Frequently Asked Questions
What makes Kwik Conveyancing different from other conveyancing companies?
Kwik Conveyancing makes the legal process of exchanging a property or land simple. You can do everything online and there is no need to visit our office in person. Where necessary we will communicate with you by phone, e-mail or by post. We take the burden out of the administrative duties and you have 24/7 access to your case so that you are always up-to-date with progress.
Why should I complete my conveyancing online?
Moving house can prove to be stressful at times and Kwik Conveyancing aim to make the process as smooth and convenient as possible. You will receive regular updates regarding your case by your preferred choice of e-mail or SMS text message. This method enables Kwik Conveyancing to provide competitive fees whilst ensuring the highest level of service.
How do your quotes compare to other conveyancing companies?
With Kwik Conveyancing there are no hidden costs. If you do receive a quote that is a lot cheaper than ours you may find that extra costs have been concealed so
it would cost more in the long run.
What do you mean by hidden extra costs?
Kwik Conveyancing do not have any hidden extras as our philosophy is to only provide genuine quotes. Many conveyancing companies charge extra for:
- Acting for your lender
- Leasehold additions
- Extra searches
- Petty disbursements
- Completing Stamp Duty Forms on your behalf
- Expedition fees
- Indemnity insurance
- Abortive insurance
When added up these extra costs can become expensive. We will notify you up front of any extra costs so the price you see is the price you pay.
What are disbursements?
Disbursements are costs collected by solicitors and passed on to a third party. For example you have to have a local search undertaken if you are purchasing a property in the UK. The solicitor will therefore need to collect the cost of this from the client and pass it on to the relevant Local Authority.
Some conveyancing firms charge an unrealistically low conveyancing fee hoping that the consumer will just compare that fee to other companies’ fees and accept is on face value as a lower quote. However, it is very important to check the TOTAL amount quoted by the conveyancing firm as some companies are in the habit of including part of their conveyancing fees in the disbursements section.
Listed below are genuine disbursements:
- Stamp Duty
If you are buying or transferring a property and it is liable for Stamp Duty
the amount will be shown as a disbursement. Stamp Duty is a government tax levied when a property is sold or transferred. This tax is payable by the buyer of the property or share in the property. Some properties are exempt from Stamp Duty because of where they are situated. For current Stamp Duty rates and details of stamp duty exempt areas visit www.hmrc.gov.uk.
- H M Land Registry fees
When you buy a property, take out a new mortgage or transfer a share in a property the transaction must be registered at the Land Registry. The Land Registry charge a fee for registering the transfer and this is on a sliding scale depending upon the price of the property. To check the current Land Registry fees visit www.landregisteronline.gov.uk.
- Official Copy Entries and Filed Plan
When you sell or re-mortgage a property your solicitor will apply to the Land Registry for an Official Copy of the deeds relating to your property and an Official Copy of the title plan relating to your property. If the Official Copy refers to a document that is not set out in the Official Copies then your solicitor will also
have to obtain an Official Copy of that document. Sometimes when you are buying your solicitor will obtain an Official Copy of the title plan to use for search purposes.
- Searches
When you buy a property or take out a new mortgage you will have to have certain legal searches carried out against the property.
Will there be a lot of paperwork to sign?
There will be some paperwork to sign but we will ensure that these are sent to you in good time with the necessary explanation.
Surely I will need to provide proof of ID?
Yes you will need to send us proof of ID but this can be done through the post.
If I am getting a mortgage I will be asked to pay the Mortgage Company's legal fees. Why is this?
Because your Mortgage Company will appoint solicitors to look after its interests and will make it a term of your mortgage that you pay the fee. Sometimes a Mortgage Company will appoint an independent solicitor but fortunately this will rarely happen to a Kwik Conveyancing client since, as you might expect with a firm of our standing, we hold panel appointments with the vast majority of lenders. To have us acting for both you and your Mortgage Company is the most convenient arrangement. Not only does it reduce complication but the fee payable will be fixed in accordance with the scale enclosed.
