Moving ServicesMoving Services for your area
There's a lot to remember when moving house and it can certainly be an expensive process. To try and make things as easy as possible for you, we've explained some of the most common 'moving jargon' below and highlighted how you can find the best possible quotes.
Conveyancing
Anyone who is selling or buying a residential property in the UK will need to work with a conveyancer. 'Conveyancing' is basically the term used to describe the process of legally transferring the ownership of a property from one person to another.The conveyancing system is necessary to guarantee that the new buyer secures title to the land and property, it's also an important process because conveyancing can highlight to the buyer any restrictions on rights to use the property and/or land before they sign on the dotted line.
Energy Performance Certificates (or EPCs)
Since October 2008, it has been a legal requirement for an Energy Performance Certificate to be supplied whenever a property is built, sold or rented out. The certificates were introduced to help improve energy efficiency in buildings and reduce climate change. The idea is that the most energy efficient properties will be more desirable to buyers, which in turn means homeowners and developers invest in making properties as energy efficient as possible. EPCs give buildings ratings from 'A' to 'G', with 'A' being the most energy efficient and 'G' being the least. Accredited energy assessors produce EPCs alongside an associated report which suggests improvements to make a building more energy efficient.
Get quotes from accredited energy assessors.
Home Information Packs (HIPs)
There's been a lot of debate about HIPs but whatever your opinion is about them, you're going to have to have one if you want to sell your property as it is now illegal to market your home without one. A HIP is basically a set of documents that cover all the key information about a property. They are designed to protect buyers and to help prevent chains from breaking as they allow the buyer to see all the information about the property at the start of the buying process, no nasty surprises at the end! It is the responsibility of the seller to make sure a HIP is provided.
Removals
Unless you can fit your life in a suitcase, you're definitely going to need a reliable removal company to safely get all your worldly possessions from A to B.
Scottish Home Reports
Similar to HIPs, in Scotland properties are marketed with a Home Report. The Home Report contains three documents, a Single Survey, an Energy Report and a Property Questionnaire. The Single Survey contains an assessment by a surveyor of the condition of the home, a valuation and an accessibility audit for people with particular needs. The Energy Report contains an assessment by a surveyor of the energy efficiency of the home and its environmental impact, it also outlines recommendations for improving energy efficieny in the property. The Property Questionnaire is completed by the seller of the property and contains additional information about the property, such as council tax banding and factoring costs that will be useful to buyers.
Selling in Scotland? Get your Home Report quote now.
Surveyors
Surveys are incredibly important, both you and your mortgage lender need to know whether the property is actually worth the amount of money you have agreed to spend on it. As well as what is known as the 'basic valuation', there are two main types of survey: the Home Buyers Report and the Building Survey. All lenders require a basic valuation, but it is strongly advised that you also have an independent and more detailed survey conducted, as the basic valuation will only show up any obvious problems that you will probably have noticed yourself.
Get quotes from surveyors now.