Find a Lender-Approved Local Conveyancer in Canterbury

Ready to buy a new home? Find a law firm approved by your lender.

Follow your intuition—you will have a better house move where you instruct a local solicitor in Canterbury

Logical reasons to let us assist you choose a local conveyancing solicitor in Canterbury

  • 1 Canterbury lawyers work in conjunction with Canterbury estate agents, developers, surveyors, banks and other professionals to ensure that the highest level of service is provided to buyers and sellers every step of the way, helping make the process as straightforward as possible
  • 2 Canterbury property lawyers are likely to have connections at the local Land Registry Office, Local Authority and estate agents
  • 3 Excellent communication together with a wealth of expertise are key benefits that you should value when choosing conveyancing solicitors. Canterbury property deals can become significantly more protracted as a result of lack of transparency between all the parties. The lawyers listed strive to make sure that communication channels are open and act on arising issues and developments quickly.
  • 4 Our site is the only site that enables you the facility to check that your conveyancing in Canterbury will be conducted by a property lawyer on your mortgage lender’s authorised panel.
  • 5 Cut price packages from online conveyancers might seem attractive. However, these firms are often located hundreds of kilometers away with limited appreciation of the factors that impact property transactions in Canterbury

Examples of recent conveyancing in Canterbury since May 2024*

Recently asked questions about conveyancing in Canterbury

Why would I use a Canterbury conveyancing solicitors firm given that internet based conveyancers are cheap by comparison?

By all means make sure that you contrast conveyancing costs in Canterbury and you should seek a competitive estimate but don’t be focused with looking for the lowest priced Canterbury conveyancer. Locating the right conveyancer can be the distinction between a seamless and a frustrating home move. You need to ensure that you have expert guidance from a specialist solicitor. Emails can't take the place of a phone call and are no substitute for a face to face consultation. The firms that we work with will find you a qualified and trusted conveyancing solicitor who can handle your conveyancing from from the outset to completion, providing a level of personalised service that you are unlikely to received from an online conveyancer. Our lawyers will update you on progress and keep you informed. Should it ever be necessary to call the office you will know who to ask for and they will be sure you are in the know.

Last May we completed a house move in Canterbury. We have noticed several problems with the house which we consider were overlooked in the conveyancing searches. Do we have any recourse? Can you clarify the type of searches that needed to have been carried out as part of conveyancing in Canterbury?

The question is not clear as what problems have arisen and if they are relate to conveyancing in Canterbury. Conveyancing searches and due diligence undertaken during the buying process are designed to help avoid problems. As part of the process, a seller answers a document known as a SPIF. answers provided is inaccurate, you may have a misrepresentation claim against the owner for any losses that you have suffered. The survey should have identified any problems with the structure of the property. Assuming a detailed survey was carried out and the issues were not identified, you may have a claim against the surveyor. However, if you did not have a full survey, you may be responsible for fixing any defects that have now been noted. We would always encourage buyers to take every possible step to ensure they are completely aware of the condition of a property before purchase regardless of whether they are buying in Canterbury.

Why do I have to pay up front when it comes to conveyancing in Canterbury?

Where you are retaining lawyers for conveyancing in Canterbury your lawyer will ask you to provide them with monies to cover the the cost of the conveyancing searches. This will be the total of the cost of the Local Authority Search. If any deposit is payable against the total price then this should be required shortly ahead of exchange of contracts. The closing balance that is due should be transferred a couple of days prior to the completion date.

I have been on the look out for a leasehold apartment up to £235,500 and found one close by in Canterbury I like with amenity areas and transport links nearby, however it's only got 61 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Canterbury for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a short lease?

If you need a home loan that many years will likely be problematic. Discount the price by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current proprietor has owned the premises for a minimum of twenty four months you may request that they start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer concerning this.

Should I instruct a Canterbury conveyancing lawyer in close proximity to the house I am purchasing? An old friend can handle the legal work but her office is 200kilometers away.

