Selling a residential property can be both exciting and stressful. With legal paperwork, financial transactions, and various regulations to navigate, the process can quickly become overwhelming. This is where an experienced residential property solicitor in Finchley can make all the difference. Whether you’re selling your home, an investment property, or part of an estate, having the right legal support ensures a smooth and relaxed transaction.
At YVA Solicitors, we specialise in residential property sales, providing expert legal guidance to ensure your sale is handled efficiently and professionally.
1. Expert Legal Guidance and Compliance
Property sales involve various legal requirements, including drafting contracts, handling property searches, and ensuring compliance with UK property law. A residential property solicitor in Finchley ensures that your transaction follows all necessary legal procedures, protecting you from potential disputes or financial risks.
At YVA Solicitors, we have in-depth knowledge of property law in Finchley and North London, ensuring your sale proceeds smoothly while adhering to all legal requirements.
2. Handling Contracts and Legal Documentation
One of the most crucial aspects of selling a property is preparing the necessary contracts and legal documents.
- Drafting the contract of sale
- Reviewing mortgage redemption statements
- Handling leasehold agreements (if applicable)
- Managing property title transfer
An experienced property solicitor in Finchley ensures that all documentation is accurate, legally binding, and protects your interests throughout the process. At YVA Solicitors, we meticulously review every detail to ensure a seamless transaction.
3. Smooth Communication with Buyers and Their Solicitors
A successful property sale requires clear and prompt communication between all parties, including estate agents, buyers and their solicitors. A residential property solicitor in Finchley acts as your legal representative, ensuring that negotiations are handled professionally and without delays.
Our team at YVA Solicitors keeps you informed at every stage, ensuring any legal concerns are addressed swiftly to keep your sale moving forward.
4. Resolving Potential Issues Quickly
During the selling process, unforeseen issues may arise, such as boundary disputes, planning permission concerns, or outstanding charges on the property. Without legal expertise, these problems can delay or even jeopardise your sale.
A property solicitor in Finchley will identify and resolve potential legal obstacles before they become major problems. At YVA Solicitors, we proactively handle any issues, ensuring a smooth and hassle-free sale for our clients.
5. Managing the Exchange of Contracts and Completion
Once the sale has been agreed upon, exchanging contracts is the next critical step. Your solicitor ensures that:
- The terms of the sale are fair and legally binding
- Deposits are transferred securely
- A completion date is set and agreed upon by both parties
At YVA Solicitors, we manage the contract exchange and completion process with efficiency, ensuring everything is finalised correctly so you can move forward with peace of mind.
6. Secure Handling of Funds and Mortgage Settlements
The financial aspect of selling a home, including mortgage redemption and fund transfers, requires careful attention. Your residential property solicitor in Finchley ensures that the sale proceeds are handled securely and that your mortgage (if applicable) is settled correctly.
Our expert legal team at YVA Solicitors ensures that all financial transactions are processed safely, giving you confidence in your property sale.
7. Reduced Stress and Faster Completion
Selling a property can be time-consuming, but with an experienced property solicitor in Finchley, you can speed up the process and reduce stress. From handling paperwork to liaising with all parties, your solicitor ensures that your sale moves forward as efficiently as possible.
At YVA Solicitors, we take a proactive approach, minimising delays and keeping you updated throughout your sale.
Why Choose YVA Solicitors for Your Property Sale in Finchley?
At YVA Solicitors, we offer:
✔ Experienced Property Law Experts – Decades of experience in Finchley and North London property transactions.
✔ Clear and Transparent Communication – Keeping you informed at every step.
✔ Personalised Service – Tailored legal solutions to suit your needs.
✔ Efficient and Reliable Support – Minimising delays and ensuring a smooth sale process.
If you’re looking for a trusted residential property solicitor in Finchley, our team at YVA Solicitors is here to help.
Contact us today for expert legal advice on selling your property.
Visit our Finchley office or get in touch online.
Possession Proceedings – Unprecedented Changes (PD 55C)
The purpose of the changes is to take into account the effect of the pandemic on all parties maintaining confidence in fairness of outcomes, encouraging compromise and to ensure the defendants are provided with legal advice.
Current Restrictions
- Moratorium on forfeiture of business tenancies extended until 31 December 2020 and is further extended until 31 March 2021.
- In Commercial Rent Arrears Recovery proceedings (“CRAR”) the minimum unpaid rent must be equivalent to 276 days rent until 24 December 2020 and 366 days from 25 December 2020. The restriction on landlords using CRAR to recover unpaid rent will also automatically extend to the end of March, in line with the moratorium’s expiry date. This allows businesses sufficient breathing space to pay rent owed.
