HIPs (Home Information Pack)

If you want to sell your property, before you can market it you have to set up a Home Information Pack.  If you do not do this you commit a criminal offence.

We can deal with a HIP quickly, efficiently and affordably.  Contact our team and we will sort a Home Information Pack out for you with a minimum of fuss so that marketing your property is not delayed.

Partner Peter Bolton is in charge of this department in Colne assisted by solicitors John Greenwood and Dawn Walmsley in our Nelson office.

Conveyancing (Buying and Selling a House)

With over 50 years experience in Legal Services Farnworth Shaw can assist you as an individual or a family, through property loss or assistance in buying your new home.

Buying a house could possibly be the biggest decision you make during your life. A difficult choice which will not be stress free but at the same time bring rewards to you and your family.   At Farnworth Shaw we aim to assist you as much as possible within our experience to keep the transaction involved plain and simple with personal attention to the whys and what if's. Fill out our questionaire for a free quote.

Selling your house

The legal processes involved in selling a house are fairly straightforward. We will:

• Obtain the Deeds from your bank or building society (if you have one).
• Send a written contract to the buyer's solicitor and answer any questions raised.
• Prepare an up-to-date redemption figure for your mortgage.
• Pay off the mortgage and send the net proceeds of the sale to you (or put them towards the purchase of your new house).

Buying a house

This is more complicated because here we will be seeking to ensure that the house you buy does not involve you in unforeseen disputes over rights of way, boundaries, fences, restrictive covenants, road charges or other legal entanglements. We begin the process by requesting a local authority search.

It is important to realise that this only establishes whether there are to be any public works affecting the property (such as motorway schemes) and whether there are any planning restrictions. The information obtained relates ONLY to the property being purchased and not to the neighbourhood in general. After receiving the contract from the seller's solicitor, we check through the documentation and raise any specific queries. The next steps are:

Surveyor's report

The building society valuation report is simply that. It is not a full structural survey and it is not certain to uncover defects in the property. If the house you are buying is not newly-constructed, we would recommend that you appoint a surveyor to prepare a full report. If significant defects are found, it may be possible to negotiate a lower price with the seller.

Receipt of mortgage offer

Written confirmation of the mortgage advance will be received from the bank or building society.

Exchange of contracts

This takes place after the full deposit (usually 10% of the selling price) is paid. Once contracts have been exchanged, the sale is legally binding.

Receipt of mortgage money

We receive the money from your bank or building society.

Completion

The big day on which the full purchase price is paid and you become the owner of the house After completion, we continue to act on your behalf ensuring that Stamp Duty is paid and that the Title to the property is properly registered at the Land Registry. After this, the Deeds will be sent to your mortgage lender or, where there is no mortgage, stored by us on your behalf.

Most house purchases proceed without complications, but we have the expertise necessary to advise you if problems arise. We do, for example, check the Title Deeds to ensure that the person selling the property is its rightful owner. We will also tell you of any unusual circumstances that may affect your ownership of the property.

How much does the service cost?

Seeing a solicitor is not always an expensive exercise, but it is important for clients to know how much any service is likely to cost. Please fill in the attached form and we will be happy to give you a written quotation, which includes the cost of disbursements such as Land Registry fees, search fees and Stamp Duty. It is our aim to provide quality legal services at fees which are both fair and reasonable. For more details, please contact our Conveyancing Department either Peter Bolton at 65 Albert Road, Colne, or John Greenwood and Dawn Walmsley at Nelson.