"Amazing service. Completed on a house sale in 28 days. Great communication and got the job done."
Look no further for your residential conveyancing solicitor in Colchester
Whatever your property challenge, we can solve it.
Selling property in Colchester
Your expert conveyancing solicitor's role when selling a property in Colchester, 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 Colchester conveyancing solicitors' cost for selling a property starts from £723 INC VAT.
For Colchester 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 Colchester conveyancing solicitors' cost for buying a property starts from £723 INC VAT.
Add or remove someone from a property title in Colchester
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 Colchester conveyancing solicitors' cost for a Transfer of Equity in Colchester 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 Colchester
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 Colchester 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 Colchester starts at £569 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 Colchester starts at £333 INC VAT.
Price based on a freehold with the loan being repaid in full using savings.
Why buy a home in Colchester?
Colchester is a town and the largest settlement in Colchester Borough in Essex, 51 miles nort-east of London. It has many historical associations - it is said to be the oldest town in Britain - and used to be England's capital city in Roman times (Camulodunum). It is well-equipped in terms of shopping, cultural diversions and open spaces.
One diversion is Colchester Castle in Castle Park - a fine example of a complete Norman Castle. The Mercury Theatre in Balkerne Gate has two auditoria and hosts a number of theatrical productions by highly talented orchestrators. Castle Park is an excellent open space and a green oasis in the town centre!
Colchester General Hospital, Turner Rd, Colchester, CO4 5JL
Oaks Hospital, 120 Mile End Rd, Colchester, CO4 5XR
Essex County Hospital, Lexden Rd, Colchester, CO3 3NB
The town's main roads are the A12 (linking London to Great Yarmouth) and A120 (linking Harwich on the coast and Bishop's Stortford). Colchester Railway Station has intercity services going to London Liverpool Street, Norwich, Diss, Stowmarket, Ipswich, Manningtree, Chelmsford and Stratford.
Distance to Airports from Colchester
| Airport | Miles by car |
| Stansted | 40 miles |
| Luton | 71 miles |
| Heathrow | 82.1 miles |
Colchester Royal Grammar School, 6 Lexden Rd, Colchester, CO3 3ND
Colchester County High School for Girls, Norman Way, Colchester, CO3 3US
Colchester High School, Wellesley Road, Colchester, Essex, CO3 3HD
Residential Conveyancing Solicitors in and around Colchester
Our Colchester conveyancing solicitors can help you with your conveyance locally or in any of the surrounding areas, including Elmstead, Marks Tey, Great Bentley, Manningtree, Boxted, Hook and Wormingford.
We have many offices throughout England and Wales, so you can find a solicitor near you.
- Bury Close, Marks Tey, Colchester, Essex, CO6 1LE
- 74 London Road, Copford, Colchester, Essex, CO6 1BJ
- 36 Johnson's Drive, Elmstead Market, Colchester, Essex, CO7 7AL
- 170 Old Heath Road, Colchester, Essex, CO2 8AQ
- 21 Oakapple Close, Colchester Essex, CO2 9FS
- Colne View (house) – Lightship Way, Colchester.
Colchester Property Prices
| Average property price in Colchester | £324,539 |
| Population of Colchester | 104,390 (2001) |
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 Colchester?
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 Colchester has to offer, which are backed by a no sale no fee guarantee and the Colchester 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 Colchester 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 Colchester - speak to Colchester Borough Council to find out if you are eligible
- Discount Market Sale Colchester - check with Colchester Borough Council if they are running a DMS scheme
Colchester conveyancing solicitors
You can rest assured that you're in good hands with our Colchester Conveyancing Solicitors. They are skilled and experienced with complex property transactions from a simple purchase for a property in Colchester to a Sale and Purchase of a shared ownership property, executing a Deed of Trust simultaneously.
Are you buying or selling a short lease in Colchester?
If there are 80 years or less on the Colchester leasehold, it will be harder to mortgage. Whether you're buying or selling, you should consider extending the lease, which may be done before, during, or in some cases after the transaction.
Our specialist leasehold conveyancing solicitors have vast experience handling the extension of a short lease for the buyer or the seller in Colchester; speak to a SAM advisor for inclusive, fixed fee, conveyancing quotes for leasehold conveyancing or share of freehold conveyancing today. Property Challenges Solved.
Conveyancing FAQs: Property Lawyers Colchester
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 Colchester 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.
Colchester 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 Colchester, when choosing a good conveyancing solicitor for any property transaction.
Many factors can delay conveyancing in Colchester. 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 Colchester 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 and right to buy. Read our No Sale No Fee Policy.
What are the conveyancing costs?
Colchester 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.
