Hine Solicitors’ conveyancing solicitors manage the process from the first search through to completion, dealing with the legal detail so you do not have to and explaining anything you are unsure about along the way, in plain English rather than legal terminology. We act for the buyer or the seller in a transaction, never both sides of the same deal, and keep you informed as things move forward. Chains can only move as quickly as their slowest link, so we work to keep things on schedule and flag problems before they become a hold up, rather than after. Fees and the steps ahead are explained clearly from the start, so nothing catches you by surprise part way through, and you always know what stage the transaction has reached.
Whether you are buying your first home, selling to move on, releasing money from a property through a remortgage or changing who owns it, our property team handles the legal work with the same attention throughout. The services below cover most of what people come to us for, and each has its own page with more detail if you want it.
Once an offer has been accepted, keeping the transaction moving becomes the priority, and a slow link anywhere along a chain can hold up everyone else in it, not just you. We take care of the legal groundwork, contracts, title and correspondence with lenders and agents, so updates reach you without you having to chase for them yourself. Whether you need house buying solicitors for a purchase or support getting an existing property sold, our team acts for you from the accepted offer through to legal completion, explaining what the paperwork means as you go and flagging anything unusual before it holds things up. Buying and selling has more on how the process works.
If you are releasing funds from a property or switching to a better rate, remortgaging brings its own paperwork and its own timing pressures, even though the property itself is not changing hands. Many people are surprised by how much legal work sits behind what looks like a simple switch between lenders. We look after the requirements your new lender sets and keep things on track so a good rate does not slip while the paperwork catches up. Remortgaging covers what is involved in full.
A transfer of equity covers any change in who legally owns a property, whether that is a partner coming onto the title, someone coming off it after a split, or a mix of both happening at once. The financial and legal side needs sorting properly before the registration goes through, since an oversight here can affect what you actually own long after the transaction is done. Our team works out the right approach for your circumstances and keeps the paperwork and protections on track throughout. Transfer of equity covers the full process.
How long does conveyancing take?
Timing depends on things outside anyone’s control, including how long a chain takes to complete, when your mortgage offer comes through and how quickly searches are returned by the local authority. We keep you updated at each stage and let you know as early as possible if anything looks likely to cause a delay, so it never comes as a surprise.
What happens if I am part of a chain?
A chain means your sale or purchase is linked to other transactions, so everyone involved needs to be ready to exchange and complete around the same time. We stay in contact with the other solicitors in the chain to help things progress, and we flag any hold ups as soon as we spot them, so you have time to plan around them.
Do I need a solicitor to remortgage?
Yes. Even without a sale or purchase taking place, a solicitor deals with your lender’s paperwork and registers the change once everything completes, so nothing gets missed between you and the new lender, whatever the reason behind the switch.
What does a transfer of equity involve?
A transfer of equity changes who owns a property, for example adding a partner to the title or removing someone after a separation. It involves updating the legal ownership and resolving any financial and legal issues connected to the change before the new arrangement can be registered, so getting advice early is worthwhile even where the change looks simple on the surface.
What is included in the conveyancing process?
We carry out the necessary searches and checks, review contracts, deal with the paperwork and title and liaise with everyone else involved in the transaction, including the other side’s solicitors, mortgage lenders and estate agents. You are kept updated throughout, so nothing happens without you knowing about it, and you know what, if anything, is needed from you to keep matters progressing.