FAQS

A lasting power of attorney (LPA) is a legal document that allows you to appoint one or more people, called attorneys, to help you make decisions or make decisions on your behalf during your lifetime.

A Will, on the other hand, is a legal document that outlines how you want your assets, property, and finances to be distributed after your death.

There are two types of LPA

If you need access to someone’s finances, for example to pay for care fees, an application will need to be made to the Court of Protection for an order appointing a deputy to manage their Property and Financial Affairs.

A legal document that grants authority to the named executors in a deceased person’s will to administer their estate. Their responsibilities include gathering the deceased’s assets, paying any debts and taxes, and distributing the remaining assets to the named beneficiaries mentioned in the Will.

If you are collecting your own Will or Power of Attorney

• One photographic (eg driving licence or passport)
• One address (eg bank statement or council tax bill)

If you are collecting a Will of someone who is passed and you are the sole Executor, we will need 2 forms of the above ID and the death certificate. If you are not the only Executor, we will need ID from all Executors and the death certificate.

Letters of Administration are applied for when the deceased has no valid Will in place at the time of their death.

It is the legal transfer of a title in a property or piece of land.

See our list of indicative fees in the Transparency section of the website.

When your property is on the market to sell, or before making an offer to purchase.

Unfortunately, there is no concise answer this, it all depends on the specific circumstances of the transaction. Most cases can complete within 8-12 weeks of instruction, however the timescale can vary depending on various factors.

Exchanging contracts makes the sale and purchase legally binding and both parties are committed to the deal at that point. You will then transfer your deposit funds at this stage and agree a completion date. The completion date is the final step in the process, where the solicitor transfers the funds, and the sale is complete. The buyer will receive the keys and legally become the homeowner.

Property searches are in-depth checks that are completed by your conveyancing solicitor on your chosen property and surrounding area to ensure the potential homeowner is aware of any issues prior to completion.

• Local Authority Search: Reveals planning permissions, building regulation approvals, and nearby proposed or planned road schemes.
• Environmental Search: Assesses risks such as; contaminated land, subsidence or previous land use.
• Water and Drainage Search: Confirms if the property is connected to public water and sewer systems.
• Flood Risk Search: Specifically assesses the risk of flooding from rivers, the sea or surface water.
• Chancel Repair Liability Search: Checks if the buyer is liable for repairs to the local parish church.
• Land Registry Search: Verifies the seller is the legal owner and has the right to sell.
• Coal Mining/Mining Searches: Checks for old tunnels or shafts underneath the property.

Once the seller’s solicitor has provided a pack of documentation about the property, your solicitor will then check the paperwork and raise and queries with the sellar, to clarify any gaps or issues within the information given.

These queries may relate to matters such as certificates for works carried out to the property, boundaries, rights of way and obligations known as ‘conenants’ affecting the property.

An inquest is to establish the facts and circumstances surrounding someone’s death.

An Article 2 Inquest means that the state, so for example, the NHS or Police have to carry out an ‘enhanced investigation’ into the death of an individual. Whereas a ‘traditional’, non-Article 2 inquest will look at when, where, and how a person died, an Article 2 Inquest also looks at the wider circumstances surrounding a person’s death.

A coroner is a public official responsible for investigating and determining the cause, circumstances, and manner of certain deaths that occur within their jurisdiction.

We advise and represent clients who are detained or have been detained under the Mental Health Act.

We can assist with most issues which fall within the scope of the Mental Health Act, take a look at our Mental Health page for more information.

Yes, in most cases.