What is Indemnity Insurance and When Might You Need It?
Indemnity insurance is one of the quieter parts of UK conveyancing, but it appears in a meaningful number of purchases. Here's what it is, when it's the right solution, and what to check before you agree.
What Are Property Searches and Why Do They Matter?
Property searches are one of those parts of buying a home that most buyers don't really think about until their solicitor mentions them. They're one of the bigger costs of conveyancing and can take weeks to come back, but the information they reveal can fundamentally change whether you proceed with a purchase. Here's what to know.
How to Speed Up Your Conveyancing Process
Conveyancing is one of the slowest parts of buying a home in the UK, with the average purchase taking 12 to 16 weeks. While some delays are unavoidable, there's a lot you can do as a buyer to keep things moving. Here's how.
What Happens if a House Sale Falls Through?
Roughly one in three UK property purchases fall through before completion. Knowing why this happens, what it costs and what your options are can help you prepare for the possibility and recover quickly if it happens to you.
What Is a Property Chain and How Might It Affect Your Purchase?
Chains are one of the most common reasons UK property purchases get delayed or fall through entirely, yet many first time buyers aren't quite sure what they actually are. Here's what you need to know about property chains and how to navigate them.
What Is Stamp Duty and How Much Will You Pay?
Stamp duty is one of the biggest upfront costs of buying a property in the UK, yet many buyers don't fully account for it until late in the process. Here's how it works, what the current rates are, and how much you can expect to pay.
First Time Buyer Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Buying your first home is one of the most significant financial decisions you'll ever make. Most first time buyer mistakes aren't made because people are careless, they're made because nobody told them what to look out for. Here's what you need to be aware of and ask at each stage.
How Long Does Buying a House Take? A Realistic Timeline
One of the most common questions buyers ask is how long the whole process takes. The honest answer is that it varies, but having a realistic picture of each stage helps you plan, reduces anxiety and means you're less likely to be caught off guard by delays.
Building Regulations and Planning Permission: What to Check Before You Buy A UK Property
When buying a property, the focus tends to be on the visible. What's much harder to see is whether work already done to the property was carried out correctly, safely and properly approved. Here's what to understand and ask before you proceed.
Leasehold vs Freehold: What Every UK Buyer Needs to Know
When buying a property in the UK, one of the first things your solicitor will confirm is whether it's leasehold or freehold. For many buyers this distinction can feel a bit obscure, or like legal small print. In practice it has a significant impact on what you own, what you pay and what you can do with your property.
Exchange and Completion: The Final Questions That Protect You
You've had your offer accepted, appointed a solicitor, had your survey done and navigated the conveyancing process. But exchange and completion still require attention. Here's what to ask at the final stages to make sure nothing gets missed.
Buying a Probate or Auction Property: What You Need to Know
Most property purchases follow a fairly predictable path. But probate and auction purchases come with additional complexity that can catch buyers off guard. Here's what you need to know before you proceed with either.
The Conveyancing Process: What Your Solicitor Should Be Doing
Once your offer is accepted, conveyancing begins. For many UK home buyers it's the most stressful part of the process, not because it's complicated, but because it often feels like nothing is happening. Here's what your solicitor should actually be doing at each stage.
The Property Buying Question That Could Have Saved Me Thousands
“Buying a home is one of the most exciting things you'll ever do. It's also, as I discovered, one of the easiest ways to inherit someone else's problem without ever knowing it was there…”