Build
The legal work for purchasing a new build in Braintree is often more complex than other types of conveyancing.
An experienced solicitor in Braintree must be able to deal with things like handling the uncertainties of buying off plan, checking that any contracts allow for future 'common parts' maintenance and checking new build warranties with warranty providers such as NHBC Buildmark, Advantage and Aedis.
Read more:
Buying a leasehold property
Purchasing a leasehold house or flat in the UK is significantly more complex than buying a freehold property. The many potential traps awaiting an uninformed purchaser can include legally technical issues like unreasonable managing agent fees and excessive freehold premiums.
A good property lawyer 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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When we factored in eveything that was included - this was the best quote we could find
Selling a property in Braintree
When selling a property in Braintree, your lawyer will assemble all essential documents, including the contract of sale and ID forms, and help you fill out these forms. The conveyancer will sort out potential snags, advise on enquiries sent by the buyer's conveyancer and handle the mortgage redemption. Your solicitor will coordinate with both sides, including estate agents and banks or building societies, so your sale of your property completes as soon as possible.
Does it take longer to sell a leasehold property?
Compared to freehold property, yes. The conveyancing for selling a leasehold property can be seriously delayed.
The buyer's solicitor will want to see this leasehold-related paperwork, including a copy of buildings insurance for the common parts of the property. The time it takes your lawyer to gather this paperwork is the common cause of such delays.
The seller's solicitor should commence this even before a sale has been agreed, because these details could take several weeks to collect if the managing agent or landlord 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
The Bank of England's current base rate is 5.25% (12 October, 2024)
Before you appoint a solicitor to handle your remortgage, it's a good idea to check your conveyancing solicitor's lender panel status.
Our remortgage panel solicitors are panel members for all major mortgage lenders. Whether you are switching to a fixed rate mortgage from National Westminster Bank or taking out a buy to let mortgage from Allied Irish Bank, our experienced conveyancing team can guide you through the remortgage process.
Read more:
Check our panel solicitors can act for your mortgage lender
Get a remortgage conveyancing quote
Transfer of equity in Braintree
Whether you are transferring the ownership of your home to your daughter, son or other family member, adding one or more people to the deeds or tax planning for the future, you will need to work with a conveyancer to handle the transfer of equity. Your property lawyer will handle all the required documentation and register the new interest at HM Land Registry for a guaranteed fixed fee.
Read more:
Transfer of equity Stamp Duty calculator
Get a transfer of equity conveyancing quote
How much do conveyancing solicitors fees cost in Braintree?
Don't be surprised if some of the costs listed on a conveyancing quote seem unfamiliar.
Conveyancing legal fees
The conveyancing quote should clearly detail the legal fees, including VAT, that you'll pay when your transaction completes. These fees are what your conveyancing solicitor charges you for the legal work that they complete during your property transaction.
Disbursements (third party costs)
A disbursement is an expense your conveyancing solicitor will pay on your behalf which will be added to your bill when you complete. Examples of disbursements include Stamp Duty and property searches.
Check what's included in your conveyancing quote
When comparing quotes, make sure you question any charges not set out in your initial quote. Some firms list extra charges in the small print. This can mean a total cost that's much higher than the initial quote.
