Conveyancing in Canterbury
Conveyancing is the legal process used for transferring ownership of a property from one party to another, or the work involved in a remortgage or transfer of equity. If you need a solicitor for conveyancing in Canterbury, we can help you with fast & proactive conveyancing from a national panel of conveyancing specialists.
We have helped clients in Canterbury and throughout Kent with buying, selling, buy-to-let, Help to Buy, Right to Buy, shared ownership, new build, leasehold, lease extensions, remortgage and transfer of equity.
Other areas covered: Ashford Surrey, Faversham, Herne Bay, Margate and Whitstable
Buying property in Canterbury
A historic city in Kent, Canterbury is famous for its stunning cathedral, a World Heritage Site. The city centre is particularly popular. Canterbury has two mainline railway stations, providing links to London and the coast. Canterbury has a population of approximately 55,000.
Council Tax in Canterbury (2023/24)
| Band | Amount |
|---|---|
| A | £1,409.77 |
| B | £1,644.73 |
| C | £1,879.69 |
| D | £2,114.65 |
| E | £2,584.57 |
| F | £3,054.49 |
| G | £3,524.42 |
| H | £4,229.30 |
What does a Canterbury property lawyer do?
The conveyancing solicitor plays an essential role during a property purchase transaction. This means performing due diligence on the property, such as raising questions for the seller's solicitor, obtaining searches from relevant authorities, such as Canterbury Council and handling the transfer of funds.
Canterbury conveyancing solicitors would also undertake chalk mining searches.
Are you financing your purchase with a mortgage?
When you purchase a property, your solicitor must also handle some legal work for your mortgage lender. Your transaction could take weeks longer to complete if your property lawyer is not on your chosen lender's panel.
More than 100 lenders have approved our chosen panel solicitors. We can help you complete your Canterbury transaction smoothly.
Read more:
Conveyancing for buying a property
Find out if our panel solicitors can act for your mortgage lender
Approved by over 100 more
We can also assist Canterbury home movers with the legal work for:
There are more than 500,000 listed properties in England and Wales, 1,936 of which are in Canterbury City Council. Canterbury listed buildings include: Buying and owning a listed building is not for the faint-hearted. Our experienced panel of solicitors will help you understand the commitments a listed building owner must make. Examples include required consent for landscaping, and an obligation to preserve or restore original windows and doors. Read more:Buying a listed building
Leasehold flats
Buying a leasehold flat in the UK can be complex when compared to purchasing a freehold. The many potential traps awaiting an uninformed purchaser can include legally technical issues like unpaid service charges by the existing leaseholder and leases with fewer than 80 years to run.
Your solicitor will look into all potential issues with the lease and report back to you.
Read more:
What you need to know about buying a leasehold property
Should I be wary of buying a leasehold house?
Should I buy a property with a short lease?
4.8 out of 5
When we factored in eveything that was included - this was the best quote we could find
Selling a house or flat in Canterbury
For the sale of property in Canterbury, your lawyer will prepare the necessary documentation, including the contract of sale and property information forms, and help you fill out this paperwork.
The lawyer's role involves responding to the buyer's solicitor's questions, handling obstacles like a boundary dispute and handling the mortgage redemption.
The solicitor will work with all parties, including estate agents and banks or building societies, to make sure your sale of your property completes as soon as possible.Does the conveyancing for selling leasehold take longer?
Correct, it can take much more time to conduct the conveyancing to sell a leasehold home, compared to freehold conveyancing.
The buyer's conveyancer must review this leasehold-related paperwork, including management company information. Typically, delays are due to the time needed by the seller's conveyancer to source this information.
Your conveyancing solicitor should start this process at the earliest opportunity, because this paperwork can take weeks to collect if the managing agent or landlord is slow or difficult to contact.
Read more:
Selling a leasehold flat? What to do before going on the market
Conveyancing for selling a property
Remortgaging a property in Canterbury
The base interest rate is 5.25% (9 December, 2024)
Before appointing a solicitor, your solicitor needs to be able to act on your chosen lender's behalf.
Our partner panel solicitors are on the panels of almost all banks and building societies. Whether you are changing to an equity release mortgage with Halifax or moving to a home reversion mortgage with Aldermore Bank, we can help.
Read more:
Check our panel solicitors can act for your mortgage lender
Get a remortgage conveyancing quote
Transferring Equity
If you intend to change the ownership shares of a property, whether you are inheritance tax planning, gifting a home or adding your spouse to the deeds, a transfer of equity is required.
Your solicitor will handle the legal side for a fixed fee.
Read more:
Transfer of equity Stamp Duty calculator
Get a transfer of equity conveyancing quote
How much does conveyancing cost in Canterbury?
Legal fees
These legal fees are paid to your conveyancer for the work they carry out during your property transaction. Your conveyancing solicitor's quote will set out the legal fees (inc. VAT) to be paid when the conveyancing transaction completes.
Disbursements
A disbursement is a cost that your conveyancer must pay to a third party for a tax or additional service. Third-party disbursements include Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT), HM Land Registry fees and property searches.
Check what's included in your quote
Some solicitors' quotes may set out extra costs in the small print, resulting in a total cost that's much higher than the initial quote. When you compare conveyancing quotes, watch out for additional charges.
