Moving House

Buying or Selling a House

Whether you’re buying your first home, a home mover or investing in new property, the buying process can be overwhelming. Every important investment deserves the best legal guidance – and that’s where our conveyancing solicitors can help.

Our conveyancing solicitors have helped thousands of clients buy and sell property, guiding them from the initial offer through to completion. At HHD Solicitors, we provide clear, practical advice to make the process as smooth and stress-free as possible, while avoiding unnecessary delays.

What Is Conveyancing

Conveyancing is the term used to describe the transfer of property ownership, when buying or selling a home. The process begins when an offer to purchase a property is accepted, and ends when the sale is completed. All property transactions require conveyancing, so it’s vital to have experienced solicitors managing the process on your behalf.

On average, the process of conveyancing takes around 6-10 weeks, but varies depending on a number of factors, such as whether you are the buyer or seller.

We Can Assist With Conveyancing

• First Time Buyers
• Remortgaging
• Transfer of equity
• Co-Ownership and Right to Buy
• Auction Properties

First Time Buyers

Legal support you can trust when purchasing your first home

Stepping onto the property ladder for the first time is an exciting milestone in anyone’s life, but the legal processes can understandably be somewhat overwhelming. But, with the help of expert legal advice, they don’t need to be.

From mortgages to contracts, there is a lot to think about when purchasing your first home. At HHD Solicitors, we provide conveyancing services to first time buyers, guiding you step-by-step through the process, explaining everything in simple terms and ensuring that you know exactly what to expect.

What To Expect As A First Time Buyer

The legal process of purchasing a home is known as Conveyancing. For a first-time buyer, the process usually looks something like this.

1. Offer Acceptance: Once your offer has been accepted on a property, the conveyancing process begins. You should have a solicitor in place at this stage to ensure there are no delays.
2. Surveys and Contracts: We will review contracts alongside you, carry out searches and advise you on any potential issues.
3. Securing Your Mortgage: Once you have secured a mortgage, we will liaise with your lender to ensure everything is in order.
4. Signing Contracts & Paying Deposit: Once you are happy, you will sign the contract and pay your deposit. For first-time buyers, a deposit is generally 5-10% of the purchase price.
5. Completion: On completion day, the balance is transferred, ownership passes to you and you will receive the keys. This process usually takes around 6-8 weeks.

Remortgaging

Support with switching lenders, securing a better deal, or releasing equity from your home.

Thinking of remortgaging your home? Whatever your circumstances, we highly recommend seeking legal advice to ensure that you make the right decisions and choose the option that is the best fit for you.

Remortgaging is the process of replacing your current mortgage with a new one, either with your existing lender or a new provider. It can save you money, release equity from your home or help to consolidate debts. For many people, this can be a smart financial decision, but often, a solicitor is required to carry out the legal work.

At HHD Solicitors, our highly experienced team can advise you on the options available and the costs associated with remortgaging.

How We Can Help Remortgaging

• Review your new mortgage offer and explain the terms.
• Check the title to your property and report to your lender.
• Ensure that any existing mortgage is transferred correctly.
• Handle Land Registry formalities and registration of the new mortgage.

Transfer Of Equity

Guiding you through the challenges of property ownership changes with care.

A transfer of equity occurs when the legal ownership of a property changes.

A transfer of equity can take place in many circumstances, such as marriage, divorce, inheritance or gifting property, and each situation comes with its own challenges.

As conveyancing solicitors, our role is to ensure that, whatever the circumstances, the process is seamless, straightforward and stress-free for everyone involved. With extensive experience in these matters, we will guide you through the process, navigating each individual situation with the care it deserves.

When Does A Transfer Of Equity Apply?

Transfers of equity can take place in a range of situations, including:

• Marriage or civil partnership
• Divorce or separation
• Gifting property between relatives
• Inherited property after a death
• Transfers linked to controllership or powers of attorney
• Adding or removing a party to a mortgage

The Process

When you seek legal advice in relation to a Transfer of Equity, our conveyancing solicitors will:

• Assess your situation and advise you on the legal implications of a transfer.
• Draft the transfer deed and arrange for it to be signed by all parties.
• Submit the application to the Land Registry to register the new ownership.
• Provide you with a copy of the updated title deeds after completion of the transfer.
• Ensure any Stamp Duty Land Tax requirements are dealt with.

