Conveyancing in Southwark
Conveyancing is the process of preparing legal documents for a property sale, remortgage or lease extension, and transferring legal ownership if the property is being sold. If you need a solicitor for conveyancing in Southwark, we can help you with fast & proactive conveyancing from a national panel of conveyancing specialists.
We have helped Southwark and London 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: Barnet, Croydon, Edmonton, South East London and London
Buying property in Southwark
The London Borough of Southwark, forms one of the oldest parts of London.Linked by bridges to the City of London, it includes the vibrant South Bank attractions such as the Tate Modern, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and Borough Market, as well as Dulwich, Elephant and Castle and Southwark itself.
Since the 1990s major residential schemes have regenerated the old wharfs and warehouses and this continues with new office developments attracting businesses from the press and publishing and professional services industries.
Council Tax in Southwark (2023/24)
| Band | Amount |
|---|---|
| A | £1,128.61 |
| B | £1,316.71 |
| C | £1,504.82 |
| D | £1,692.92 |
| E | £2,069.12 |
| F | £2,445.33 |
| G | £2,821.53 |
| H | £3,385.84 |
What does a Southwark conveyancing solicitor do?
A solicitor assists the buyer with the legal side of buying a property.
Your lawyer will perform due diligence on the property, like raising questions about how the seller has used the property, property searches and registering your ownership of the property.
Further to the standard checks and searches, Southwark conveyancing solicitors may also undertake checks for leasehold complexities, including short and defective leases.
Are you buying a home with a mortgage?
During the conveyancing process, your solicitor must also complete the legal work on behalf of the bank arranging your mortgage.
If your conveyancing solicitor isn't accepted on your mortgage provider's panel, it may take many weeks longer to complete the purchase.
Our chosen panel lawyers have established relationships with the majority of mortgage 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 help home movers in Southwark with conveyancing for:
When you buy a home in a Southwark conservation area, your conveyancer will check for potential planning breaches, including paint and colour scheme restrictions or lack of consent for roof lights. Conservation areas in Southwark and the London local authority include Queen Street, Leadenhall Market and Foster Lane.Conservation areas
There are over half a million listed properties in England and Wales, 925 of which are in London Borough of Southwark. Southwark listed buildings and properties include: There are many additional things to consider when buying a listed building. Our expert solicitor panel will discuss with you the commitments a listed building owner must make. Examples include use of traditional methods and materials for maintenance, required consent for landscaping and an obligation to maintain and preserve the property to prevent deterioration. Read more:Listed buildings
Shared ownership (sometimes referred to as shared equity) technically means purchasing a share in the property (normally 25%, 50% or 75%) from a social housing provider. Purchasing a shared ownership home can be more involved than buying your property outright. Our panel of solicitors has years of experience with shared ownership conveyancing and staircasing.Shared Ownership
New Build
The conveyancing process for acquiring a new build home in Southwark can be complicated compared to other types of conveyancing.
A property lawyer in Southwark will need to be qualified to handle things like handling unreasonable delays, checking that any contracts allow for future 'common parts' maintenance and registering ownership with warranty providers, including NHBC Buildmark, Advantage HCI and Trenwick International.
Read more:
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 Southwark
For the sale of a Southwark property, your conveyancing solicitor will arrange all the necessary documentation, including the sale contract and the various property information forms, and help you fill out these forms.
The duties of a seller's solicitor includes resolving any potential issues, answering the buyer's solicitor's enquiries and redeeming the mortgage.
The solicitor will also communicate effectively with all parties, like estate agents and banks or building societies, so your move is completed successfully.
Is there anything to be aware of if selling a leasehold property in Southwark?
The conveyancing process for a leasehold flat or house is a great deal more complicated than it is for a freehold home.
The complex nature of leasehold property means that conveyancing solicitors in Southwark will need to conduct additional work, such as requesting all relevant freeholder information, through to a copy of the buildings insurance for the common parts.
In order to resolve any leasehold issues faster, It is strongly advised that the vendor contact a property lawyer as soon as possible.
Conveyancing for selling a property
Remortgaging
The base interest rate is 5.25% (12 October, 2024)
Before you appoint a solicitor, you should confirm that your conveyancing solicitor is able to act for your lender.
Our remortgage panel solicitors are on the solicitor panels of over 100 building societies and banks. Whether you are switching to a fixed rate mortgage from Barclays or taking out a tracker mortgage from Darlington Building Society, our experienced conveyancing team can guide you through the remortgage process.
Read more:
Find out if our panel solicitors can act for your lender
Get a remortgage conveyancing quote
Transferring Equity in Southwark
If you intend to reduce or increase your ownership share of your property, whether you are buying out an ex-partner, estate planning or giving a property to a family member, you'll need to carry out a transfer of equity.
Your conveyancer will complete the legal work for a fixed fee.
Read more:
Transfer of equity Stamp Duty calculator
Get a transfer of equity conveyancing quote
How much are solicitors' conveyancing fees in Southwark?
Conveyancing legal fees
The conveyancing quote will set out the legal fees (inc. VAT) that you pay when the property transaction is complete. Conveyancing fees are paid to your solicitor for the tasks they complete on your behalf.
Disbursements
Disbursements are third-party expenses incurred during the purchase, sale or other conveyancing transaction. Examples of disbursements include Stamp Duty, property searches and an indemnity policy.
Are the conveyancing fees fixed?
Make sure you question any charges not set out in your initial quote, when comparing quotes. Some solicitors' quotes set out additional charges in the small print, leading to an inflated final bill.
