Look no further for your residential conveyancing solicitor in Berkshire
Whatever your property challenge, we can solve it.
Selling property in Berkshire
Your expert conveyancing solicitor's role when selling a property in Berkshire, will include:
- Draft contracts – Your conveyancing solicitor drafts the initial legal contract to be sent to the buyer's solicitor.
- Responding to enquiries – your solicitor responds to any questions the buyer's solicitor may have (this is where you'll find out if you are missing documents, which can cause delays to your sale).
- Investigating issues – your solicitor may need to complete further investigation to try and satisfy them.
- Exchange contracts – once the buyer's solicitor has satisfied their enquiries, contracts are finalised and exchanged
- On the day of completion – your solicitor receives the money for the sale, discharges the mortgage (if required), pays the estate agent, deducts their fee and then sends the net sale proceeds to you.
- Post completion – your solicitor receives the DS1 discharge documents and, when leasehold, settles your liabilities for ground rent and service charges.
Our Berkshire conveyancing solicitors' cost for selling a property starts from £723 INC VAT.
For Berkshire buying
- Draft contracts – Your solicitor reviews the draft contract sent by the seller's solicitor.
- Raising enquiries – your solicitor will ask the seller's solicitor questions based on the contract, title, and property documents to protect you from any nasty surprises.
- Exchange contracts – once your solicitor is satisfied with their enquiries, they agree with the seller to finalise and exchange contracts
- Day of completion – on the day of completion, your solicitor transfers the money for the sale.
- Post completion – following completion, your solicitor makes an application to HM Land Registry to register you as the new owner.
Our Berkshire conveyancing solicitors' cost for buying a property starts from £723 INC VAT.
Add or remove someone from a property title in Berkshire
With a Transfer of Equity, you can buy someone out of a shared property and remove them from the title, or add someone to the title to transfer ownership of a share of the property, making them a joint owner. This service includes:
- Property solicitors fees including ID checks, office copies
- HM Land Registration fees
- (if party being removed) ID1 Form verification fee
- (if mortgage) Change of mortgage fee
- (if leasehold) Notice fee to freeholder
Our Berkshire conveyancing solicitors' cost for a Transfer of Equity in Berkshire starts at £399 INC VAT.
If someone is giving up their share of the property for less than market value, they may be required to get independent legal advice, which will be an additional expense.
Switch your mortgage deal in Berkshire
Your remortgage solicitor will perform all the necessary checks, review your new mortgage offer, and update HM Land Registry post-completion. The process is similar to when you purchase but should take less time, as the solicitor doesn't need to raise any legal enquiries.
If you own a leasehold property, your solicitor must carry out extra work to investigate the lease terms. Our conveyancing solicitors' cost for a remortgage in Berkshire starts at £363 INC VAT INC VAT.
Purchase the next chunk of your equity
When you're ready to buy the next chunk of the equity in your shared ownership property, a conveyancer will be required to handle:
- The bank transfer;
- obtaining a mortgage redemption statement from your existing lender;
- receiving your new mortgage offer and confirming the lender terms;
- receiving the memorandum of staircasing;
- handling completion;
- filing SDLT form (if required); and
- registration at the Land Registry.
Our conveyancing solicitors' cost for shared ownership staircasing in Berkshire starts at £649 INC VAT.
If you need to add someone to the legal title, you will need to pay an additional fee for a transfer of equity.
Paying off your Help to Buy equity loan
You'll need a solicitor to:
- Receive redemption letter;
- review title for ownership and restrictions;
- obtain Authority to Complete;
- draft a deed of postponement for your current lender;
- handling completion;
- bank transfer; and
- if repaid in full, removal of the loan restriction at the Land Registry.
Our conveyancing solicitors' cost for Help to Buy loan redemption in Berkshire starts at £333 INC VAT.
Price based on a freehold with the loan being repaid in full using savings.
Why buy a home in Berkshire?
Berkshire is a county in south-east England and is often known as the Royal County of Berkshire because it hosts Windsor Castle, which is the largest inhabited castle in the world. It also contains Ascot Racecourse, which is owned by the reigning monarch and has its annual world-famous week-long meeting. It contains the University of Reading and branches of both Imperial College and Thames Valley University.
Royal Berkshire Hospital, Craven Rd, Reading, RG1 5AN
CircleReading Hospital, 100 Drake Way, Reading, RG2 0NE
West Berkshire Community Hospital, London Rd, Benham Hill, Thatcham, RG18 3AS
Berkshire contains two motorways, the M4 and A329(M) and numerous railway connections, particularly from Reading Railway Station, a major transport hub.
Distance to Airports from Berkshire (Reading)
| Airport | Miles by car |
| Heathrow | 26.4 miles |
| Luton | 56.3 miles |
| Southampton | 57.1 miles |
Kendrick School, 41 London Rd, Reading, BERKS, RG1 5BN
Reading School, Erleigh Road, Reading, Berkshire, RG1 5LW
Ranelagh School, Ranelagh Drive, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 9DA
Fixed quote for our legal costs plus a budget-friendly breakdown of third-party disbursements.
