A Basic Guide to Conveyancing for First-Time Buyers
Conveyancing is the legal process that transfers property ownership from the seller to the buyer. For first-time buyers, the steps may seem complicated, but a clear understanding can make it more manageable.
- Initial Instructions and ID Verification
Once you select a conveyancer, you’ll receive a letter detailing terms, fees, and the conveyancing process. Providing identification is essential to comply with anti-money laundering laws. Your conveyancer will then initiate basic inquiries and start liaising with the seller’s solicitor.
- Property Searches
Your conveyancer will perform several searches to identify issues that might affect the property’s value or suitability, including:
- Local Authority Search: Checks for planning, road schemes, or regulations affecting the property.
- Water and Drainage Search: Confirms water and drainage arrangements.
- Environmental Search: Highlights potential risks like flooding or contamination. Additional searches may be required depending on the property’s location and specifics.
- Enquiries and Document Review
Following the searches, your conveyancer will raise queries with the seller’s solicitor to clarify details like:
- Boundaries: Confirms the property boundaries.
- Building Regulations and Planning: Ensures recent modifications and planning permission applications are compliant.
- Rights of Way or Covenants: Identifies legal obligations like access rights.
- Title Review: Your conveyancer will conduct a thorough analysis of the property’s title to ensure there are no issues with ownership or claims that could affect your legal rights. This includes verifying the seller’s legal right to sell the property and confirming that the title is “clean” – free of restrictions or conditions that could complicate your ownership.
For leasehold properties, the conveyancer will also check:
- Ground Rent and Service Charges: Clarify annual fees and maintenance charges.
- Lease Length: Short leases (under 80 years) can affect mortgage eligibility and resale value.
- Restrictions: These might affect renting out, making modifications, or even keeping pets.
- Maintenance and Repair Obligations: In leasehold agreements, both leaseholders and the freeholder may have specific maintenance duties. Your conveyancer will outline who is responsible for maintaining areas like the building’s exterior, communal spaces, or structural repairs, as these could affect your costs and responsibilities.
- Insurance Requirements: Typically, the freeholder arranges building insurance for the entire property, which leaseholders contribute to through service charges. However, it’s essential to confirm this coverage and understand if you’ll need separate contents insurance to protect personal belongings.
- Major Works and Future Costs: Freeholders may occasionally schedule major renovations or repairs, such as roof replacements or structural updates, which require leaseholders to contribute significant fees. The conveyancer will inquire about any anticipated projects or costs, as these can impact your finances.
- Dispute Resolution Procedures: Leasehold properties may have established processes for addressing disputes with the freeholder or other leaseholders. Understanding these procedures helps ensure you’re prepared to handle issues around service charges, maintenance, or noise complaints if they arise.
- Reviewing and Approving the Contract
The seller’s solicitor will draft the contract, which your conveyancer will review to ensure it meets legal standards and aligns with the agreed terms. This includes sale price, any additional costs, and the completion date. Your conveyancer may raise further inquiries if necessary.
- Mortgage Offer Review
If you need a mortgage, your lender will arrange a property valuation to confirm its worth. Once approved, you’ll receive a mortgage offer, which your conveyancer will review to ensure no conditions affect the purchase. They’ll also explain the terms to ensure you understand the financial obligations.
Based on the searches and enquiries, your conveyancer will draft a property report summarising findings and flagging any issues. This report clarifies essential details, such as boundaries, access rights, and lease terms, helping you understand the transaction before proceeding.
- Exchanging Contracts
Once all searches, inquiries, and financial matters are settled, contracts are exchanged. You’ll pay a deposit (usually 10% of the purchase price), and the sale becomes legally binding with an agreed completion date. At this point, neither party can withdraw without penalty.
- Completion
On the day of completion, you’ll pay the remaining balance, and your conveyancer will transfer funds to finalise ownership. You’ll receive confirmation from your conveyancer that you have completed and will be able to collect the keys from the agent.
After completion, your conveyancer handles final details like paying Stamp Duty (if applicable) and registering you as the official owner with the Land Registry and serving notice of your change of ownership to the Landlord (if the property is Leasehold). Your conveyancer will apply to register the property in your name with HM Land Registry, officially marking your ownership.