The primary upside of using a local Canterbury conveyancing firm is that you can attend the office to sign paperwork, present your identification documents and pester them where appropriate. Having local Canterbury know how is a benefit. However nothing is more important than finding someone that will do a good and efficient job. If if people you trust used your friend and in the main were impressed that should surpass using an unknown Canterbury conveyancing solicitor just because they are local.

Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Canterbury from the perspective of expediting the sale process?

  • Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Canterbury can be bypassed if you appoint lawyers as soon as you market your property and ask them to put together the leasehold documentation which will be required by the buyers’ solicitors.
  • You believe that you know the number of years left on your lease but it would be wise to verify this via your solicitors. A buyer’s conveyancer will not be happy to advise their client to where the lease term is less than 75 years. It is therefore important at an as soon as possible that you identify whether the lease term requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your property on the market for sale. Some Canterbury leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this applies to your lease, it would be prudent to place the estate agents on notice to make sure that the purchasers put in hand financial (bank) and professional references. Any bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are financially capable of paying the yearly service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the purchasers or their lawyers. Many freeholders or Management Companies in Canterbury charge for providing management packs for a leasehold premises. You or your lawyers should enquire as to the actual amount of the charges. The management information can be applied for on or before finding a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The average time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most frequent cause of frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Canterbury. If there is a history of conflict with your freeholder or managing agents it is very important that these are resolved prior to the flat being marketed. The purchasers and their solicitors will be nervous about purchasing a flat where there is a current dispute. You may need to swallow your pride and pay any arrears of service charge or settle the dispute prior to completion of the sale. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled ahead of the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You will still have to reveal details of the dispute to the buyers, but it is better to present the dispute as over as opposed to ongoing.

Canterbury Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Queries before Purchasing

    Is anyone aware of any major works anticipated that will increase the maintenance fees? What prohibitions exist in the Canterbury Lease? The best form of lease arrangement is a share of the freehold. In this scenario the lessees enjoy control and notwithstanding that a managing agent is frequently employed where it is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent retained by the leaseholders.

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Commercial Conveyancing solicitors in Canterbury regulated by the SRA

The firms listed below are a small selection of solicitors in Canterbury specialising in commercial conveyancing in Canterbury. This will likely include advice on granting a lease to a commercial tenant
  • Furley Page Llp, 39 St. Margarets Street, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 2TX
  • Beadle Pitt & Gottschalk, 1 St. Margarets Street, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 2TT
  • Gardner Croft Llp, 2 Castle Street, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 2QH
  • Direction Home (law) Llp, 31 Watling Street, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 2UD
  • Girlings Solicitors Llp, 16 Rose Lane, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 2UR

Planning law solicitors in Canterbury regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority

The solicitors listed below are a small selection of solicitors in Canterbury specialising in planning law. The solicitors can give expert legal advice on all aspects of planning, including planning applications and appeals
  • Furley Page Llp, 39 St. Margarets Street, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 2TX
  • Direction Home (law) Llp, 31 Watling Street, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 2UD

Home buying in Canterbury is a complex business, both legally and administratively. The exact order of events varies slightly, below are some of the tasks in the process.

  • Obtaining instructions from parties involved
  • Checking the title to the property
  • Conducting Canterbury property searches for the title
  • Considering the draft contract and other documentation forwarded by the owner’s solicitor
  • Raising questions with the owner’s solicitor
  • Agreeing the wording of the sale agreement
  • Analysing replies supplied by the seller to pre-exchange enquiries
  • Agreeing the wording for the Transfer Deed for completion
  • Guiding the purchasing in respect of the loan offer: (where relevant)
  • Drafting and sending the buyer a report on title (that is; summarising to the buyer on the contents of the contract pack, preliminary enquiries and the result of the searches)
  • Proceeding to exchange of contracts and then preparing for completion
  • Completing and submitting to HMRC the appropriate Land Tax forms and payment
  • Registering the change in ownership and the mortgage (where appropriate) at the HMLR.

Neighboring Locations

Whitstable
Herne Bay
Canterbury

*Source acknowledgement: House price data produced by Land Registry as well data supplied by Lexsure Ltd.

© Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of Land Registry under delegated authority from the Controller of HMSO.