MOVING HOME
ABOVE: Mike Watkins of Mr and Mrs Clarke
believe good photography is essential to a successful sale as seen here with a home they recently marketed TOP LEFT: Mollie Ellerman from Robertson Solicitors LEFT: Panda Waddup of Go Panda Removals shares his expertise
MOLLIE ELLERMAN is conveyancing executive at Robertsons Solicitors
Why do I have to provide evidence of my source of funds?
The number of money laundering cases reported to the Solicitors Regulation Authority are rising. A responsible firm of solicitors are strictly governed by government legislation and will need to ascertain the source of all funds coming in to their accounts. Firms of solicitors play a critical role in detecting and preventing money laundering and terrorist financing and are therefore required to carry out proper customer due diligence on all clients. At what point during the transaction do I have to pay my deposit?
Once your solicitor has confirmed that all the paperwork is in order and they are in a position to exchange contracts, you will need to pay the deposit to your solicitor’s client account. The deposit is usually 10 per cent of the purchase price of the property. Once the exchange of contracts has taken place, you will be contractually bound to purchase the property and the deposit is non-refundable. When is the right time to tell my landlord of the property that I am renting, notice to vacate?
In England and Wales, your offer to purchase a property is always subject to contract until contracts have been exchanged. This means that both the buyer and seller are free to withdraw from the agreement, until the contract becomes legally binding, without penalty. This means we always advise our clients to hold off serving notice to vacate until exchange of contracts has taken place. PANDA WADDUP is managing director of Go Panda Removals
When do I need to start looking for a removal firm? And what if it all gets cancelled for any reason? Wouldn’t it just
64 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk
I like to live my life sustainably and hate waste packaging. Will moving create a load of waste paper? be easier to do it all myself?
Most people underestimate the length of time it takes to pack and struggle to get it to a movable standard in time for removal day. It may cost a bit more, but time is precious and moving to a new house is stressful enough. Put it this way, no-one regrets using a good removals firm but a lot of people regret trying to do it alone. Do start looking for a removals company as soon as possible and make sure to source at least three different companies to quote for the job. Prices can vary, but always be wary of costs that are too good to be true, because it will be too good to be true. All removal companies will have a cancellation policy. The amount taken will usually depend on how close to the moving date the customer cancels.
DIRECTORY
Absolute Property; www.absolutepms.co.uk Acorn; www.acornpropertygroup.org Amarok Systems; www.amaroksystems.co.uk CJCH; www.cjchsolicitors.co.uk David Baker; www.davidbaker.co.uk Go Panda; www.gopanda.co Hopkins Law; www.hopkinslawltd.com J A Hughes; www.qualitysolicitors.com Loosemores; www.loosemores.co.uk Masons Moving Group; www.masonsmovingroup.co.uk
Not necessarily, there are ways these things can be done that is kind to the planet. Look for a firm that also upholds these principles. We, for example, believe strongly in environmentally friendly values, and work with Trees for Life to help offset the carbon emissions that we release. We do this by pledging to donate a tree to the Go Panda Grove for every new customer that uses our service. Do I need separate insurance for when things are in transit?
All good removal companies should have full insurance coverage that covers your goods whilst they are in transit. The insurance should also cover your property from any accidental damage that could incur during the removal. Some companies will charge for the insurance whilst others will include it for free. n
McCarthy & Stone; www.mccarthyandstone.co.uk Moginie James; www.moginiejames.co.uk Mr and Mrs Clarke South Wales; www.mrandmrsclarke.com PA Black; www.pablack.co.uk Portabella; www.portabella.co.uk Redrow; www.redrow.co.uk Robertsons Solicitors; www.robsols.co.uk Savills; www.savills.co.uk Taylor Wimpey South Wales; www.taylorwimpey.co.uk