Choosing a Conveyancing Attorney in Grenada: 12 Questions to Ask

In a Grenada property purchase, the attorney-at-law does most of the work that matters: searching the title, negotiating the sale agreement, applying for the Alien Landholding Licence where one is needed, handling the money and getting the deed registered. Estate agents find the house; the attorney makes sure you actually end up owning it. Choosing well is the single best protection a buyer has.

There are many capable attorneys in St George's and Grenville, and fewer on Carriacou. Most are general practitioners who handle conveyancing alongside other work, so it pays to ask directly about their property experience. The twelve questions below are the ones worth putting to any attorney before you sign an engagement letter or send money.

Questions about experience and independence

Start with who the attorney is and whose interests they represent. These four questions settle the basics:

1. How many residential conveyances do you handle in a typical year? A practice that completes property sales every month knows the registry staff, the Inland Revenue process and the usual title problems. Occasional conveyancers can be competent, but they may be slower.
2. Are you acting for the seller, the developer or the bank in this transaction? In a small jurisdiction the same firm may know everyone involved. An attorney already instructed by the seller should not also act for you. If a developer offers its own lawyer "to save time", decline politely.
3. Have you handled purchases by non-nationals, including Alien Landholding Licence applications? Foreign buyers need someone who has taken licence applications through the process and knows what documents and references the ministry tends to request.
4. Who in the office will actually do the work? Senior attorneys often supervise while clerks run searches and paralegals prepare drafts. That is normal, but you should know who to contact and who signs off the title report.

Questions about money

Fees and client money cause more disputes than anything else. Ask these before engaging anyone:

1. What is your fee, and is it fixed or a percentage of the price? Conveyancing fees in Grenada are often quoted as a percentage of the purchase price, sometimes with a minimum, and sometimes as a fixed figure. Ask for the quote in writing, in EC$ or US$, and confirm whether VAT is added.
2. What disbursements come on top of the fee? Registration fees, search fees, stamp duty and transfer taxes, licence fees, survey costs and courier charges are usually separate. A clear list prevents an unpleasant final bill.
3. Do you hold client money in a separate client account? Deposits and purchase funds should sit in a designated client account, not the firm's operating account. Ask how interest, if any, is treated and when funds are released to the seller.
4. How should funds be sent, and how will you confirm bank details? Payment fraud by email is a real risk worldwide. Agree that any change of bank details will be confirmed by a call to a number you already hold, never by email alone.

Questions about process and communication

The last four questions are about how the transaction will run day to day:

1. Will there be a written report on title before the buyer commits to completion? The answer should be yes. A short, clear report listing the deeds examined and any issues is the core product you are paying for.
2. What is a realistic timetable for this purchase? A good attorney will be candid that licence applications, probate gaps or a slow seller can stretch the process, and will give a range rather than a promise.
3. How will updates reach a client who is overseas? Agree on email updates at each stage and on how documents will be signed if you cannot attend in person, whether by power of attorney or by signing before a notary abroad.
4. What happens after completion? Ask when the deed will be registered, when you will receive the registered original or a certified copy, and whether the firm will notify the Inland Revenue Division so property tax bills come to you.

Finding names to call

Personal recommendations remain the most common route. Ask people who have bought recently, particularly buyers in a similar position to yours: a returning national buying a family house has different needs from a foreign retiree buying a villa in Lance aux Epines. Banks that offer mortgages work with a panel of attorneys and can tell you which firms handle a lot of property, although the bank's own lawyer acts for the bank.

The Grenada Bar Association is the professional body for attorneys and can confirm that a person is entitled to practise. Estate agents will usually suggest attorneys too. Their suggestions can be good, but remember that the agent is paid by the seller and benefits from a quick sale. Speak to two or three attorneys before choosing; most will give a short initial consultation and a fee quote.

Returning nationals sometimes assume a relative who is a lawyer, or a family friend, is the natural choice. That can work well, but the same rules apply: a written fee quote, a client account, a title report and a clear line on whom the attorney represents. Family ties make it harder, not easier, to complain if the file slows down.

For Carriacou property, ask whether the attorney regularly works on the island. Records for Carriacou are held in the same national system, but site visits, local knowledge of family land and access to sellers are easier for someone who travels there often.

What a good first meeting looks like

Bring whatever you already have: the agent's particulars, any copy of the seller's deed, a survey plan if one was offered, and your passport. A capable attorney will ask how you intend to pay, whether a mortgage is involved, whether you hold Grenadian citizenship or another nationality, and how you want to hold the property, alone, jointly or through a company. Each answer changes the work involved, so expect questions rather than a speech.

Listen for specifics. An attorney who explains that the first step is a search at the Deeds and Land Registry, that the sale agreement should be conditional on the title report and any licence, and that money will move through a client account against signed documents is describing a sound process. One who promises completion within a fortnight regardless of the title is describing a hope.

Ask, too, how the firm handles questions after completion. Owners often need their attorney again within a year or two, for a will, a mortgage, a boundary question or a lease to a tenant. A firm that keeps your file and knows your title is worth more over time than the cheapest quote on the day.

Warning signs worth taking seriously

Pressure to pay straight to the seller. Purchase money should move through the attorney's client account against signed documents, not as a personal transfer to a seller or agent before completion.

No written engagement terms. A reputable attorney will set out the scope of work and fees in writing. A handshake arrangement leaves you with little to point to if something goes wrong.

Vague answers about title. If you ask whether there are problems with the chain and receive only reassurance, ask again for specifics. Confidence is not a substitute for a report.

Silence for weeks. Some delay is normal in any registry-based system, but long stretches without news usually mean a file is not being worked. Agree a contact rhythm at the start and hold the firm to it.

Representing both sides. Even where it is technically permitted with consent, one attorney acting for buyer and seller cannot negotiate hard for either. For a significant purchase, insist on separate representation.

Frequently asked questions