Climate Change and Its Impact on Conveyancing
GA Solicitors has posted a number of articles recently showcasing all of our efforts to be more environmentally friendly and reduce our carbon footprint.
This is a cause that the whole firm has backed. We have all felt a need to become involved and do our bit, and this is especially true for the firm’s conveyancing department in Plymouth.
Not many people would consider climate change and conveyancing to go hand in hand, but global warming could have more of an impact on our conveyancing clients than you would first imagine.
As a regulated law firm, GA Solicitors, of course, cannot give any advice on climate change itself. That is a very specialist area. We can however see the knock-on effects of global warming and its potential impact on residential properties.
Here are just a few ways climate change can impact the residential conveyancing sector.
Flooding
With climate change, severe weather events can occur without much warning. As a result, concerns may surface relating to the flood risk of a property. Properties located close to exposed waters, such as rivers or lakes, may find themselves at a much higher risk of having their home flooded.
Subsidence
On the other end of the scale, as areas get drier with soaring temperatures and droughts, this can bring movement to the ground beneath properties. This can lead to major issues, such as cracking and properties becoming unbalanced.
Coastal erosion
With sea levels potentially on the rise, coastal erosion is also expected to accelerate alongside this. Unfortunately, this may leave properties vulnerable and unprotected, with some surrendering to the sea and others remaining at risk.
As a conveyancing firm in Plymouth, we are close to both the Devon and Cornwall coastlines where coastal erosion is becoming more commonplace. Often these properties are cash only with mortgages simply not possible due to the risks involved with the purchase.
Insurance costs and mortgage availability
Climate change can affect the premiums purchasers pay for their homes and may also have significant impacts on mortgage availability, especially in vulnerable areas.
At a time when every penny counts, we at GA Solicitors appreciate this too could have a serious knock-on effect for many of our conveyancing clients.
Why choose GA Solicitors for your house purchase?
We are actively reducing our carbon footprint by planting trees, bringing many of our documents and processes online, and greatly reducing our energy and water consumption. We recycle wherever possible and have also signed the Plymouth Plastic Free Directory. We understand the importance of protecting our planet and our doing all we can to limit our impact.
As a regulated law firm, we have a duty of care to our clients and have now updated our client search reports to highlight the above issues. We also have years of experience in residential conveyancing and have one of the biggest teams of conveyancing solicitiors in Plymouth. We have even won awards for our levels of client service.
As a conveyancing solicitor, I, and the rest of GA Solicitors’ conveyancing team, understand the stress that comes with moving home and we will do all we can to ensure it is as stress-free as possible. We will ensure we communicate regularly and keep you up to date at each stage of the transaction.
If you are looking to buy or sell a property, transfer equity or even remortgage, then our Plymouth conveyancing team can help. Call 01752 203500 or email me directly via becky.bromfield@GAsolicitors.com.
If you would like to read more about all the work that GA Solicitors has undertaken in its bid to reduce its carbon footprint you can read our article about our various initiatives here.