Property Buyers Guide

Moving home is often a stressful and nerve-wracking time for people. More often than not it is because buyers and sellers do not know what the procedure involves and are kept in the dark by their solicitors.

Here at Newmans believe that transparency and well-informed clients are the key to a successful solicitor-client relationship and so we have created the following step-by-step guide to help you understand and follow the process you and your solicitor will be involved in:-

 

BUYERS

  1. Instruct your solicitor
  2. Receive a client care letter from your solicitor confirming your instructions and setting out their fees and requesting any paperwork they need from you including proof of ID
  3. Solicitor receives a sales memorandum from the estate agent detailing information (price etc.) about the property
  4. Solicitor receives a draft Contract plus other documentation from your seller’s solicitor and goes through this carefully raising “enquiries” on matters arising from the paperwork and searches
  5. Seller’s solicitors respond to the “enquiries” raised
  6. Your solicitor raises further “enquiries” until all “enquiries” are satisfactorily answered by the seller’s solicitors
  7. Your solicitor amends and approves the draft Contract and submits a draft Transfer Deed for approval by your seller’s solicitor along with completion “requisitions” (these are questions such as bank details of where to send the completion money to; where to go to collect the keys to your new property on completion day etc.)
  8. Your solicitor receives the final form of the contract and answers to completion “requisitions” from the seller’s solicitor and reports to you with all the details uncovered in the “enquiry” process. If you are happy you will now be able to sign the Contract, send the deposit monies to your solicitor and instruct him/her to exchange Contracts
  9. Exchange of Contracts. The completion date is now set
  10. Your solicitor will send your signed part of the Contract with your deposit to the seller’s solicitor and will receive the seller’s part of the Contract
  11. Your solicitor will apply for final searches
  12. Your solicitor will prepare and send you the Stamp Duty Land Transaction Return to sign and will arrange final funding with you so that he/she is in cleared funds by completion date. Your solicitor will also by now have asked you to ensure that you have buildings insurance in place to start on the completion date and if you are taking out a mortgage you will have signed the mortgage deed and your solicitor will submit the “Certificate of Title” to your lender to request release of mortgage funds
  13. Completion. Your solicitor sends the purchase money to the seller’s solicitor and once this money has been received the seller’s solicitor authorises the estate agent to release the keys to the property to you
  14. The seller’s solicitor sends the signed Transfer Deed to your solicitor with all other deeds to your property
  15. Your solicitor will send the Stamp Duty Land Transaction Return with your stamp duty fee to HM Revenue Customs for stamping
  16. Your solicitor will receive confirmation that stamping is complete and will apply to Land Registry for your title to be registered
  17. Once your title is registered your solicitor will report to you with your title deeds and the buying process is now complete

Residential Guides

Click on the links below to access our property guides.

Property Buyers Guide
Property Sellers Guide

Thank you so much for all your help with our move. We have already recommended you to my brother and his wife.

James and Emma

Thank you so much for everything you have done for us and for all the patience and understanding you have shown throughout. We will be popping in tomorrow with a little present for you and the team.

Theresa & Michael

Thank you so much for taking such good care of us while purchasing our new home and for guiding us so professionally through the minefield of home-buying. We really appreciate the excellent service we have received.

Mary & Robin

Just wanted to say that, having used several firms of solicitors over the last 36 years, it was sheer luck that I stumbled across your firm. Your and your staff’s friendly yet professional demeanour has been so refreshing. I will be bringing all my work to you from now on!

Graham

Our saviour and pit-bull terrier. You are one gutsy lady. Thank you for all your support and kindness.

Penny & Jim

Thank you for such an excellent service. You were all so professional and friendly and completely removed all the stress from my transaction. You were all so easy to speak to and always at hand to explain my matter through and keeping me updated. Thanks again to the team.

Keith

Our Horley & Reigate offices cover the following areas:

Horley, Epsom, Esher, Guildford, Woking, Leatherhead, Dorking, Banstead, Kingswood, Purley, Croydon, Sutton, Coulsdon, Tadworth, Caterham, Oxted, Godstone, Redhill, Reigate, Gatwick, Crawley, Lingfield, East Grinstead, West Grinstead, Horsham, Forest Row, Haywards Heath, Burgess Hill, Orpington, Sevenoaks, Tonbridge, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Worthing, Brighton, Lewes, Uckfield, Eastbourne

Our Mayfair office covers the following areas:

Mayfair, Marylebone, Fitzrovia, Holborn, Covent Garden, St James’s, Westminster, Pimlico, Victoria, Soho, Hyde Park, Hyde Park Corner, Bond Street, Marble Arch, Paddington, Euston, St John’s Wood, Notting Hill, Bayswater, Camden, Hampstead, Angel, Islington, Isle of Dogs, Canary Wharf, Clapham, Clapham Junction, Clapham Common, Balham, Kennington, Barbican, Kings Cross, Maida Vale, Knightsbridge, Chelsea, Chelsea Harbour, Kensington, South Kensington, West Kensington, Fulham, Fulham Broadway, Green Park, Southwark, Belgravia, Bloomsbury, Finsbury, Pentonville, Oxford Circus, Piccadilly Circus, Barbican, St Pauls, Gray;s Inn, Lincoln’s Inn, Temple, Battersea, Battersea Park, Nine Elms, Holland Park, Earl’s Court, West Brompton, Parsons Green, Putney, Hammersmith, Waterloo, Vauxhall, Wandsworth, South Lambeth, Southfields, Earlsfield, Wimbledon, South Wimbledon, Roehampton, Barnes, Richmond, Sheen