Conveyancing in Hove
Conveyancing involves the legal work and documentation required to transfer a property from the seller to the buyer. If you need a solicitor for conveyancing in Hove, we can help you with fast & proactive conveyancing from a national panel of conveyancing specialists.
We have years of experience helping homemovers in Hove and throughout Brighton and Hove 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: Brighton, Burgess Hill, Haywards Heath and Worthing
Buying property in Hove
The seaside town of Hove in East Sussex lies immediately west of Brighton. In 1997 it merged with Brighton to become the borough of Brighton and Hove and in 2001 was awarded city status.
Property in Hove is more affordable than Brighton, making it popular with young families although its regular inclusion as one of the UK's 'best places to live' lists mean that the property market is brisk.
There are good rail links to central London, Gatwick, and along the coast to Southampton and Portsmouth.
Our Hove conveyancing experts tackle some of the common questions we get asked by home buyers and sellers.
Council Tax in Hove (2023/24)
Hove is in Brighton and Hove City Council.
| Band | Amount |
|---|---|
| A | £1,485.89 |
| B | £1,733.53 |
| C | £1,981.18 |
| D | £2,228.83 |
| E | £2,724.13 |
| F | £3,219.42 |
| G | £3,714.72 |
| H | £4,457.66 |
What will my Hove solicitor do?
Your conveyancing solicitor will address all the legal details of transferring ownership from the seller to the buyer. This means performing due diligence on the property purchase, including raising questions about how the seller has used the property, arranging searches from entities including Brighton & Hove UA, ensuring necessary funds are correctly transferred and registering your ownership of the property at HMLR.
Hove conveyancing solicitors may undertake flood risk checks and conservation area restrictions.
Purchasing with a mortgage?
As part of the house buying process, your solicitor also has to handle legal due diligence on behalf of the bank or building society. If your lawyer isn't accepted on your bank or building society's panel, it may take weeks longer to purchase your property.
Our chosen panel lawyers have established relationships with the majority of building societies, banks and lenders, from major banks like HSBC to smaller, specialist lenders including NRAM - so you can complete your purchase without delay.
Read more:
Conveyancing for buying a property
Find out if our panel solicitors can act for your mortgage lender
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We can also assist buyers in Hove with conveyancing for:
When you buy a flat or house in a Hove conservation area, your solicitor will check for covenants and restrictions, e.g. area consents or easements. Conservation areas in Hove and the Brighton and Hove local authority include:Conservation areas
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 Hove
When selling property in Hove, your conveyancer will compile key documents, including the sale contract and the various property information forms.
The solicitor's role involves dealing with complications like lack of conservation area consent and responding to the buyer's solicitor's questions.
Your solicitor will also coordinate with all stakeholders, including estate agents, landlords and lenders, to make sure your sale of your home is completed successfully.Does it take longer to sell a leasehold property?
Compared to freehold property, yes. The legal work for selling a leasehold house or flat can result in long delays.
The buyer's conveyancer will expect to see this leasehold-related paperwork. These could include an up-to-date statement of service charges and a copy of the freehold property's buildings insurance. The time it takes the solicitor to source this information is usually the cause of these delays.
It can take weeks to collect this paperwork if the managing agent is slow or difficult to contact, so the seller's solicitor should start this process even before you have found a buyer.
Read more:
Selling a leasehold flat? What to do before going on the market
Conveyancing for selling a property
Remortgage conveyancing
The current Bank of England base rate is 5.25% (7 December, 2024)
It's important that you check your conveyancer's lender panel membership before you instruct your solicitor.
We work with solicitors who are on the panels of almost all banks and building societies. Whether you are switching to a 2-year fixed rate from TSB or taking out a 10-year tracker rate from Bluestone, we can help.
Read more:
Check our panel solicitors can act for your mortgage lender
Get a remortgage conveyancing quote
Hove Transfer of equity
If you intend to reduce or increase your ownership share of a property, whether you are dealing with inheritance tax planning, giving a property to a family member or buying out an ex-spouse after a divorce, a transfer of equity is required. Your conveyancer will handle all the required documentation for a fixed fee.
Read more:
Transfer of equity Stamp Duty calculator
Get a transfer of equity conveyancing quote
How much are conveyancing fees in Hove?
Legal fees
Your solicitor's quote should clearly detail the legal fees, including VAT, that you pay when the property transaction is complete. These legal fees are paid to your conveyancer for the legal services they provide on your behalf.
Disbursements
Your conveyancing quote should also itemise required third-party costs, or disbursements, such as Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT), HM Land Registry fees and property searches.
Check for hidden costs
Watch out for additional charges, when comparing quotes. Some firms may set out extra costs in the small print. This can mean an inflated final bill.
