At Vanessa Newman Property Lawyers we offer a modern approach to conveyancing with old fashioned principles to make
your move stress free and as quick as possible.
We understand that life goes on whilst buying a home and so we can offer you appointments out of hours or in
your own home so that the disruption to your life is minimal. We also offer a transparent pricing system
with no hidden extras and our fees start at £800 for a freehold sale and £800 for a freehold purchase increasing
dependent upon price and transaction.
Regulation
We are regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers which means you can be assured that the service we provide
is of a high standard.
If you make a valid claim against us for a loss arising out of work for which we are legally responsible, and we
are unable to meet our liability in full, you may be entitled to claim from the
Compensation Fund administered by the
Council for Licensed Conveyancers.
Cyber Fraud
WARNING - CYBER FRAUD is a real risk, specifically affecting email accounts and bank account details which can be intercepted and modified. We will NEVER change or provide our bank details by email.
People
Vanessa Newman SocLC
DIRECTOR & LICENSED CONVEYANCER
Vanessa has over 20 years experience in the Property Market with the last 10 years as a Licensed Conveyancer.
She has experience in shared ownership property, government backed deposit schemes and new builds. She can also deal
with re-mortgages, transfers of equity, and draft Deeds of trust. She is also a member of the Society of Licensed Conveyancers.
She prides herself on her communication with clients and for explaining everything thoroughly and in straight forward terms
that are easy to understand. She understands that each person's transaction is of major importance and completely personal
to them. Her previous experience in the field of property means that she understands the need for good communication with
all parties to prevent issues arising.
Amanda has over 30 years’ experience in the Property Market. Originally from the North-East of England, Amanda’s
career started in Durham City where she worked her way through the ranks to a conveyancing assistant before relocating
to St Neots in 2011. Amanda then worked in Cambridge for Thomson Webb & Corfield where she again assisted fee earners,
including the Head of Department, with the day to day running of conveyancing transactions. Having placed her studies on
hold earlier in her career to care for her young family, Amanda started out on her studies to qualify as a Licensed
Conveyancer, qualifying in 2019.
Amanda is passionate about providing clients with a positive experience, keeping them up to date and providing clear
explanations where required. Amanda believes that communication is key not just with the client but also the estate
agents and other professionals within the chain to ensure a smooth process.
Outside work Amanda enjoys visiting her family and friends back in Durham and spending time in her holiday home in France
along with her husband and son. To unwind she enjoys cross-stitch, reading and listening to music.
Gary qualified as a solicitor in 1991 after obtaining a law degree at Warwick University and completing his training contract
at Barlow Lyde & Gilbert (London). He joined Vanessa Newman Property Lawyers in March 2023.
Since qualifying he has specialised in residential property and has accumulated extensive legal knowledge and experience
of all aspects of residential property transactions including buying and selling freehold and leasehold properties, shared
ownership and new builds. Gary prides himself on his approachability and client orientated service which he feels is key
during what can be a stressful process.
Click here to view our Quality Charter. Click here to view our Complaints Procedure.
Click here to view our Terms and Conditions.
Click here to view the FAQ for our Residential Abortive Transaction Insurance.
Services
Sales and Purchases
Freehold or Leasehold? New build? Buy to let? Right to buy? No matter what type of sale or purchase we have the experience
and skills to see the transaction through to conclusion.
Buying and selling a home is not only a huge financial commitment but it is also one of the most stressful experiences
you can encounter, alongside births, deaths and marriages. We understand this which is why we will ensure that your
move completes as smooth and hassle-free as possible.
When you are selling a property we recognise that this is a big deal for you often involving sums that are substantial
and probably already spoken for to buy another home, repay debts or give your savings a boost. We know that you want
the deal to go through at maximum speed with minimum fuss and so we will pull out all the stops on your behalf, act
quickly and resolve any possible barriers to achieving a speedy outcome.
Whatever your reasons for buying a property we understand that you want to get into your new property as soon as
possible. We know that it can be very stressful waiting for legal tasks to be processed without really knowing
what is holding up the process and so we will keep a good flow of communication with you, not just letting you
know what is holding up the transaction, but also telling you what we intend to do to next.
When you instruct us to help you buy or sell a house, you'll find that we're quick, responsive and thorough. We
tackle each legal hurdle head-on, letting you know about any actual or potential issues with the property and
advising you on your options.
Shared Ownership is an affordable way to part buy and part rent your home. It is partly
financed by a Government grant, so cheaper than buying a property outright and the combined
monthly rent and mortgage payments are lower than the monthly cost of a full mortgage. You
can buy as little as 25% or as much as 75% with an option to buy further shares when you
can afford to do so. This is called staircasing. Although you may not own the property
outright initially, you are a shared owner with the normal rights and responsibilities of
a full owner occupier. When you wish to sell your shared ownership in the property there
may be a requirement to offer it to another household nominated by your landlord (the
council or housing association) for the agreed market rent. Your landlord may wish to
buy the property back from you to offer it to other households who want to enjoy low-cost
shared ownership. They'll tell you if they want to do this when you tell them you want to
sell. We have a wide experience of shared ownership conveyancing and can advise you on
the processes whether buying or selling.
If you are using a Help to Buy ISA for your first purchase then we can assist you with all of the
rules and guidelines which go with it. The Help to Buy: ISA bonus must be claimed on your behalf
by us in anticipation of the completion date. The bonus must be included with the funds
consolidated at the completion of the property transaction. The bonus cannot be used for the
deposit due at the exchange of contracts, to pay for solicitor, estate agent fees or any
other indirect costs associated with buying a home.
