Conveyancing in Maidstone
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 Maidstone, we can help you with fast & proactive conveyancing from a national panel of conveyancing specialists.
We have helped Maidstone and Kent clients 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: Gillingham, Sittingbourne and West Malling
Buying property in Maidstone
Maidstone is the county town of Kent and is linked to Rochester and the Thames estuary by the River Medway that runs through the town centre.
Already an attractive and lively market town with good amenities the centre has recently been regenerated and a new bypass is planned to ease congestion.
Situated close to the High Weald and Kent Downs Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and with excellent schools, Maidstone is popular with young families, keeping the property market buoyant and house prices above average for Kent. Popular Maidstone suburbs include Allington, Bearstead and Weavering.
Council Tax in Maidstone (2023/24)
Band | Amount |
---|---|
A | £1,459.75 |
B | £1,703.04 |
C | £1,946.33 |
D | £2,189.62 |
E | £2,676.20 |
F | £3,162.78 |
G | £3,649.37 |
H | £4,379.24 |
What does a property lawyer do?
Your conveyancing solicitor will take care of the technical side of a home purchase.
Your solicitor will raise enquires of the seller, order searches, review the contract of sale, and take care of tasks after the sale, like paying SDLT.
In addition to standard searches, Maidstone conveyancing solicitors may undertake chalk mining searches.
Are you buying with a mortgage?
During the process of buying a house, your solicitor also has to take care of legal matters for the bank or building society that's giving you the mortgage.
If your conveyancer isn't accepted on your mortgage provider's panel, it could take weeks longer to buy your house.
Our chosen panel solicitors have established relationships with the majority of lenders, helping to facilitate a faster completion for your purchase.
Read more:
Conveyancing for buying a property
Find out if our panel solicitors can act for your mortgage lender
We have also helped home movers in Maidstone with conveyancing for:
Approximately half a million listed buildings exist across the country, and around 2,060 of which are in Maidstone Borough Council. Listed buildings and properties in and near to Maidstone include: Buying and owning a listed property is not for the faint-hearted. Our specialist panel of solicitors will discuss with you the obligations imposed by listed property ownership. Examples include a duty to maintain the exterior appearance, and required consent for landscaping. Read more:Buying a listed building
Buying a shared ownership property means buying only a share in the property from a not-for-profit housing association. Although this is a more affordable route to home ownership, shared ownership conveyancing is more complex, as all properties are leasehold. Whether you are buying a shared ownership property or staircasing, your solicitor will help you complete the procedure.Buying a Shared Ownership property
New Build Conveyancing
The legal work for acquiring a new build home in Maidstone is more complicated than buying an existing property.
Your solicitor in Maidstone must be able to deal with things like handling reservation fees, administering Help to Buy purchases and any other issues raised by your lender.
Read more:
Leasehold flats
Purchasing a leasehold house or flat in the UK can be complex when compared to purchasing a freehold. The many potential complications lying in wait for an uninformed purchaser can include legally technical issues like undisclosed major works and unfair clauses in the lease.
A good property lawyer 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
Selling a property in Maidstone
As part of the property selling process in Maidstone, your solicitor will arrange all the necessary documentation, including the TA6 and TA10 property information forms and the sale contract.
They will respond to inquiries from the buyer's solicitor, resolve any potential issues and redeem the existing mortgage. The solicitor will also communicate effectively with all parties, including estate agents, landlords and lenders, so the home move completes quickly.
What do I need to know if selling a leasehold property in Maidstone?
The conveyancing process for a leasehold flat is much more complicated than for a freehold house.
The complex nature of leasehold property means that conveyancing solicitors in Maidstone must undertake additional work, and this could include sourcing all relevant freeholder information, through to a copy of the service charge budget for the current year (and any anticipated payments on account).
In order to resolve any leasehold issues faster, It is strongly advised that the vendor contact a Maidstone conveyancing solicitor as soon as the property is marketed, if not before,.
Conveyancing for selling a property
Remortgaging
The current Bank of England base rate is 4.5% (9 February, 2025)
Before instructing, you should confirm that your remortgage solicitor is able to act for your chosen mortgage lender.
We work with solicitors who are approved members of the majority of lenders, so whether you are switching to an offset mortgage from Barclays or moving to a flexible mortgage with Accord, we can help you.
Read more:
Check our panel solicitors can act for your mortgage lender
Get a remortgage conveyancing quote
Transferring Equity
If you aim to change the ownership structure of a property, whether you are inheritance tax (IHT) planning, transferring the ownership of a property to your children or buying out an ex-spouse after a divorce, a transfer of equity is required. Your solicitor will deal with the legal work for a low, fixed fee.
Read more:
Transfer of equity Stamp Duty calculator
Get a transfer of equity conveyancing quote
How much are solicitors' conveyancing fees in Maidstone?
Conveyancing legal fees
The conveyancing quote will set out the legal fees (inc. VAT) to be paid when the conveyancing transaction completes. These fees are what your solicitor or conveyancer charges you for the legal services they provide.
Disbursements
Disbursements are third-party expenses incurred during the purchase, sale or other conveyancing transaction. Examples of disbursements include Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT), HM Land Registry fees and property searches.
Check the T's & C's
Some solicitors' quotes may include additional charges in the small print, resulting in a total cost that's much higher than the initial quote. When comparing quotes, make sure you question any charges not set out in your initial quote.