Things To Consider When Agreeing A Completion Date For A Property Transaction
Posted on 14th April 2024
At MG Legal, our team of Conveyancing Solicitors in Preston understand that Completion is the ultimate goal for all conveyancing transactions. In fact, it is the day that all parties are working towards throughout the Conveyancing process. There are, however, a number of considerations to be had, before proceeding with agreeing a date for Completion to take place.
In this blog, our Chloe Cardwell, Conveyancing Solicitor and Director at MG Legal, discusses just some of the matters that you should be considering:
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Funds:
Where you are purchasing a property, arrangements need to be made for Completion funds to be paid to the client account of your conveyancing solicitor, in readiness of Completion taking place. Where you are purchasing a property for cash, this would simply involve the transfer of the purchase price, plus any additional expenses, such as legal fees and Stamp Duty. Our Conveyancing Solicitors in Preston always advise checking the daily limits of your bank when transferring funds, as well as ensuring that any transfers made will be cleared in time for Completion taking place. Our team would, therefore, always advise forwarding funds to us at least two days before the agreed date, to account for any delays with the banking system that may occur.
In addition, where the purchase is being aided by mortgage finance, there needs to be sufficient timing to allow the drawing down of funds from your lender. Lenders, usually, require five clear working days’ notice to forward money, however, in some cases, your conveyancing solicitor can request that this be expedited.
In the world of conveyancing, our team understand that your conveyancing transaction can change on a daily basis which may mean that sufficient notice simply cannot be provided. In such instances, a request for the funds to be urgently dealt with would be made. We act for a lot of people buy and selling residential property, so there is a very good chance that our conveyancing solicitors will be on your mortgage lender’s panel, and have worked with them many times before. We will therefore know how and when they want the mortgage monies requesting, for your property transaction to complete.
Where the purchase is being funded by other means, such as a Help to Buy ISA (see more on Help to Buy ISAs, here), a lifetime ISA ,or Help to Buy funding, as examples, there needs to be sufficient timing to ensure the funds will be cleared in readiness of the agreed date. Our Conveyancing Solicitors in Preston will be able to advise you of the time scales such organisations work to, in order that the Completion date can be agreed in accordance with the same.
Chain Reaction:
If your transaction is part of a chain, this can increase the difficulty in coming to an agreement in terms of Completion. This is mainly due to the fact that there are simply more parties to satisfy, who all have individual needs for a completion date.
Sometimes, the more flexible you can be about a date for completion, the easier agreeing a date will be. You should consider whether you can be, at all, flexible in the dates for Completion that are being suggested, should other parties in the chain require. Our team have your best interests at the forefront, always, and will do our utmost to ensure your preferred date is agreed upon. However, where there are several parties involved, a degree of flexibility may be required. This is something that you can discuss with your conveyancing solicitor, to ensure the best possible outcome for all involved.
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If you are looking to instruct our solicitors, we have offices in Garstang, Longridge, Lancaster and Lytham for your convenience.
Removals:
In packing up your belongings you will probably discover things you never even knew you had. So, firstly, we would advise against leaving removal arrangements until the day of Completion. You should, slowly, begin packing items up throughout the process, to avoid this being such a big job when the time comes. We would stress that the transaction does not become legally binding until Exchange has taken place, therefore, removal bookings should not be finalised until this point, to avoid loss of any deposits paid, in the event of an issue with the agreed completion date.
Where you are reliant on removal assistance, you should ensure that you can secure a booking for that date, in order that you can vacate the property, as agreed. Should you not require a removal firm and have family members or friends on hand to assist you, you should also ensure that they are able to do so on that date.
Are you happy to proceed?
Amidst the excitement of being at a stage where dates for Completion can be suggested and agreed, it is important to ensure you are happy to proceed. You should discuss any queries you have with your conveyancing solicitor, be it in connection with funds, searches, or enquiries, for example. Our team are on hand to ensure you are fully appraised and are happy to proceed. If you have any queries at all, then pop into one of our offices, located in Preston, Garstang, Longridge, Lancaster, and, as of September 2023, our conveyancing solicitors serve the people of Blackpool, and Lytham.
Additionally, our Conveyancing Solicitors in Preston have comprised a trusty checklist that you can use to ensure that you are completely satisfied, and ready to proceed to Completion. You can view this, here.
Time Scales:
At MG Legal, our conveyancing solicitors will keep you updated on the progress of your conveyancing transaction. This helps ensure you are fully aware of the position, but also helps assess how far away Completion may potentially be. See our Preston solicitors’ blog in which we discuss time scales during your transaction, and how matters can be expedited, but also what can cause delays, here.
You should also be considering any personal time scales that you have to work towards, for example:
Family and/or work commitments that may restrict when Completion may take place.
Any current accommodation that you may be residing at, and the required period for giving notice on that property.
As opposed to focusing on dates to suggest, are there any specific dates that are to be avoided for Completion, for whatever reason? Eliminating such dates can aid an agreement being reached between the parties.
Do you require time between Exchange and Completion and, if so, what are your requirements in this regard.
You should discuss your circumstances with your conveyancing solicitor so when looking to agree a Completion date, this can suit your individual needs.
So, whilst it can be easy to get carried away with picturing life post-Completion, there are a number of considerations that should be had before agreeing specific dates.
Our team understand that Completion is the ultimate goal and will, of course, do everything to ensure that any requirements you have in respect of Completion are met. Discuss your moving- day musts with our Conveyancing Solicitors in Preston today, by contacting property@mglegal.co.uk or call 01772 783314.
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Tagged as: Conveyancing, Solicitors in Preston
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