Once completed, you’ll receive the registered title, officially marking you as the property owner.
For professional advice on conveyancing or any other property-related legal matters, please contact Chan Neill Solicitors LLP. Our experienced team is dedicated to providing first-time buyers with expert guidance through every step of the property purchase process. We pride ourselves on delivering tailored solutions and ensuring a seamless, stress-free experience. Whether you’re navigating complex lease terms, understanding property searches, or reviewing mortgage conditions, our professionals are here to support you with comprehensive, personalised assistance.
This article is provided for general information only. It is not intended to be and cannot be relied upon as legal advice or otherwise. If you would like to discuss any of the matters covered in this article, please contact us using the contact form or email us on reception@cnsolicitors.com
Can I still apply for Naturalisation if I do not meet the absences requirement?
Naturalisation is a process in which a foreign national who is free from immigration time restrictions can apply to become a British citizen. Becoming a British citizen is a significant life event; but Naturalisation is not an entitlement. The application process for Naturalisation is subject to legal and residence requirements, which, can be waived to certain extend, but cannot be ignored altogether.
The residence requirements for Naturalisation include the absences requirement, which is a particularly sore subject due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic due to the associated borders closure and flights cancellations. Thankfully, the Secretary of State has powers to exercise discretion and to waive the absences requirement.
In this article we wish to discuss how discretion can be exercised in relation to the excess of the absences limits.
Residence requirement for Naturalisation
If the applicant is married to or in a civil partnership with a British citizen, they need to have met the 3-year lawful continuous residence requirement upon application (s.6(2) of the British Nationality Act 1981) and be free from immigration time restrictions on the date of application. If not, the applicant needs to have met the 5-year lawful continuous residence requirement, and they need to be free from immigration time restrictions for 12 months before applying for naturalisation (s.6(1) of the British Nationality Act 1981). This is known as the qualifying period.
For Naturalisation applications under s.6(1), in the qualifying period of 5 years, the number of days of absences (number of days the applicant was away from the UK) should be no more than 450 days. For applications under s.6(2), the applicant’s days of absences within the qualifying period of 3 years should be no more than 270 days. In addition, in the final year of the qualifying period, the applicant’s absences should be no more than 90 days.
What if the applicant does not meet the above requirements, for instance, having exceeded the days of absences? Prospective applicants should not feel discouraged as this does not mean the Naturalisation application will be automatically refused. According to the Home Office guidance document, where an applicant has spent more than 450 days for s.6(1) applications, or 270 days for s.6(2) applications, outside of the UK during the qualifying period, caseworkers must consider exercising discretion if applicants meet other requirements.
The applicant has absences of more than 450/270 days during the qualifying period
Where the applicant has exceed the permitted absences by 30 days, the caseworker when determining the application must exercise discretion unless there are other grounds on which the application falls for refusal.
Where the applicant has absences of 480-900 days when applying under s.6(1) or 300-540 days when applying under s.6(2), caseworkers are advised to only consider exercising discretion where the applicant has ‘established their home, employment, family and finances in the UK’. In addition, applicants also need to meet one or more of the following requirements.
- At least 2 years residence (for s.6(1) applications) or 1 year (for s.6(2) applications) without substantial absences immediately before the start of the qualifying period. If the absence is above 730 days (for s.6(1) applications) or 450 days (for s.6(2) applications), the residence without substantial absences should be at least 3 or 2 years respectively.
- The excess absences are the result of postings abroad in Crown service or in service designated under s.2(3) of the 1981 Act, or accompanying a British citizen spouse or civil partner on an appointment overseas.
- The excess absences were an unavoidable consequence of the nature of the applicant’s career, such as a merchant seaman or employment with frequent travel abroad.
- Exceptionally compelling reasons of an occupational or compassionate nature to justify naturalisation, such as a firm job offer where British citizenship is mandatory.
- The excess absences were because the applicant was unable to return to the UK because of a global pandemic.
The applicant has absences of more than 90 days in the final year of the qualifying period
Home Office caseworkers are advised to only exercise discretion for excessive absences during the final year of the qualifying period for s.6(1) applications if the future intentions requirement is met. The purpose of the requirement is that applicants wishing to be naturalised as British citizens should not already have decided, or intend, to break their links with the UK. Caseworkers usually determine the future intentions of applicants based on past behaviour.