Your sale or purchase is protected by our no sale, no fee guarantee.
Our panel solicitors are pre-approved to work with 99% of mortgage lenders in England & Wales.
Panel solicitors accredited by the Conveyancing Quality Scheme; regulated by the SRA.
Residential Conveyancing Solicitors in and around Berkshire
Our Berkshire conveyancing solicitors can help you with your conveyance locally or in any of the surrounding areas, including Ascot, Reading, Slough, Bracknell, Maidenhead, Ashford and Windsor.
We have many offices throughout England and Wales, so you can find a solicitor near you.
- Churchfield Cottages, Bedford Lane, Ascot, Berkshire, SL5 0NN
- 3 Drummond Court, 179-171 New Road, Ascot, Berkshire, SL5 8PU
- Strouds Copse, Warfield, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG42 6JB
- 22 Spurcroft Road, Thatcham, Berkshire, RG19 3XX
- 23 Cambrian Way, Basingstoke, Berkshire, RG22 5AH
- Atria (apartments) – various locations in Slough incl. William Street.
Developed by Galliard Homes.
Berkshire Property Prices
| Average property price in Berkshire | £492,186 |
| Population of Berkshire | 803,657 |
Local conveyancing solicitor
Local conveyancing solicitor, property lawyer or licensed conveyancer?
When you search for licensed conveyancing solicitors near me, you may well wonder about the title of the legal professional you're looking to hire. Would property lawyers in Berkshire be more appropriate? How about just 'conveyancer near me'?
Day-to-day, the vast majority of legal tasks required for a house move are carried out by several different people termed 'paralegals' and/or 'property conveyancers'. These terms refer to the fact that these professionals do not have formal membership - and qualifications - required to be either a solicitor, licensed conveyancer or legal executive.
Many of these individuals have many years of experience and keep your costs down by skilfully completing work at a lower rate than the solicitor who oversees the case, takes ultimate responsibility and signs-off the work.
In contrast, a qualified solicitor acting in the conveyancing field has the general training that a solicitor has - e.g. in employment law - but has chosen to specialise in conveyancing. They have to be a member of the Law Society in order to practise.
Why choose SAM Conveyancing Solicitors in Berkshire?
Whether you're buying, selling, remortgaging, dealing with a lease, staircasing shared ownership, or paying offyour help to buy loan, you'll need a conveyancing specialist to handle the legal side of things. With SAM you get the benefit of dedicated conveyancing executive who'll guide you through the process, from start to finish, at no extra cost. Available Monday to Saturday to answer all your questions, we'll bridge the gap between you and your solicitor, with regular updates in plain English.
We have hand selected some of the best conveyancing solicitors Berkshire has to offer, which are backed by a no sale no fee guarantee and the Berkshire conveyancing fee we quote is broken down so you can see exactly what your quote includes. What we quote you is the fixed price you will pay for the agreed work. No unpleasant surprises.
You'll also benefit form our state of the art Online Conveyancing Process to track your progress and next steps along the way.
Affordable Housing Schemes
Several affordable housing schemes in Berkshire help make buying a property more achievable. The work is more complex, and we have specialist conveyancing solicitors to handle the following:
- Shared Ownership Solicitors
- Right to Buy Solicitors Berkshire - speak to Berkshire Local Authority Councils to find out if you are eligible
- Discount Market Sale Berkshire - check with Berkshire Local Authority Councils if they are running a DMS scheme
Berkshire conveyancing solicitors
You can rest assured that you're in good hands with our Berkshire Conveyancing Solicitors. They are skilled and experienced with complex property transactions from a simple purchase for a property in Berkshire to a Sale and Purchase of a shared ownership property, executing a Deed of Trust simultaneously.
Is the property over 5 storeys (11m)?
Many leasehold properties in Berkshire are in large buildings which now require an EWS1 certificate to confirm if the cladding is fire safe. Thankfully 2022's leaseholder protections mean that most leaseholders are not burdened with the cost of remediation of any defective cladding, but you will need to see the seller's Deed of Certificate to prove that the lease doesn't come with a nasty (and expensive) surprise.
Be particularly wary of purchasing a share of freehold as the freeholders may become liable for the cost of remedying defective cladding. Our specialist leasehold solicitors Berkshire are well experienced with handling all of these added complications, so you will be in safe hands with SAM. Property Challenges Solved.
Conveyancing FAQs: Property Lawyers Berkshire
The average conveyancing cost in London can be slightly higher than in the rest of the country. Depending on the property's price and the transaction's complexity, you could pay several hundred to a couple of thousand pounds. Our conveyancing fees in Berkshire are based on the purchase price, and start at £723 INC VAT.
Fill in our easy online form for a fixed quote tailored to your requirements.
Berkshire conveyancing solicitor fees vary between online conveyancing solicitors, high street licensed conveyancers or housing solicitors introduced by your estate agent.
It's unnecessary to have a local property solicitor as the conveyancing process is the same throughout England and Wales. You should prioritise service and efficiency over proximity to Berkshire, when choosing a good conveyancing solicitor for any property transaction.
