One of our greatest strengths is our local knowledge; between them, our conveyancing team not only know the area and the market intimately but are also well experienced in investigating particular Cornish property issues such as the mining legacy, flood risks and mooring rights.

We can help with all legal aspects of buying and selling your home. Our longstanding relationships with local estate agents, valuers and surveyors enable us to speed the process along efficiently. Using the latest conveyancing software, we can record, track and manage every stage of your transaction – quickly identifying and dealing with any potential problems.

Your case will, as far as possible, be handled by one person from start to finish who will be available by direct telephone line, fax or email to discuss progress. Timescales vary significantly from case to case based on numerous factors. A sale, purchase or remortgage is unlikely to take less than six weeks from the initial instruction to completion and may take considerably longer. We will be able to give you a better estimate of timescales once we have assessed the complexity of the transaction involved and any external factors.

We provide a complete conveyancing service and will, of course, provide you with a detailed written estimate of the legal fees and disbursements that will relate to your transaction within the Client Engagement Letter and in our Terms & Conditions of Business at the outset of the transaction. Whilst all legal fees are in part dependent on the complexity of the transaction we now provide an outline of the minimum legal fees and disbursements that we will charge.

While acting for you in the sale of your property, we will carry out the following work:

• Receiving the title deeds of the property from you or your mortgagee, and checking them and any other relevant papers.
• Obtaining HM Land Registry official copies and checking them.
• Sending you a standard Property Information Form (and Leasehold Information Form if the transaction is leasehold) and a checklist of Fixtures and Fittings for completion and return. Sending the completed forms to your Buyer’s solicitors.  You will need to provide relevant documents such as guarantees for double glazing, woodworm treatment, etc.
• Preparing draft Contract and agreeing this with the Buyer’s solicitors.
• All related correspondence and telephone calls, faxes and emails.
• Meeting with you to confirm instructions for exchange and completing and arranging for exchange of Contracts.
• Agreeing the form of the Transfer of ownership of the property.
• Completing the sale of the property, by receiving the sale money via the banking system. Arranging for the release of the keys on receipt of the monies.
• (If appropriate) paying off your mortgage and obtaining a receipt to send to the Buyer’s solicitors.
• Preparing a statement of account (a Completion Statement) and sending you any monies due if not applied to a purchase.
• On the sale of a leasehold flat, obtaining up to date information direct from the Landlord or Management Company about the Service Charges, need for repairs to the building, etc. if this is not available from the Seller’s solicitors.

We would ordinarily expect your sale to take between 6-12 weeks to complete although the actual time taken will depend upon external factors such as the number of properties in a chain.

While acting for you in the purchase of your property, we will carry out the following work:

• Receiving and checking through the title deeds and considering all the information on the Property Information Form and the draft Contract sent by the Seller’s solicitors
• Agreeing the form of Contract
• Making the local authority, water and drainage, environmental, mining, chancel and HM Land Registry searches and checking all of the replies
• Considering your mortgage offer (if any) and acting on behalf of your lender. This will involve a checklist of their requirements about the title and the property
• All the related correspondence and telephone calls, faxes and emails
• The preparation of a Property Report on the Title and search results relating to the property incorporating the information received; confirming your instructions for exchange of Contracts and completion, and arranging for exchange of Contracts
• Preparing the transfer document to transfer ownership of the property and agreeing it with the Seller’s solicitors
• Arranging for mortgage funds to be available for completion. This involves reporting to the lender and checking all the special requirements for you;
• Preparing a statement of account (a Completion Statement), advising you as to the amount of monies needed from you to complete the matter and receiving the same
• Completing the purchase by sending the purchase funds to the Seller’s solicitors via the bank on the completion date, and then paying the Stamp Duty Land Tax and registering the transaction at the Land Registry (although it will be your responsibility to advise us as to the exact amount of Stamp Duty Land Tax liability relating to your purchase, which will be relative to your individual circumstances, and you may wish to seek the advice of your accountant first as well as speaking with HM Revenue & Customs to determine this)
• Dealing with the title deeds in accordance with the lender’s instructions or, in the absence of a mortgage, as you direct
• On the purchase of a leasehold flat obtaining up to date information direct from the landlord or management company about the service charges, need for repairs to the buildings, etc (if this is not available from the Seller’s solicitors)

We would ordinarily expect your purchase to take between 6-12 weeks to complete although the actual time taken will depend upon external factors such as the number of properties in a chain.

On the 19th July 2011, Hine Downing was accredited under the new Law Society Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS).  We were the seventh firm in Cornwall to be accredited.

CQS is designed to provide clients with reassurance about their solicitor’s integrity, practice standards and professionalism.  Complying with CQS will help Hine Downing provide a more effective service for our clients.