Look no further for your residential conveyancing solicitor in Essex
Whatever your property challenge, we can solve it.
Selling property in Essex
Your expert conveyancing solicitor's role when selling a property in Essex, 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 Essex conveyancing solicitors' cost for selling a property starts from £723 INC VAT.
For Essex 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 Essex conveyancing solicitors' cost for buying a property starts from £723 INC VAT.
Add or remove someone from a property title in Essex
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 Essex conveyancing solicitors' cost for a Transfer of Equity in Essex 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 Essex
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 Essex 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 Essex 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 Essex starts at £333 INC VAT.
Price based on a freehold with the loan being repaid in full using savings.
Why buy a home in Essex?
Essex is a county to the north-east of London and touches the Greater London area. It is numbered in the Home Counties. Essex's county town is Chelmsford. Counties bordering Essex include Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire. Kent is across the Thames to Essex's south.
In Colchester, Essex hosts a settlement that used to be the capital of England back in Roman times (Camulodunum as was). Danbury in Essex hosts the largest Adder population in the UK. Waltham Abbey is the burial place of King Harold, who died in the Battle of Hastings. Essex has the longest coastline of all the English counties; seaside resorts include Clacton-on-Sea and Southend-on-Sea.
Broomfield Hospital, Court Rd, Chelmsford, CM1 7ET
Chelmsford & Essex Hospital, New London Rd, Chelmsford, CM2 0QH
St Michael's Hospital, Rayne Rd, Braintree, CM7 2QU
By road, the M4 and M5 are close by, the former giving access to London and Wales and the latter linking Exeter and Birmingham. Bristol Temple Meads Railway Station has fast services to London and services to many other conurbations, including Birmingham, Liverpool and Exeter.
Distance to Airports from Essex (Chelmsford)
| Airport | Miles by car |
| Stansted | 17.9 miles |
| Luton | 48.1 miles |
| Heathrow | 57 miles |
King Edward VI Grammar School, Broomfield Rd, Chelmsford, CM1 3SX
Mayfield Grammar School Gravesend, Pelham Rd, Gravesend, DA11 0JE
Colchester Royal Grammar School, 6 Lexden Rd, Colchester CO3 3ND
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 Essex
Our Essex conveyancing solicitors can help you with your conveyance locally or in any of the surrounding areas, including Chelmsford, Colchester, Writtle, Billericay, Brentwood, Maldon and Braintree.
We have many offices throughout England and Wales, so you can find a solicitor near you.
- Carlton Court, Craven Gardens, Barkingside, Essex IG6 1LT
- 46 Cranstone Park Avenue, Upminster, Essex, RM14 3UT
- 196 Willowfield, Harlow, Essex, CM18 6RZ
- 11 Featherstone Court, 287 - 295 High Road, Chadwell Heath, Essex, RM6 6DJ
- 55 Bentry Road, Dagenham, Essex, RM8 3PA
- Park View (house) – Park Lane, Chigwell, Essex.
Marketed by Douglas Allen.
Essex Property Prices
| Average property price in Essex | £417,416 |
| Population of Essex | 1,729,200 (2014) |
Local conveyancing solicitor
Are local, licensed conveyancing solicitors near me more expensive?
Local or high street property lawyers' costs can often be more than those of online conveyancing solicitors. They may handle less cases or be working on a referral arrangement with a local estate agent.
We provide local services, nationally, online, so you get the best of both.
Why choose SAM Conveyancing Solicitors in Essex?
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 Essex has to offer, which are backed by a no sale no fee guarantee and the Essex 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 Essex 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 Essex - speak to Essex County Council to find out if you are eligible
- Discount Market Sale Essex - check with Essex County Council if they are running a DMS scheme
Essex conveyancing solicitors
You can rest assured that you're in good hands with our Essex Conveyancing Solicitors. They are skilled and experienced with complex property transactions from a simple purchase for a property in Essex 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 Essex 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 Essex 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 Essex
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 Essex 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.
Essex 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 Essex, when choosing a good conveyancing solicitor for any property transaction.
Many factors can delay conveyancing in Essex. 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 Essex 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.
Essex is not only a coastal county (the North Sea is to its east) but a home county too because it touches Greater London on its eastern borders. Its settlements vary from Colchester, which is very historical - used to be the capital of England as Camulodunum, to Southend - a seaside resort and Basildon, which is a comparatively modern urban development. The western side of Essex hosts many London workers and there are fast rail links to, for example, Shenfield from London Liverpool Street which aid many city workers.
Essex's county town is Chelmsford (and is the county's only city), where Essex County Cricket Club is based. Essex hosts Stansted Airport and various attractions such as the Lakeside Shopping Centre near Thurrock and the Epping Forest, a popular forest for camping and other activities. A large proportion of Essex's boundaries are bodies of water (the River Thames and the North Sea), with the remainder including Greater London, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Suffolk. Kent is across the River Thames to the south.
**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?
Essex 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 extend your property?
This question doesn't normally arise if you're buying a leasehold property but assuming you're buying a freehold property, there are sometimes restrictions in the title deeds which prevent extensions or require consent of another landowner.
Larger extensions require local authority planning permission and you'll need approval additionally under building regulations if any structural works are required.
Some areas are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which often prevent extensions. If you've decided that the ability to extend is essential, you'll need to check these matters out before committing to buying.
