Our ‘Keep Moving Simple’ Packs

The conveyancing process is just one element to a house sale or purchase, granted a very important and sometimes time-consuming element, but not the only legal consideration you ought to make.

Because additional legal services, such as Wills and Joint Ownership Agreements, are frequently requested by our customers when moving to a new house, we decided to make life even simpler by offering our ‘key moving services’ and helpful extras in three different packs which can be tailored to suit your needs and budget.

Our ‘Keep Moving Simple Packs’ are available at bronze, silver and gold tiers and offer you the chance to have complete peace of mind that your affairs are in order when you move into your new home.

Why not upgrade your pack?

• Complete peace of mind with a Joint Ownership Agreement
• Protect your assets & family with a Will
• Appoint a Lasting Power of Attorney you can trust to act on your behalf
• Receive expert mortgage advice
• Enjoy a Moving Essentials Box filled with treats & handy household items

The Moving Essentials Box image above is for marketing purposes and the contents may vary.

Things to Consider When Buying a House

Making a Will

Making a Will is the only way to ensure your property and other possessions will go where you wish after your death. Other considerations a Will can deal with are:

• Appointing guardians to look after your children;
• Reducing Inheritance Tax;
• Funeral wishes.

If you do not have a Will, the laws which decide where your assets go can be very unfair, not providing for an unmarried partner or step/foster children. Not making a Will can also cause a great deal of stress and expense for those that you leave.

By making a Will with Bendles, you can be confident that your family and assets are protected in the best possible way. To ensure your family’s future is protected make an appointment and we will take care of the rest. Wills cost £150 +vat or £250 +vat for a couple.

Setting up a Lasting Power of Attorney

Have you ever considered who would make important choices on your behalf if you were not able to? Although no one likes to consider such a situation, appointing a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) can protect your best interests.

LPAs allow others to do things for you, be it handling your finances, going to the bank, selling your home or arranging medical treatment. The main benefits of setting up an LPA now are:

• It ensures that only those who you trust can make decisions and act on your behalf;
• Those looking after your affairs can only do things which are in your best interests and while you have mental capacity you are the ultimate decision maker;
• There are lots of different options in the application form to make the LPA fit your individual circumstances; and
• It is advisable to get an LPA set up well before you need it. It is more expensive, time consuming and stressful for someone to help you with your money and property if you have already lost mental capacity.

Bendles offer LPAs at the highly competitive fee of £350 + VAT for one LPA, £450 for two and if a couple require two each (for both Property & Financial Affairs and Health & Welfare decisions) it’s £600 + VAT. There is also an additional fee payable to the Office of the Public Guardian which is £82 per form.

Arranging a Joint Ownership Agreement

It is always advisable for co-owners of property, particularly where one has contributed more to the purchase price, to enter into a joint ownership agreement as this will:

• Confirm the extent of their ownership of the property (i.e. how much money each has put in and how much they want out if sold);
• Set out any express terms that the co-owners want to include. These might include provisions to deal with a situation where one of the co-owners wants to sell and move out or practical arrangements for day-to-day issues such as how the parties will arrange for maintenance and meet other expenses related to the property.

If a co-owner has contributed more to the purchase price and they then split up, they may not get back what they put in. Having a joint ownership agreement in place avoids this situation and unnecessary stress should you have to sell a co-owned property.

Our highly experienced and dedicated team is ready to help put your affairs in order.

Residential Conveyancing Fees

The purchase or sale of a new home can be a daunting experience as such our team at Bendles is there to make the process as simple and straightforward as possible.

We offer a range of fixed fee options for the sale or purchase of residential properties, both freehold and leasehold.

Our standard fees for residential matters are:

Certain transactions may be subject to extra charges these include (but are not limited to):

All prices are subject to VAT at the current rate.

Disbursements

In conveyancing matters you will be asked to pay for disbursements. These are costs payable to third parties such as the search providers, Stamp Duty Office or the Land Registry. We will liaise with all the third parties to ensure that the transaction completes as quickly and smoothly for you as possible.

The disbursements will be outlined at the beginning of your matter however some may be requested at a later stage, such as by your mortgage provider. Disbursements differ depending on whether your matter is a sale, purchase or both. Disbursements could include:

Timescales

The timescale for the completion of your matter can be subject to a number of different factors such as your transaction being in a chain, the speed of mortgage lenders and other solicitors, complexity or search result delays. However, the average process usually takes between 8 – 12 weeks from us receiving the contract paperwork to completion.

In relation to leasehold matters, which include a lease renewal, these matters can take longer due to the complexity. However, the average would be between 8 – 20 weeks.

Steps up to and including Completion:

Some matters are not included in our fees these include:

• Financial advice;
• Valuations;
• Inheritance and probate advice (contact the private client department);
• Tax advice;
• Advice or preparation of a Declaration of Trust (we can ask one of the members of the private client department to contact you).

Where these excluded services fall within our expertise, we can provide you with an estimate of our charges for these services.

FAQs