Residential Property Law
Our goal is to get everything signed, sealed and the keys transferred with the minimum of fuss, stress or expense.
Buying or selling your home is often the biggest investment decision you’ll make.
Whether you’re a first-time buyer, an experienced property developer or landlord, or perhaps you’re looking to down-size, it’s important you have the right legal advice.
Moving house should be an exciting time, not stressful and fraught. We’ll work closely with you, involving you as much or as little as you’d prefer, to ensure your property sale or purchase goes smoothly and efficiently.
We speak in plain English, have wealth of conveyancing experience and extensive local knowledge, so whether you’re moving nationally or locally, you’ll be in safe hands.
Buying & Selling
We understand your requirements will be different depending on whether this is your first home, a buy-to-let investment or land you’re purchasing for development.
Perhaps you’re moving to a new area or downsizing. Within our Residential Property team, we have experience in all types of property, from flats to country estates, agricultural and equestrian land, and everything in between.
The process of moving home can be a stressful time. We understand and do all that we can to make things as smooth as possible, working within your timescales, and keeping in contact with you throughout. We aim to identify and resolve any issues at an early stage, before they become a problem.
Take a look at our helpful flowcharts for more information about what to expect – Buyers flowchart and Sellers flowchart.
Here are just some of the properties we can assist you in purchasing or selling:
- Buy-to-Let, Let-to-Buy and Investment Properties
- New builds
- Auction Sales & Purchases
- Help-to-Buy and Shared Ownership
- Farms & Agricultural Property
- Equestrian Land & Property
Conveyancing scams
Please be aware that conveyancing fraud is increasing, something we take very seriously at Dickins Hopgood Chidley.
If you’d like to know more about the steps we take to reduce the risk of payments being diverted, please get in touch. You can also read the guidance from Lloyds Bank.
Development of Estates & Plot Sales
The development of estates, and the subsequent sales of plots to new buyers, are overseen by our team of highly experienced property lawyers.
We can advise you on any issues relating to the proposals, assist with resolving any disputes or claims, and we can prepare transfers of plots including all relevant covenants and easements.
Mortgages
Whether this is a first-time mortgage, or if you’re remortgaging your home or raising finance to invest in other projects, we can help. We can deal with the legal formalities on behalf of you and your mortgage lender through to completion of your mortgage.
Equity Release & Lifetime Mortgages
A lifetime mortgage, also known as an equity release mortgage, is a loan taken out against your home. There are not usually any monthly repayments, as the interest is added to the loan amount, which becomes repayable in the event of your death, or should you leave or sell the property.
When considering this type of mortgage, it’s important that you receive full independent advice to ensure you are aware of all the terms and the way interest is added to the loan. It’s also worth noting that the earlier you take out a loan of this type, the more will have to be repaid.
Our experienced mortgage lawyers are able to meet with you at the office or at your home if it’s difficult to travel, to explain the mortgage and oversee its completion.
Land Issues including Rights of Way, Covenants & Land Agreements
Covenants are obligations put on land owners, usually when land changes hands, which bind all future owners of that land. We can prepare, complete and register deeds to ensure land is treated in a particular way.
There may come a time when such covenants are no longer desirable or necessary. In that case we can prepare the required deed of release, with all parties’ agreement.
Easements are rights given over land, for example rights of way or rights to light. Again, formal deeds for these rights or the release of them must be carefully prepared, agreed and registered at the Land Registry to ensure they are fully in effect. Our property law team can advise on these and other land-related issues.
Need help? Contact us today.
Our Residental Property Team
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“I recently used DHC solicitors for my residential property purchase. I would like to express my thanks for the service, in particular to Isaac, the solicitor who dealt with my case.
The communication and explanation were first-class, which gave me complete peace of mind that all was in safe hands. This was particularly important to me, due to being a first-time buyer.
Despite being a more detailed matter, the process was completed swiftly. Many thanks Isaac.”
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“You could not have been more helpful, and I am supremely grateful especially to you, you are kind and clear thinking and reassuring, as well as being supremely efficient …. just brilliant, thank you.”
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“Julian, thank you very much for your services. It has been a pleasure to work with you and your efficiency and permanently being ‘ahead of the game’ made the whole procedure very trouble free for us.
We have been in [our new home] for nearly a month now and are very happy with our purchase and move.
Many thanks again – we will not hesitate in recommending you.”
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“The team at DHC have been acting for us professionally and personally for 20 years and have always provided a first class service.
We would have no hesitation in recommending them.”
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“I would like to take this opportunity to express my thanks for your work on this sale, even when the situation was not so clear from the buyer’s side, you left me in no doubt that you had everything under control – thank you.
I will not hesitate to recommend you and your office should anyone ask.”
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“I have never known solicitors to be so helpful with the random queries I asked you and for responding to any questions so quickly.”
Resources – the answer could be just a click away
We have more helpful free legal advice in our fact sheets, just click to download: