Conveyancing in Skipton
Conveyancing refers to the legal process carried out by a property lawyer when transferring ownership of a property from the seller to the buyer. If you need a solicitor for conveyancing in Skipton, we can help you with fast & proactive conveyancing from a national panel of conveyancing specialists.
We have years of experience helping homemovers in Skipton and throughout Craven 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.
Buying property in Skipton
Known as the 'Gateway to the Dales', Skipton is a market town in North Yorkshire. Skipton Castle, one of the best-preserved medieval castles in England, stands as a testament to the town's rich history. The High Street hosts a market four days a week, retaining the traditional charm.
Excellent transport links with direct trains to Leeds, Bradford, and Carlisle make Skipton a desirable location. Coupled with its selection of good schools, Skipton offers a high quality of life and has a population of approximately 14,500.
Council Tax in Skipton (2023/24)
Skipton is in Craven District Council.
What do Skipton conveyancing solicitors do?
A property lawyer guides the buyer through the legal aspects of a home purchase. This means carrying out comprehensive due diligence, including raising enquires of the seller, arranging searches from entities including Craven Council, ensuring necessary funds are correctly transferred and HM Land Registry paperwork.
In addition to standard searches, Skipton conveyancing solicitors may also undertake checks for national Park-related issues (Yorkshire Dales, North York Moors) and flood risk checks.
Are you purchasing a home with a mortgage?
If you are getting a mortgage, your solicitor will also need to act for the bank or building society that's giving you the mortgage.
Being a member of a lender's panel will mean your solicitor is able to represent your mortgage provider.
We work with solicitors who can represent the vast majority of mortgage lenders, from major banks like Lloyds Bank to smaller, specialist lenders including Bluestone Mortgages - 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
We can help Skipton home movers with the legal work for:
When you purchase a property in a Skipton conservation area, your lawyer will check for planning approval issues, which could include new boundaries, fences and railings, and maintenance obligations. Conservation areas in Skipton and across the Craven local authority include Burnsall, Embsay and Buckden.Buying a property in a conservation area
There are around half a million listed buildings across the country, 1,760 of which are in Craven District Council. Listed buildings and properties in and near to Skipton include: Owning a listed building can be a challenge for the unwary. Our experienced panel of solicitors will clarify the commitments a listed building owner must make. Examples include use of traditional methods and materials for maintenance, consent for any alterations that might change the character of the property and a duty to report finds or discoveries on the property. Read more:Buying a listed building
New Build
The conveyancing process for buying a new build property in Skipton can be more involved that the process for purchasing an already-owned property.
An experienced solicitor in Skipton will need to be qualified to handle things like checking new build mortgage procedures are followed, investigating road and drainage issues and working with warranty providers, including NHBC, Advantage and BOPAS.
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Selling a property in Skipton
For the sale of a Skipton house or flat, your conveyancer will assemble all essential documents, such as the draft contract and property information forms, and will help you answer these forms.
The role of a conveyancer acting for the seller includes overcoming hurdles such as a defective lease and answering enquiries from the buyer's solicitor.
By taking action to communicate effectively with all parties, like agents, managing agents and lenders, the solicitor will help make sure your home move completes without delay.Could the sale of a leasehold property be delayed?
Yes, compared to freehold conveyancing. The conveyancing for selling leasehold houses or flats usually takes longer.
The buyer's conveyancer will expect to see these documents. These could include a current statement of service charges and a copy of the freehold property's buildings insurance. The time required by to source this information is usually the cause of these delays.
Your lawyer should commence this as soon as possible, because this information can take weeks to collect if it is difficult to contact the managing agent or they are slow to respond.
Read more:
Selling a leasehold flat? What to do before going on the market
Conveyancing for selling a property
Remortgage in Skipton
The base interest rate is 4.5% (15 February, 2025)
You should verify your conveyancer's lender panel membership before you instruct.
Quittance panel solicitors are on the legal panels of over 100 building societies and banks, so whether you are changing to a fixed rate mortgage with Metro Bank or moving to a guarantor mortgage with Buckinghamshire Building Society, we can help you.
Read more:
Find out if our panel solicitors can act for your mortgage lender
Get a remortgage conveyancing quote
Transfer of equity in Skipton
Whether you are tax planning for the future, buying out a joint owner or transferring the ownership of your home to your daughter, son or other family member, you'll need the help of a transfer of equity solicitor.
Your lawyer 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 Skipton?
When comparing solicitors' fees, conveyancing quotes may include several unfamiliar terms and concepts:
Conveyancing fees
These fees are what your conveyancing solicitor charges you for the work they complete for you. The quote will set out the legal fees (inc. VAT) that you pay when the property transaction is complete.
Disbursements (costs payable to third parties)
A disbursement is a cost that your conveyancing solicitor must pay to a third party for a tax or additional service. Examples of disbursements include Stamp Duty, property searches and a gypsum search.
Is it a fixed fee quote?
Some solicitors' quotes may include additional charges in the small print, leading to an inflated final bill. When comparing quotes, watch out for undisclosed fees missing from the original quote.