- PD 55C: Possession Proceedings
- Reactivation Notice required for stayed claims
- New notice requirements for new claims
Overall Arrangements
- Emphasis on compromise
- Legal advice and assistance for defendants
- Non-statutory best practice guidance:
– MHCLG guidance for private and social landlords and tenants
– NRLA Pre-Action Plan: Managing Arrears and avoiding possession claims
– FCA guidance ‘Mortgages and Coronavirus’ (to 31.7.2021)
– MHCLG Code of Practice for commercial property relationships during the Covid-19 pandemic (to 24.6.2021)
New Listing Priorities
- Court will no longer fix hearing dates when claim is issued
- No more block listing
- 21 days’ notice
- Cases will be given priority if they involve the following:
- Anti-Social behaviour allegations;
- Extreme rent arrears;
- Squatters or illegal occupiers and persons unknown;
- Fraud or Deception;
- Unlawful Subletting;
- Allegations of abandonment of the Property;
- Local authority temporary accommodation needed for reallocation
Covid-19 Case Marking
- Intended to highlight settlement suitability and assist the court in dealing with listing, case management and the exercise of discretion
- Any Defendant or private Claimant may request a case is marked
- Specified information required
- Upon making request must inform all other parties. Request will result in case marking unless objection raised
- Judge may also direct that a case is Covid-19 marked
Review and Substantive Hearing Dates
The Review (R) Date:
– a 5-minute non-attended appointment on the documents
– requirements of the claimant relating to bundles before R date
– requirement that claimant is available to discuss the case during the R date
– consequence of failure to resolve case on the R date
The Substantive (S) Hearing Date:
– a 15-minute hearing attended by all parties 28 days after the R Date
– a physical hearing unless the parties agree otherwise or contingency arrangements apply
– unless case resolved, a decision by the Court or further case management directions
– adjournment considered without application where advice not yet made available to Defendants and consequences of order ‘may be serious’
Accelerated Possession Claims
- As with existing rules, the court can still make a possession order without a hearing
- Reactivation notice requirements apply for stayed claims
- The same priorities apply as with normal cases in the order in which they will be dealt with
- Will be referred to judges “at a manageable frequency”
- Where the parties agree or there is no objection a review hearing can be ordered
Evictions
- 14 days’ notice of an eviction date required
- Indicated that applications for transfer to High Court will not be prioritised
- No execution of possession warrants or delivering notices of eviction between 17/11/2020 and 11/01/2021.
- The Public Health (Coronavirus)(Protection from Eviction and Taking Control of Goods)(England) Regulations 2020
- There will be no enforcement of possession orders “Where lockdown measures are in place to protect public health”
- No evictions over Christmas Period save for the most serious of cases
How will the arrangements work in Practice?
The key aims of the overall arrangements are to reduce volume in the system by enabling earlier advice and facilitating settlement. How well this works in Practice is yet to be seen. What we do know is that delays will be inevitable and Covid-19 Case Marking is likely to become the norm. In the circumstances, it appears the Accelerated possession claims may be the ‘Cinderella’ of the situation.
Possession Proceedings – Unprecedented Changes (PD 55C)
The purpose of the changes is to take into account the effect of the pandemic on all parties maintaining confidence in fairness of outcomes, encouraging compromise and to ensure the defendants are provided with legal advice.
Current Restrictions
- Moratorium on forfeiture of business tenancies extended until 31 December 2020 and is further extended until 31 March 2021.
- In Commercial Rent Arrears Recovery proceedings (“CRAR”) the minimum unpaid rent must be equivalent to 276 days rent until 24 December 2020 and 366 days from 25 December 2020. The restriction on landlords using CRAR to recover unpaid rent will also automatically extend to the end of March, in line with the moratorium’s expiry date. This allows businesses sufficient breathing space to pay rent owed.
- PD 55C: Possession Proceedings
- Reactivation Notice required for stayed claims
- New notice requirements for new claims
Overall Arrangements
- Emphasis on compromise
- Legal advice and assistance for defendants
- Non-statutory best practice guidance:
– MHCLG guidance for private and social landlords and tenants
– NRLA Pre-Action Plan: Managing Arrears and avoiding possession claims
– FCA guidance ‘Mortgages and Coronavirus’ (to 31.7.2021)
– MHCLG Code of Practice for commercial property relationships during the Covid-19 pandemic (to 24.6.2021)
New Listing Priorities
- Court will no longer fix hearing dates when claim is issued
- No more block listing
- 21 days’ notice
- Cases will be given priority if they involve the following:
- Anti-Social behaviour allegations;
- Extreme rent arrears;
- Squatters or illegal occupiers and persons unknown;
- Fraud or Deception;
- Unlawful Subletting;
- Allegations of abandonment of the Property;
- Local authority temporary accommodation needed for reallocation
Covid-19 Case Marking
- Intended to highlight settlement suitability and assist the court in dealing with listing, case management and the exercise of discretion
- Any Defendant or private Claimant may request a case is marked
- Specified information required
- Upon making request must inform all other parties. Request will result in case marking unless objection raised
- Judge may also direct that a case is Covid-19 marked
Review and Substantive Hearing Dates
The Review (R) Date:
– a 5-minute non-attended appointment on the documents
– requirements of the claimant relating to bundles before R date
– requirement that claimant is available to discuss the case during the R date
– consequence of failure to resolve case on the R date
The Substantive (S) Hearing Date:
– a 15-minute hearing attended by all parties 28 days after the R Date
– a physical hearing unless the parties agree otherwise or contingency arrangements apply
– unless case resolved, a decision by the Court or further case management directions
– adjournment considered without application where advice not yet made available to Defendants and consequences of order ‘may be serious’
Accelerated Possession Claims
- As with existing rules, the court can still make a possession order without a hearing
- Reactivation notice requirements apply for stayed claims
- The same priorities apply as with normal cases in the order in which they will be dealt with
- Will be referred to judges “at a manageable frequency”
- Where the parties agree or there is no objection a review hearing can be ordered
Evictions
- 14 days’ notice of an eviction date required
- Indicated that applications for transfer to High Court will not be prioritised
- No execution of possession warrants or delivering notices of eviction between 17/11/2020 and 11/01/2021.
- The Public Health (Coronavirus)(Protection from Eviction and Taking Control of Goods)(England) Regulations 2020
- There will be no enforcement of possession orders “Where lockdown measures are in place to protect public health”
- No evictions over Christmas Period save for the most serious of cases
How will the arrangements work in Practice?
The key aims of the overall arrangements are to reduce volume in the system by enabling earlier advice and facilitating settlement. How well this works in Practice is yet to be seen. What we do know is that delays will be inevitable and Covid-19 Case Marking is likely to become the norm. In the circumstances, it appears the Accelerated possession claims may be the ‘Cinderella’ of the situation.
