Residential Conveyancing Solicitors

Buying or selling a house can be stressful. At David W Harris & Co, we provide a personal service designed to make the process as easy as possible. Our residential conveyancing solicitors in South Wales have the expertise to deal effectively with any complications that may arise, and we always work to complete matters promptly.

We know that the conveyancing process can be daunting, and we will ensure that you know exactly what is happening and what the next stage will be. Our team will stay in close contact throughout and we are always happy to discuss concerns and answer questions as needed.

We will provide a clear quote for your conveyancing solicitor’s fees at the outset, as well as a breakdown of the other expenses, such as search fees and the Land Registry’s fee for registering a purchase.

We have local conveyancing solicitors’ offices in Pontypridd, Swansea and Talbot Green and we deal with transactions across the South Wales area and beyond. If you are considering buying or selling a property, call us today and we will be happy to help.

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Our residential conveyancing services include:

• Purchases
• Leasehold purchases
• Sales, including leasehold sales
• Re-mortgages
• Transfers of equity
• Declaration of trust
• Property auctions

Please note that we cannot currently assist with the following types of work:

• Flats which come under the remit of the Building Safety Act 2022, which are considered as high risk properties
• New build purchases
• Houses in Multiple Occupation
• Sale or purchase of flats which involve lease extension (other than by prior agreement)
• Commercial land (other than by prior agreement)

Contact our residential conveyancing solicitors 

Our residential conveyancing solicitors in Pontypridd, Swansea & Talbot Green have the experience to ensure your home move or other property transaction proceeds as efficiently as possible. We know that you will often face deadlines and we always work proactively to avoid delays.

Our team are professional, friendly and approachable and will make sure that you have the support and guidance you need. If you are choosing a conveyancing solicitor, we will be delighted to help. Call us today for conveyancing quotes or to ask any preliminary questions you may have.

To speak to one of our team for conveyancing help or representation, you can ring one of our offices in Pontypridd, Swansea and Talbot Green. Alternatively, we have an easy-to-use contact form.

Our residential conveyancing services

Purchases

The conveyancing process for purchases has a number of steps and we will guide you through them, ensuring you know what is needed from you at each point. The main stages for a residential house purchase are as follows:

• Reviewing your instructions, including verifying your identity and carrying out anti-money laundering (AML) checks
• Checking that finances are in place to fund your purchase and, if required, contacting your mortgage lender
• Receiving and reviewing the contract package
• Obtaining all required searches and checking the results
• Obtaining planning information if required (a further fee may be payable for this)
• Making any necessary enquiries of the seller’s solicitor
• Advising on all documents and correspondence received
• Reviewing and advising on your mortgage conditions
• Sending the contract to you for signing
• Liaising with you and the seller’s solicitor to agree on the completion date 
• Organising cleared funds for the deposit, which is payable on exchange
• Exchanging contracts and notifying you when this has taken place
• Advising you of the balance needed from you to complete
• Ordering your mortgage advance
• Completing your purchase
• Paying the Land Transaction Tax (Wales) or Stamp Duty (England and Northern Ireland)
• Registering your purchase and mortgage with the Land Registry

Leasehold purchases

We deal with leasehold purchases of both flats and houses. The process is similar to the house purchase process, but we will also ask the seller’s solicitor to provide a substantial amount of information relating to the lease and management of the property. This includes:

• A copy of the lease
• A copy of the freehold title
• Standard replies to leasehold enquiries
• A copy of the management company accounts for recent years
• A copy of the buildings insurance policy
• Confirmation that the seller’s payments for service charges and ground rent are up to date
• Confirmation that the seller has not breached any of the terms of the lease
• Details of the amount held in any sinking fund, which is money available for future large items of expenditure on repairs and maintenance
• Consents for any work done to the property that needed the freeholder’s approval

We know that the amount of extra information can be overwhelming, and we will make sure that it is clearly explained to you as needed and that we draw your attention to anything out of the ordinary.

Newbuild purchases

Buying a newbuild home follows a similar process to other purchases, but we will need some extra documentation from the seller’s solicitor. This will generally include:

• Copies of the relevant planning consents and building regulations
• Plans of the development
• Agreements relating to the infrastructure, including roads and drainage agreements
• Your newbuild warranty

It is usual for developers to set very tight deadlines for exchange of contracts. We are used to dealing with this and always do everything possible to meet deadlines while still ensuring that all relevant information has been provided and that the legal title is sound.

Sales, including leasehold sales

We deal with all types of residential property sales, including flat sales. The main stages in the sale process are as follows:

• Reviewing your instructions, including verifying your identity and carrying out anti-money laundering (AML) checks
• Obtaining a copy of the legal title to your property from the Land Registry
• Obtaining a redemption statement from your mortgage lender
• Drafting the contract
• Sending the contract package to the buyer’s solicitor, including a copy of the legal title and plan, standard property information forms and other relevant information
• Replying to any enquiries raised by the buyer’s solicitor
• Liaising with all parties to agree on a completion date
• Exchanging contracts
• Approving the transfer document and obtaining your signature
• Completing your sale
• Redeeming your mortgage

Where necessary, we will tie in your sale and purchase together. If you are selling a flat, we will also obtain the extra information needed from your freeholder or the management company and provide the buyer’s solicitor with this.

Re-mortgages

If you are re-mortgaging, you will need a solicitor to deal with the transaction on behalf of both you and your mortgage lender. We can provide the representation you need, working to complete promptly so that you can switch to your new deal without delay.

We will need to carry out some of the same work as on a purchase to satisfy your lender that the property is sound collateral for their advance.

Transfers of equity

If you are transferring a property, for example, into joint names from a sole name or vice versa, we can represent you in ensuring this is carried out correctly.

You need to ensure that your rights and interests are protected and that you have clear advice on the different ways of owning joint property. For example, if you and a new co-owner will be putting in a different amount of money, then this can be reflected in the ownership structure.

We carry out transfers of equity in a range of situations, including separation, transfers as part of a financial settlement on divorce and transfers into joint names when couples move in together.

If the property is subject to a mortgage, we will liaise with your lender to provide the information they need. Alternatively, you may be combining a transfer with a re-mortgage, in which case we will tie it in with the relevant re-mortgage work.

Help to Buy (HTB) – Wales, Shared Ownership – Wales and Homebuy – Wales

Please note that we are currently unable to act on new HTB matters, due to capacity.

When should I instruct a conveyancer?

It is always advisable to speak to a residential conveyancing solicitor as soon as you decide to move. If you contact us, we can discuss what you need to know at the outset and give you an idea of the conveyancing costs involved.

We can start work early on, opening a file, verifying your identity and carrying out the checks that we are legally required to do. This means that once you have a sale or purchase in place, we can start work on it straightaway. This often reduces the time taken to reach readiness for the exchange of contract.

If you are selling a property, we can also let you have the property information and fixtures and fittings forms for completion at this early stage so that you can go through them at your leisure and find any additional documents to be included, such as guarantees for work you have had carried out

If you are buying a property with a mortgage, you can also approach your chosen lender early on in the transaction before you have found somewhere to buy. You can request a mortgage offer in principle, which will give you an idea of the amount you can borrow. The lender will let you know what information they need and again, this can speed up the time taken to reach exchange of contracts

Our conveyancing costs

(All prices below are exclusive of 20% VAT)

Disbursements will vary based upon the type of matter and a full summary will be disclosed in our letter of instruction. All prices are guideline only and may be subject to change. VAT is charged at the current rate of 20%.