I am a cash buyer. Why does my money have to pass through your client account? Won't it be cheaper and quicker if I just go to the seller's solicitor and pay the money over at the appropriate time?
This method is risky as we cannot protect your interests at the most crucial point in the transaction if we do not have control over the amount, timing and conditions upon which the funds are released.
If I want a third party e.g. parent or other relation, to oversee any matter will that be permitted?
Often we find third parties becoming involved. Whilst we have no objection with this, we have found it as well to lay down a few ground rules. Firstly, we will not discuss your affairs with any person however close they may be to you unless and until you have formally authorised us in writing to do so. Secondly, even if
you authorise us to discuss your file with a third party, we cannot take instructions
from them (e.g. to agree a completion date or proceed to exchange of contracts)
unless you have given them Power of Attorney. Thirdly, to the extent that any such communication with third parties unavoidably duplicates any work we carry out charges will be levied.
If someone else, such as my employer, has agreed to meet my legal fees, will you be able to deal directly with that person?
Not necessarily. It is by you that we are retained and to you that we must look for a payment in accordance with these terms of business. Your ability to recover those expenses from someone else is not something with which we can be concerned, though we will gladly send a copy of our bill to anyone you may direct.
I have paid off my mortgage. Am I right to assume that your quoted charge 'To Repay a Mortgage or Loan or Remove a Charge' will not apply?
No. In certain circumstances this charge can still arise. This will apply where, although you owe nothing to the lender, the technical process of obtaining and registering the discharge paperwork has still to be done. In these circumstances strictly speaking you still have a mortgage to discharge even though you are in the fortunate position of owing no money.
Don't some Mortgage Companies insist that their Mortgage is signed in front of a solicitor?
Yes, but only a very small minority and the problem does not usually arise. If yours is one of those rare cases and it is impossible for you to come here, then a brief visit to one of your local solicitors, which we can arrange if you wish, will suffice. A small fee would have to be paid but this would be negotiated in advance and we would consider anything over £25 plus VAT to be too much to pay. Our own fee structure is designed to remain highly competitive even after allowing for the possibility of this small additional expense.
Are you regulated by the Financial Services Authority to issue legal indemnity insurance policies?
This firm is not authorised by the Financial Services Authority. However, we are included on the register maintained by the Financial Services Authority so that we can carry on insurance mediation activity, which is broadly the advising on, selling and administration of insurance contracts. This part of our business, including arrangements for complaints or redress if something goes wrong, is regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. The register can be accessed via the Financial Services Authority Web site at www.fsa.gov.uk/register. Sometimes conveyancing work involves investments. We are not authorised by the Financial Services Authority and so may refer you to someone who is authorised to provide any necessary advice. However, we can provide certain limited services in relation to investments, provided they are closely linked with the legal services we are providing to you, as we are regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. If you have any problem with the service we have provided for you then please let us know. We will try to resolve any problem quickly and operate an internal complaints handling system to help us to resolve the problem between ourselves. If for any reason we are unable to resolve the problem between us, then we are regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority, which also provides a complaints and redress scheme.
Do you only use certain companies when you are putting an indemnity insurance policy in place?
We only select products from a limited number of insurers for indemnity insurance but we are not contractually obliged to conduct business in this way. Ask us for a list of the insurers and of the policies provided.
How long will my transaction take to complete?
This is probably one of the most difficult questions for anybody to answer as it often depends upon many factors. These may include waiting for mortgage offers to be issued (either to yourself - or others in your chain), whether others in the chain have sold their property and the position of their own buyers etc. Whether there are any survey or structural problems can also delay matters. As a general guide an average transaction may take 6-8 weeks to exchange contracts with completion following after a further 2-4 weeks. However, it may happen more quickly or slowly depending upon the individual circumstances. Kwik Conveyancing will never delay
any matter as it is in our own interests to complete as soon as possible.
How long do you keep my conveyancing file on record?
We keep your records for 6 years after which it will be securely destroyed.