If you are remortgaging your property, you will need a solicitor or conveyancer to represent your
interest as well as those of the lender. Sometimes lenders will offer you free legals with your
mortgage application but if the re-mortgage is not just a simple re-mortgage then they may not then
be able to act for you or you may have to pay a substantial fee for any additional work.
If you decline the free legal offer or the remortgage requires you to find your own solicitor
or conveyancer, they will be acting for both you and the lender and so the first and most important
thing to consider is whether your chosen solicitor is on the lender's mortgage panel.
We are very aware that speed is important to you, often because you need to secure a good rate or
because the money is already earmarked for another use. You can be rest assured that we will do
everything we can to look after your interests and fulfil the needs of the lender in a prompt and
professional manner.
There are a number of reasons why you may want to change the legal ownership of a
property. It may be due to marriage, divorce, tax planning or a change in the share
status of the property - this is known as a Transfer of Equity. Undertaking these
transfers of equity can be complex and it's important they are completed correctly.
Some transfers will be considered a 'gift' or a 'transaction at under value'. Depending
on the value of a share in the property there may be stamp duty to pay, but some
transfers of equity are exempt, for example a transfer of equity under the order
of a court following divorce proceedings.
If transfers of equity are effectively a gift of equity in the property, the law allows
for transfers to be undone if the person making the gift becomes bankrupt within three
years of the date of the gift. This enables the law to defeat debtors who seek to protect
their property from creditors by transferring it to a third party.
Because of the effect the insolvency law can have on property transfers a lender will insist
that the property owner who is
transferring a share in a property for free or for less than it is worth, signs a deed
called a Declaration of Solvency. The lender may also require the property owner to take
out an insurance policy to protect the mortgage repayments. We are able to draw up a
Declaration of Solvency and can advise on how insolvency law could apply to you and in
some cases may recommend title insurance and place this on risk if required.
The purchase of a newly-built property is a completely difference experience than dealing
with the conveyance of an existing property and the matters which need to be considered
can be more complex.
It is necessary to check that planning permission has been granted and also whether the planning
conditions have been or will be complied with and that Building Regulation consent has been
obtained and approval granted. Furthermore we need to make sure that the property comes with
a structural guarantee which is sufficient for your needs and those of your lender.
Because the roads, drains and sewers have only just been built, they will not come under the
care of an authority yet. We will therefore ensure that there is a legal agreement in place
so that the adoption does happen, or that there are alternative options in place to make sure
the responsibiliy of the cost does not pass to you. Checks also need to be made to make sure
that you have all the rights and easements required to use the roads and sewers along with any
other pipes and cables for all services, e.g. gas, electricity, water, telephone etc. You will
also need rights of access to maintain these and there should be an agreement in place which
provides rights for you to go on to adjoining property to maintain and repair any pipes, sewers, walls etc.
New covenants will be created in the legal documentation (e.g. to use the property only for
residential purposes or maintenance of boundary fences). We will need to check that these
covenants are not too onerous and that they will not affect your enjoyment and proposed
use of the property.
If, for any reason, a transaction does not continue to completion, we reserve the right to charge for all legal work which has been carried out
which, according to the circumstances, may be up to 75% of the quoted fee.
A minimum abortive fee of £250 + VAT applies. We offer Abortive Transaction Insurance for £69 per transaction which can protect you in these
circumstances. Click here to view the FAQ for our Residential Abortive Transaction Insurance.
Legal Fees
Price bands
Sale
Purchase
£0 to £200,000
£800 + VAT
£800 + VAT
£200,000 to £300,000
£950 + VAT
£950 + VAT
£300,000 to £500,000
£1,100 + VAT
£1,100 + VAT
£500,000 to £1,000,000
£1,350 + VAT
£1,350 + VAT
> £1,000,000
0.15% of sale price + VAT
0.15% of purchase price + VAT
SUPPLEMENTAL COSTS FOR A SALE
Mortgage Redemption fee
£200 + VAT
Leasehold fee
£195 + VAT
Freehold Management fee
£150 + VAT
Shared ownership fee
£150 + VAT
Unregistered fee
£150 + VAT
ID verification
£30 + VAT (per person)
Same day bank transfer fee
£40 + VAT
DISBURSEMENTS FOR A SALE
Office copies
£8.80 per document
SUPPLEMENTAL COSTS FOR A PURCHASE
Mortgage fee
£200 + VAT
Leasehold fee
£195 + VAT
Freehold Management fee
£150 + VAT
Shared ownership fee
£150 + VAT
Unregistered fee
£150 + VAT
Help to buy fee
£100 + VAT
Help to buy ISA fee
£50 + VAT
New build fee
£150 + VAT
ID verification fee
£30 + VAT per name
Same day bank transfer fee
£40 + VAT per transfer
ADDITIONAL COSTS FOR A PURCHASE
Search fees
£325 (approx)
DISBURSEMENTS FOR A PURCHASE
Land Registry search
£8.80
Bankruptcy search
£7.80 per name
Registration fee
£20 - £910 price dependant
STAMP DUTY (SDLT)
Click here
to visit the Government's stamp duty calculator
Contact
Send us a message
27a New Street
St Neots
Cambridgeshire
PE19 1AE
Phone: 01480 261100
Fax: 01480 420080
General enquiries: info@vnpl.co.uk
Map of where to find us
Our doorway is in Tan Yard rather than New Street.
