Conveyancing in Wakefield
Conveyancing is the legal process involved when ownership of a property is transferred from the seller to the buyer. If you need a solicitor for conveyancing in Wakefield, we can help you with fast & proactive conveyancing from a national panel of conveyancing specialists.
We have years of experience helping homemovers in Wakefield and throughout Wakefield Metropolitan 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: Bradford, Castleford and Sheffield
Buying property in Wakefield
The city of Wakefield is the county administrative centre of West Yorkshire and its position on the Aire-Calder navigation helped it develop as the largest corn market outside London. Rail links to London in the mid-19th century furthered its prosperity. These links remain and the journey to Leeds takes under 20 minutes and to King's Cross just 2 hours. Wakefield is also a hotspot for sculpture culture with the award winning Hepworth Gallery in the centre and the Yorkshire Sculpture Park a short distance away in the rolling countryside to the south-west of the M1.
The city and its suburbs offer a wide range of property, from grand Georgian town houses to smaller terraced houses and semis, and prices are lower than neighbouring Leeds.
Council Tax in Wakefield (2023/24)
| Band | Amount |
|---|---|
| A | £1,320.36 |
| B | £1,540.42 |
| C | £1,760.48 |
| D | £1,980.54 |
| E | £2,420.66 |
| F | £2,860.78 |
| G | £3,300.90 |
| H | £3,961.08 |
What does a property lawyer do?
A solicitor guides the buyer through the legal aspects of the transaction.
Your lawyer will carry out comprehensive due diligence on the property, such as raising enquires of the seller, arranging property searches, reviewing contracts and registering your property at HMLR.
Wakefield conveyancing solicitors may carry out coal mining searches and checks for issues relating to historic industrial activity.
Are you funding your home purchase with a mortgage?
During the house buying process, your solicitor must also complete the legal work on behalf of the bank arranging your mortgage.
Your transaction could take significantly longer to complete and cost more if your lawyer is not on your chosen mortgage provider's panel.
Over 100 banks and specialist lenders have approved our chosen panel solicitors, so we can help you complete your Wakefield transaction 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 Wakefield with the legal work for:
There exist around half a million listed buildings in England and Wales - around 760 of which are in Wakefield City Metropolitan District Council. Listed buildings and properties in and around Wakefield include: Buying and owning a listed building can be a lot more complicated. Examples of the duties that listed building owners face include maintenance of historic features, required consent for any alterations and an obligation to preserve or restore original windows and doors. Our expert conveyancing solicitor panel will help you understand what duties your ownership will impose. Read more:Listed buildings
Buying a leasehold property
Purchasing a leasehold flat in the UK can be very involved. The many potential traps awaiting the unsuspecting buyer can include legally technical issues like costly and undisclosed major works and short leases.
Your conveyancing 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
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Selling a house or flat in Wakefield
When you begin the process to sell a property in Wakefield, your conveyancing solicitor will first prepare vital paperwork, including title deeds and ID forms, and help you complete these forms.
Responsibilities include answering the buyer's solicitor's questions and resolving any potential issues. To ensure a smooth transfer, your conveyancer will also work with all parties, such as agents, managing agents and lenders.Does the conveyancing for selling leasehold take longer?
Yes, compared to freehold conveyancing. The legal work for selling a leasehold home can take much longer.
The buyer's conveyancer will expect to see these documents, like a copy of the freehold property's buildings insurance and details of any breaches by other leaseholders. The time it takes the seller's conveyancer to source this information is usually the cause of these delays.
Your conveyancing solicitor ought to start this process as soon as possible, as this information can take a long time to gather if the agent responsible for managing the property 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
Remortgage conveyancing in Wakefield
The Bank of England's current base rate is 4.5% (19 March, 2025)
Before you instruct a remortgage solicitor, it's important that you check your solicitor's lender panel membership.
We work with solicitors who can work on behalf of almost all building societies and banks. Whether you are changing to a 2-year fixed rate with National Westminster Bank or taking out a variable rate mortgage from Investec Bank, we can assist.
Read more:
Find out if our panel solicitors can act for your lender
Get a remortgage conveyancing quote
Transfer of equity
Whether you are resolving joint ownership, inheritance tax (IHT) planning or transferring the ownership of a property (in part or in full) to your children, you will need to work with a transfer of equity expert.
Your legal representative will handle all the required documentation 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 Wakefield?
Conveyancing fees
Your conveyancing solicitor's quote will detail the fees for the legal work, including VAT, that you'll pay when your transaction completes. These fees are what your conveyancing solicitor charges you for the legal services they provide during your property transaction.
Disbursements (third party costs)
Disbursements are additional costs on top of your conveyancing solicitor's fees for third-party costs incurred on your behalf. Examples of disbursements include Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT), HM Land Registry fees and property searches.
Read the terms and conditions
Some firms may set out extra costs in their terms and conditions. This can lead to a final bill that is higher than the original quote. Double-check for additional fees or charges, if you are comparing quotes.
