Conveyancing of your Property Sale or Buying

We realise the importance of being able to contact or speak to the person directly involved in the conveyance of your property sale or purchase after all the legalities of a move can be one of the most stressful and time consuming parts of any property transaction.

For this reason we have teamed up with Legal Business property lawyers who will not only deal with your property sale or purchase with the highest degree of professionalism but will also ensure that you understand what is being done on your behalf at each stage.

For a free conveyancing quote

Mortgages

We want to point you in the right direction and for this reason we’ve teamed up with Mortgage Business whose purpose is to provide access to the very latest in home loans and finance options for all residential, commercial and investment situations.

EPC

From 1 October 2008 sellers and landlords are required by law to provide an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) for all buildings or parts of buildings when they are sold or rented.

An Energy Performance Certificate lasts for 10 years and gives prospective buyers or tenants information on the energy efficiency and carbon emissions of a building.

The cost of an EPC is £65.

Removals

Britannia Web site

Surveys

What do you know about the condition of the property you are buying?

You may have an idea but to really find out it is always advisable to have a survey carried out by a professional. That’s why we’ve teamed up with Colleys who have over 300 RICS qualified surveyors. Each one is experienced in valuing and surveying residential property and having a local presence, giving you expert knowledge of homes in your area. Their comprehensive range of valuation and survey services gives you the choice you need. And they’re backed by a commitment to customer service that’s second to none.

Landlords Gas Safety Certificates

Landlords must be able to provide their tenants with an up-to-date Gas Safety record.

By law, landlords must have all gas appliances serviced regularly, normally once a year by a Gas Safe registered engineer. The Gas Safe registered engineer will provide a Gas Safety record upon completion of the check. As a minimum, the record of a gas safety check must contain:

description and location of each appliance and/or flue checked
name, registration number and signature of the engineer who carried out the check
date on which the appliance and/or flue was checked
the address of the property at which the appliance and/or flue is installed
the name and address of the landlord (or his agent where appropriate)
any defect identified and any action required or taken to fix it
confirmation of the results of operational safety checks carried out on the appliances.

For more information and to find a Gas safe engineer in your area:

www.gassaferegister.co.uk

Tenancy Agreements

The most common type of tenancy agreement for residential properties is the Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST)

These are used where the annual rent is less than £100,000 and the initial fixed term is for a period of not more than three years. They are governed by The Housing Act 1988 as amended by the Housing Act 1996 which provides certain requirements for AST agreements. Some of the more important of these are that the Tenant must be an individual, the dwelling must be separate accommodation, and the dwelling must be the Tenant's main or principal home. The agreement cannot be an AST agreement where the Tenant is a company, where there is no rent, low rent or high rent (above £100,000).

There are a number of other important exclusions which include holiday lettings, tenancies granted by a resident Landlord (a Landlord who lives in the same property as the Tenant), tenancies let with property of more than 2 acres of agricultural land and tenancies entered into before 15 January 1989.

Other types are:

A Contractual tenancy agreement is used where the criteria can’t be met for the tenancy to be an AST. Government-authorised tenancy deposit schemes do not apply to this type of tenancy.

A Company Let Tenancy Agreement this should be used where the tenant is a company and the occupier of the property is an employee or visitor of the company, with their family. Government-authorised tenancy deposit schemes do not apply to this type of tenancy.

Fully drafted tenancy agreement £45 + VAT

Tenant Referencing

Referencing is carried out through Homelet, we’ll need some basic details from you and will then e–mail a link to you for you to complete the referencing form. If you’re unsure about any part of the form just give us a call before you submit it.

Inventories

With the advent of the tenancy deposit schemes it can’t be emphasised enough that this is a very important part of the letting process and is essential to avoid disputes at the end of the tenancy.

An inventory provides an accurate written and often photographic record of the condition and contents of a property at the beginning of a tenancy. At the Check in an inventory Clerk inspects the property with the tenants, compares it to the inventory any variations are then noted and the tenant signs to confirm acceptance of it. At the end of the tenancy a Check–out inspection is carried out. Notes are made on the master inventory of any variations since the Check–in and if the tenant is present they will sign to confirm acceptance. This is the basis for any claims that may arise.

We have teamed up with ARPM who specialised in inventories, check in and outs. The cost of this depends on the size of property, number of rooms and location.

Landlords Insurance

As a Landlord you’re exposed to more risks than you may think and that means a standard household insurance policy won’t necessarily give you the cover you need. We’ve teamed up with Homelet a specialist in the market who can offer you insurances for Buildings, Contents, Emergency assistance, Rent guarantee, Legal expenses and Boiler and heating cover.

Tenants Insurance

Protect your valuables and your deposit with a specialised insurance at a competitive price from Homelet.

Additional Marketing for your property sale or let online

When you initially purchase any of our options we will give you 6 months marketing for sales and 3 months for lettings. We feel that this should be sufficient time for a property sale or let but in the unlikely event that it’s not probably due to market conditions we are able to offer you additional marketing at a considerably reduced cost. We hope that you won’t require this however we want to continue to support you and promote your property.