When can I move?

It is the question that everyone asks and lawyers always find really difficult to answer.Everyone seems to know that the conveyancing process can be slow and uncertain.

In fairness to myself and other lawyers it is not all our fault!The person selling a property has questionnaires to fill in and may need to find a property to buy themselves.The buyer may need to arrange a mortgage, have a survey done and his or her lawyer will need to check the legal title to the property and send off for a search to the local authority (amongst other searches) who then need to reply to all the questions asked in the search.It usually takes 2-3 weeks for a local council to deal with a search.

It all takes time and if you are in a chain then the whole process has to be repeated by everyone involved in that chain.

However, for better or worse, it is the process we have got and whilst it may have been developed a long time ago and the world has changed a lot in the meantime, it is the process we all have to use.

So please bear with us. When you ask the question and don’t get a definite answer it is not simply the case that your lawyer is trying to avoid answering it!There are usually so many variable factors that a definitive answer is not possible.

For advice on this and other Residential Property issues, please contact Partner and Head of Residential Property Chris Pease.

Please note the contents of this blog are given for information only and must not be relied upon. Legal advice should always be sought in relation to specific circumstances.