Conveyancing in Christchurch
Conveyancing is when a solicitor transfers the legal ownership of a property from one individual to another. If you're looking for a conveyancing solicitor in Christchurch, you're in the right place. Get a fast & proactive solicitor from a nationwide panel of conveyancing experts.
We have years of experience helping homemovers in Christchurch and throughout Dorset handle their sale, purchase, buy-to-let, Help to Buy, Right to Buy, shared ownership, new build, leasehold, lease extensions, remortgage and transfer of equity.
Other areas covered: Bournemouth, Lymington, New Milton, Poole and Ringwood
Buying property in Christchurch
A town in Dorset, Christchurch is known for its natural harbour, sandy beaches, and the historic Christchurch Priory. Desirable residential areas include Mudeford and Highcliffe. Christchurch has a railway station with direct links to London Waterloo and Bournemouth. Christchurch's population is approximately 48,000.
Council Tax in Christchurch (2023/24)
Christchurch is in Christchurch Borough Council.
What does a Christchurch conveyancing solicitor do?
A conveyancing solicitor handles all of the post-offer aspects of buying property, and helps you with the legal aspect of transferring ownership from the seller to the buyer. This means performing due diligence on the property, such as ordering searches from authorities such as Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, raising questions for the seller's solicitor and completing the registration of your ownership.
Christchurch conveyancing solicitors may undertake searches for flood risk.
Buying a property with a mortgage?
When you buy a property with a mortgage, the bank must check the property meets their criteria for lending.
If your conveyancing solicitor isn't accepted on your lender's panel, it may take many weeks longer to complete the purchase.We work with lawyers who can represent the vast majority of banks and specialist lenders, ensuring your transaction will complete without delay.
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 help home buyers in Christchurch with conveyancing for:
When you purchase a property in a Christchurch conservation area, your conveyancing solicitor will need to check for restrictions on how you can use the property, e.g. restrictions on property usage or rights of way. Conservation areas in Christchurch and across the Dorset local authority include:Conservation area
There are over 500,000 listed buildings across the country, and around 300 of which are in Christchurch Borough Council. Listed buildings and properties in and near to Christchurch include: Buying and owning a listed property is not for the faint-hearted. Examples of the duties faced by listed property owners include regular upkeep, consent required for energy efficient alterations and a duty to report finds or discoveries on the property. Our specialist panel of solicitors will discuss with you the obligations imposed by listed property ownership. Read more:Buying a listed building
New Build Conveyancing
The legal work for buying a new build home in Christchurch is more complicated than buying an existing property.
Your solicitor in Christchurch must be able to deal with things like squaring developer incentives with lenders, handling initial Land Registry registration and registering ownership with warranty providers, including NHBC, Advantage and CRL.
Read more:
Leasehold flats
Purchasing a leasehold property in the UK requires a number of extra steps when compared to buying a freehold. The many potential problems awaiting the unsuspecting purchaser can include legally technical issues like incomplete management company accounts and excessive freehold premiums.
A leasehold 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 property in Christchurch
The sale of a house or flat in Christchurch will require your conveyancing solicitor to first compile key documents, including title deeds and ID forms.
The lawyer's role involves responding to enquiries from the buyer's solicitor and resolving any potential issues.
By taking action to work with both sides, like agents, managing agents and lenders, your lawyer will help make sure your move is completed without incident.
What do I need to know if selling a leasehold property in Christchurch?
Conveyancing for a leasehold flat (houses are rarely leasehold) is a great deal more time-consuming compared to a freehold house.
The complex nature of leasehold property means that conveyancing solicitors in Christchurch must undertake extra work, for example sourcing all relevant freeholder information, through to ascertaining if any excess payments are anticipated.
To reduce leasehold-related delays, It is recommended that the seller instruct a conveyancer as soon as possible, and ideally before marketing the property.
Conveyancing for selling a property
Remortgaging a property in Christchurch
Latest Bank of England base rate now at 4.5% (18 November, 2025)
Before you appoint a solicitor, your solicitor needs to be able to act on your mortgage lender's behalf.
We work with solicitors who are panel members for all major lenders. Whether you are changing to a fixed rate mortgage with Bank of Scotland or moving to a buy to let mortgage with Darlington Building Society, we can help take care of the legal side.
Read more:
Check our panel solicitors can act for your lender
Get a remortgage conveyancing quote
Transferring Equity in Christchurch
Whether you are gifting a home, adding one or more people to the deeds or inheritance tax (IHT) planning, you will need a solicitor to handle the transfer of equity. Your property lawyer will handle all the required documentation and register the new interest at HM Land Registry for a guaranteed fixed fee.
Read more:
Transfer of equity Stamp Duty calculator
Get a transfer of equity conveyancing quote
How much are conveyancing fees in Christchurch?
Solicitors' fees
Your conveyancing solicitor's quote should clearly detail the legal fees, including VAT, to be paid when the conveyancing transaction completes. These fees are paid to your solicitor for the work they carry out during your transaction.
Disbursements
Disbursements are additional costs on top of your solicitor's fees for third-party costs incurred on your behalf. Third-party disbursements include Local authority searches, Stamp Duty or a British waterways search.
Check what's included in your quote
Double-check for additional fees or charges, if you are comparing quotes. Some solicitors' quotes may set out extra costs in the small print, resulting in a final bill that is higher than the original quote.