Co-Ownership and Right To Buy

Advice on Co Ownership NI and Right to Buy schemes to help you take the next step onto the property ladder.

For those who need some additional support with getting onto the property ladder, you may wish to consider schemes such as Co Ownership and Right to Buy.

Both schemes are designed to make home ownership more accessible and can play an important role for first-time buyers. Our conveyancing solicitors are experienced in handling Co Ownership and Right to Buy purchases, and will help you to make an informed decision.

What Is Co-Ownership?

Co Ownership is a scheme run by the Northern Ireland Co Ownership Housing Association. It gives buyers the chance to purchase a share of a property (between 50% and 90%) and pay rent on the remaining share. In practice, this means you’ll make monthly mortgage payments to your lender alongside a monthly rent payment to Co Ownership.

Co Ownership will assess both your eligibility and whether the property you wish to purchase is suitable for the scheme.

The key advantage to purchasing with Co Ownership is flexibility. You can start by buying the share you can afford now, and then “buy out” Co Ownership in stages until you eventually own the property outright.

At HHD Solicitors, we are on the Co Ownership panel of solicitors and have extensive experience in guiding our clients through the process. When purchasing with Co Ownership, the standard conveyancing steps apply, with the addition of specific documents such as the Co Ownership Equity Sharing Lease.

What Is Right to Buy?

If you are a tenant of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE), you may be entitled to buy your home at a discounted price through the Right to Buy scheme.

This can provide a unique opportunity to move from renting to home ownership. We will explain the eligibility criteria, help you understand the terms, and guide you through the purchase process.

How We Can Help Co-Ownership & Right to Buy

When purchasing a home through Co Ownership or Right to Buy, our conveyancing solicitors will:

• Review your mortgage offer.
• Handle all dealings with the NI Co Ownership, Housing Association and/or NI Housing Executive.
• Manage Land Registry and Stamp Duty requirements.

Auction Properties

Confidence under the hammer – legal advice you can trust.

Property auctions can be a fast-paced way to buy or sell a home, but with this opportunity comes risks, strict deadlines, and important legal considerations.

At HHD Solicitors, our conveyancing solicitors have extensive experience in auction transactions and will ensure that the process is handled with care, whether you are buying or selling a property.

Buying At Auction

When you buy a property at auction, the legal process begins the moment the hammer falls. At this stage, you are legally bound to complete the purchase within an agreed timeframe. Usually a 10% deposit is due to be paid on the day of the auction, with the deal being fully completed within 28 days. For this reason, we recommend seeking legal advice prior to purchasing.

Each property will have an “auction pack”, and we can review these documents in advance, highlight any issues, and raise queries on your behalf.

Once your purchase has been secured, we will handle the conveyancing process as we would with any other house purchase. The difference with auction properties is the timescale. Since time is of the essence with auction purchases, we will act quickly and efficiently to ensure the transaction is completed within the strict deadlines.

Selling At Auction

If you are selling a property at auction, it is just as important to have the right legal support. You will need the expertise of a solicitor to prepare an “auction pack” – a set of documents that makes your property more attractive to prospective buyers and gives them the confidence to bid.

An auction pack includes essential documents such as title deeds, searches, and certificates that a purchaser will need to decide whether to buy.

Once a sale has been agreed at auction, we will liaise promptly and efficiently with the buyer’s solicitor to ensure the transaction is completed within the required timeframe.

Why Choose Us?

• Excellent reputation as conveyancing solicitors
• Friendly, professional and efficient team of expert solicitors
• Members of the Law Society Home Charter Scheme
• Clear, upfront estimates of fees at competitive rates – try our Conveyancing Calculator
• We will keep you fully informed throughout the process