Many factors can delay conveyancing in Berkshire. A simple property transaction can be completed in less than two months, but the average is closer to 12-16 weeks.
CQS Accreditation
All our panel solicitors are CQS accredited. You can trust the Conveyancing Quality Scheme for the highest standards of conveyancing.
Fixed Fee
Don't bother with an 'estimate' fee. You want to make sure that your total fee is fixed (they can't charge you more later) and it includes all the necessary components. We build your quote based on each of the costs involved in a standard transaction based on the information you give us, with no sneaky extra fees. If you have additional requirements, speak with a helpful team member to ensure everything you need is covered within your quote.
No Sale No Fee
Choose conveyancing solicitors in Berkshire who offer a No Sale No Fee Guarantee, like ours. If your first sale or purchase falls through, the money you've spent with us will go toward your next one. Terms apply.
Reviews
Check out their reviews to be sure they provide a good service and meet their timescales.
Communication
Not knowing what is going on is the most frustrating thing for a client. Many solicitors are too busy doing legal work to answer all their clients call for updates. With SAM Conveyancing, you'll have a dedicated conveyancing executive available Monday to Saturday. They'll keep you in the loop on progress, translate the legal jargon, chase your solicitor when required and email you about milestones.
Value
Get a fully comprehensive quote covering all your needs so you can accurately compare your options to ensure you're paying a good price.
Online conveyancing is just as safe as you protect your data on the internet as you would in any other transaction. Online conveyancing means speedier turnaround times on documents, more convenient meetings and lower running costs for the firm. We pass our savings on to you.
Yes, if you're buying and selling simultaneously, the same conveyancing solicitor can handle both transactions, saving you money, as you'll only have to do the 'new client' admin once.
1. Get a mortgage in principle
Know what you can afford to save wasting time on any false starts.
2. Instruct your conveyancing solicitor before you make your offer
Waiting until your offer is accepted can delay your transaction. As early as possible, inform them of any details, such as gifted deposits. An online service reduces snail mail delays and waiting for physical meetings, which can be conducted by video call.
3. Apply for your mortgage quickly
You can submit your application as soon as your offer is accepted. An independent broker can help speed this along.
4. Order your searches and surveys
Ordering these early can speed up your conveyancing process, especially if local authorities face delays. However, it is usually considered prudent to time this with the rest of your chain if a transaction falls through.
5. Get your building insurance ready
You'll need insurance from the exchange so research & compare insurance quotes, once your solicitor is instructed.
6. Paperwork (When selling)
Ensure you have your paperwork, including energy performance & FENSA certificates.
Berkshire is a county which touches a small part of the borders of West London. It is a home county (because it borders Greater London) and is often called Royal Berkshire because it contains Windsor and Windsor Castle. It hosts a number of iconic UK landmarks, such as Ascot (Ascot Racecourse), Wentworth (Golf Course), Sunningdale (Golf Course), Virginia Water, Windsor Great Park and Eton School. Virginia Water was the first postcode area where the average property price exceeded one million.
Like many of the home counties, there are many essentially commuter dormitory settlements which house London workers. Reading (which is Berkshire's county town), in particular, is a larger one and is popular because of its very fast rail links to Central London - there are many one-stop services to London Paddington and it is also due to be the western terminus of the Crossrail line.
**Our panel of solicitors are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and conveyancing work is accredited with the Law Society's Conveyancing Quality Scheme.
***No Sale No Fee applies to any sale or purchase quote except auction, right to buy, discount market sales, or purchase of land. The No Sale No fee only protects the main solicitor's fee. All Additional Fixed Fees are payable in full. Read our No Sale No Fee Policy.
What are the conveyancing costs?
Berkshire Conveyancing Solicitor fees vary between online conveyancing solicitors, high street conveyancers or housing solicitors introduced by your estate agent.
The actual conveyancing costs, outside of the legal work, should be fixed, including:
For buyers: stamp duty, land registration, property searches, ID searches and leasehold charges (if buying a leasehold property).
For sellers: office copies, title plan and management information (if selling a leasehold property).
Make sure to budget for all of the above conveyancing costs and to get a fixed fee conveyancing quote from several firms, to compare value.
Making the right choice of solicitor is key to the whole process:
- Cheap Conveyancing
- Fast Conveyancing
- Best Conveyancing Service
Can you have a pet in a leasehold property?
As a freeholder, you have no restriction on having a pet in your property, assuming it isn't something like a pet tiger! However, you shouldn't assume this is okay if you're buying a leasehold.
As a leaseholder, you are effectively still a tenant but with a much longer term than if you were renting, and leasehold agreements often have what are called restrictive covenants, which may prohibit the keeping of pets (dogs and cats rather than goldfish!).
The challenge you face is that you might only find out about such a restrictive covenant quite far into the conveyancing process - at the legal enquiries stage - when your solicitor examines the leasehold contract.
Sometimes a freeholder can be persuaded to consent to waive the particular clause - your solicitor organises what is known as a deed of variation - but there's no guarantee. If you choose to go ahead regardless, you might ultimately risk a court ordering you to remove the pet from the premises.
