If you are buying or selling a home and searching for solicitors in Antrim, you will find a number of firms across the county offering conveyancing among a range of other services. LMK Law is based at 19 High Street in Ballymoney and acts for property clients throughout County Antrim and across Northern Ireland. This article explains how our property practice is organised, the kinds of transaction we handle, and the way we work with clients, so that you can decide whether we are the right firm for your purchase or sale.
To speak to our experts please call us on 028 2766 6698 or Make An Online Enquiry.
What property work does LMK Law carry out?
Property is the largest part of our practice, and over the years we have been involved in the purchase and sale of many hundreds of millions of pounds worth of residential and commercial property. We act for first time buyers, home movers, landlords buying to let, and developers acquiring and selling sites. Alongside straightforward sales and purchases, we handle remortgages, transfers of equity between partners or family members, purchases through the Co-Ownership scheme, first registration of unregistered title, and the transfer of property forming part of a deceased person’s estate.
Concentrating on property means that the people handling your file deal with Northern Ireland conveyancing every day. That experience shows in the speed with which title issues are identified, the accuracy of the timescales we give and the quality of the explanations our clients receive at each stage.
How does LMK Law handle a house purchase or sale?
Conveyancing in Northern Ireland follows its own procedure. It is governed by the Law Society of Northern Ireland’s Home Charter Scheme, which sets the standards a solicitor must meet in a residential transaction, and it is built around the Land Registry of Northern Ireland, the Registry of Deeds for older unregistered property, and property certificates issued by the local council and the Department for Infrastructure. Searches are made in the Statutory Charges Register and the Enforcement of Judgments Office. Contracts are signed by the buyer first and become binding once the seller’s signed part is returned, and after completion the transaction is reported to HM Revenue and Customs for Stamp Duty Land Tax and lodged for registration.
We manage that process from first instruction through to registration of the new owner. At the outset you will receive a client care letter setting out our fees and outlays and the name of the person responsible for your matter. Before you are asked to sign a contract, we report to you in writing on the title, the replies to the Home Charter enquiries and the property certificates, and we explain anything that might affect your decision to proceed. Where a mortgage is involved, we normally act for the lender as well and make sure its conditions are satisfied before funds are requested.
What kinds of property does LMK Law deal with in County Antrim?
The property in this part of the county is varied, and each type raises its own questions. Rural houses and farms outside Ballymoney, Coleraine, and Ballymena are frequently reached by private laneways that are not adopted by the Department for Infrastructure, so rights of way and maintenance obligations need to be established. Many rely on septic tanks requiring a consent to discharge from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, and some have a private water supply. Where land is included, the Land Registry map has to be checked against the boundaries on the ground and any grazing arrangements or agricultural entitlements identified.
Older town houses are often held under fee farm grants or long leases and are subject to a ground rent. We advise on whether the rent should be redeemed under the Ground Rents Act (Northern Ireland) 2001, which some lenders require as a condition of the mortgage. Apartments are held on long leases with a management company, and we examine the lease and the service charge arrangements before you commit. New build homes on estates involve the developer’s standard documentation, adoption bonds for roads and sewers, and covenants governing the use of the property, all of which we explain before contracts are signed.
What can landlords and investors expect from LMK Law?
We act for landlords ranging from individuals buying a single rental property to professional investors building a portfolio. A buy to let purchase follows the same conveyancing process as a home purchase, but the mortgage conditions differ, the higher rates of Stamp Duty Land Tax on additional properties apply, and where the property is already let, we review the tenancy agreement and confirm that the deposit has been protected. We can also advise on the obligations that apply to landlords in Northern Ireland, including registration and the notices that must be given to tenants, so that these matters are dealt with at the point of purchase.
What other services does LMK Law provide?
Although this article concerns our property work, we also practise in two other main areas. We act for people injured in road traffic accidents, at work, on farms, and in public places, and for families who have lost a relative in a fatal accident, and we have recovered millions of pounds in compensation for our clients. We also prepare wills, advise on lifetime gifts and inheritance tax planning, and assist executors with the administration of estates.
How do you get in touch with LMK Law?
Our office is at 19 High Street, Ballymoney, County Antrim, BT53 6AH, and we act for clients across the county and throughout Northern Ireland. If you are buying or selling a home, remortgaging, transferring property within the family or acquiring a development site, please call us on 028 2766 6698 or make an enquiry through our website. We will be pleased to discuss your transaction and provide an estimate of costs.