ASK THE EXPERT from our City and Country Summer Edition
Preparation is Key - MARK HENNELLY
Partner, David Walley & Co. Solicitors
When you list your property for sale you should also instruct an experienced solicitor who specialises in conveyancing (property transactions) to act on your behalf in the sale. Instructing an experienced conveyancing solicitor early in the process can help avoid delays in contracts issuing once you have found a buyer. Getting your title deeds to your solicitor early in the process gives him/her the opportunity to prepare our title deeds for the sale such as requesting updated documents from the Land Registry, maps from an Architect or letters from the Local Authority. The title deeds are required for the sale and if your solicitor does not have them, he/she will be unable to issue contracts once you go sale agreed. If your title deeds are with your bank, it can take two to three weeks for the bank to release the title deeds to your solicitor, sometimes it takes longer. This can represent unnecessary time lost where time is often of the essence. Your solicitor will ask you a range of questions about the property which will help him/her draft the contract. If you have carried out any extensions or alterations to your property, minor or otherwise, your solicitor will need to know what work was done and when it was done. There are other ancillary title matters to be dealt with such as property taxes. Your solicitor will require evidence that the Local Property Tax has been paid together with evidence of discharge or exemption from the non principal private residence (NPPR) charge. If your property is in a development managed by a management company, your solicitor will need contact details for the managing agents as your solicitor will need to get a MUD (multi-unit development) pack from the management agents on behalf of the management company. This MUD pack can sometimes take a few weeks to obtain. If any contents are included in the sale, you should prepare an inventory of contents included and give it to your solicitor.