Where the future intentions requirement is met for s.6(1) applications, or where the applicant is applying under s.6(2), caseworkers then need to look at the days of absences in the final year of qualifying period, and whether the residence requirement across the qualifying period is met.
For instance, if the days of absences in the final year are 100 or less, caseworkers would exercise discretion. Where the absences are 100-180, and the residence requirement throughout the qualifying period is met, discretion is only exercised if the applicant demonstrates strong links through presence of family, employment and their home in the UK. If the residence requirement is not met, they also have to prove that the absence is due to Crown service or by compelling occupational or compassionate reasons.
If the days of absences in the final year are over 180, where the applicant has met the overall residence requirement, discretion can be exercised if only the applicant has demonstrated that they have made the UK their home. If they are over 180 and the overall residence requirement is not met, discretion can only be exercised if the applicant has demonstrated that they have made this country their home, and that there are exceptional circumstances.
Conclusion
It is reassuring that the Home Secretary can exercise discretion in circumstances where the absences requirement has not been fully met. Whether the excess in absences has been the result of the ongoing pandemic, or an unavoidable consequence of the nature of the applicant’s career, it might be worth attempting the application relying on discretion.
If you would like to apply for naturalisation and you believe that discretion would be beneficial to your application, please do not hesitate to contact our Immigration team. At Chan Neill Solicitors LLP, we understand the nuances of Asian and Middle Eastern cultures well. Across our team, we speak many languages including Mandarin, Cantonese, Gujarati, Russian, French, Korean, Portuguese, Hungarian and Spanish. With access to our solicitors at two locations, one in City and one in Mayfair, we cover a very broad spectrum of varying clients’ needs.
Please note that requirements may vary from case to case based on the nuances of your situation, and the information on this page is not intended to replace legal advice.
What can I expect from a passport interview?
Becoming a British Citizen is a significant event in one’s life. In order to fully enjoy the rights as a new Brit, following the approval of a Naturalisation application, it is a mandatory requirement to attend a Citizenship Ceremony, and then apply for a first British passport. On a remark, children are granted a Certificate of Registration instead and are not required to attend the Citizenship Ceremony, unless have turned 18 during the application process for registration.
It is a common misconception that a British passport confers a right to British nationality. The British Nationality is conferred by the Certificate of Naturalisation, which is issued during the Citizenship Ceremony. The passport is merely a travel document, but an important one if one needs to travel abroad or prove their right to reside in the UK.
As a part of the application procedure for a first British passport, it can be expected that an applicant is invited to take part in an identity interview. The invitation for an interview is usually sent to those, who are 16 or over, or likely to become 16 before they are issued with a British passport. Nowadays, it is extremely rare that adult applicants are invited for an interview, therefore, this article aims at children aged 16 and over.
Many fear this process; however, there is nothing to worry about. The interview merely helps the passport issuing authority to confirm the applicant’s identity and that the passport application, in fact, belongs to the applicant. The interview is an important part of the process to help reducing identity fraud. In other words, if you are who you claim to be, there is nothing to be afraid of.
The British passport interview lasts approximately 20-30 minutes during which the applicant is expected to answer the following set of questions (which may vary):
- Their full name and spelling of their name
- The full name of parent(s) and their current occupation
- Their current and previous residential address(es) in the UK and abroad
- The name and address of their school(s) and the name of their teacher(s)
- The full names of their closest friends in the UK
Naturally, the answers to these questions should be familiar to the applicant and they are expected to answer these questions without overthinking.
If the interviewer is satisfied with the information provided, the British passport should then be issued without delays.
If you are concerned about your prospective passport interview or you may have questions regarding your visas, please do not hesitate to contact our immigration team. At Chan Neill Solicitors LLP, we understand the nuances of Asian and Middle Eastern cultures well. Across our team, we speak many languages including Mandarin, Cantonese, Gujarati, Russian, French, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish. With access to our solicitors at two locations, one in City and one in Mayfair, we cover a very broad spectrum of varying clients needs.
Please note that requirements may vary from case to case based on the nuances of your situation, and the information on this page is not intended to replace legal advice.