"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 Rochester
Whatever your property challenge, we can solve it.
Selling property in Rochester
Your expert conveyancing solicitor's role when selling a property in Rochester, 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 Rochester conveyancing solicitors' cost for selling a property starts from £723 INC VAT.
For Rochester 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 Rochester conveyancing solicitors' cost for buying a property starts from £723 INC VAT.
Add or remove someone from a property title in Rochester
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 Rochester conveyancing solicitors' cost for a Transfer of Equity in Rochester 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 Rochester
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 Rochester 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 Rochester 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 Rochester starts at £333 INC VAT.
Price based on a freehold with the loan being repaid in full using savings.
Why buy a home in Rochester?
Rochester is a historic city - it has a beautiful cathedral - and town in the Medway unitary authority in Kent, in South East England and is around 29 miles south-east of Central London. It is the location of the King's School, the second oldest continuously running school in the world. In addition to the cathedral, other landmarks include Rochester Castle and Gashouse Point.
St. Bartholomews Hospital, New Rd, Rochester, Kent, ME1 1DS
Spire Alexandra Hospital, Impton Lane, Chatham, Kent, ME5 9PG
Maidstone Hospital, Hermitage Lane, Maidstone, Kent, ME16 9QQ
Rochester is on the A2/M2, which links London and Dover, and Rochester Station has trains going to London Victoria, London St Pancras International, London Charing Cross, Ramsgate, Faversham and Dover Priory.
Distance to Airports from Rochester
| Airport | Miles by car |
| Gatwick | 43.7 miles |
| Heathrow | 47.5 miles |
| Stansted | 50.8 miles |
Rochester Grammar School, Maidstone Road, Rochester, ME1 3BY
Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School, Maidstone Road, Rochester, ME1 3EL
The Thomas Aveling School, Arethusa Road, Rochester, ME1 2UW
Residential Conveyancing Solicitors in and around Rochester
Our Rochester conveyancing solicitors can help you with your conveyance locally or in any of the surrounding areas, including London, Gillingham, Gravesend, Maidstone, Bearsted, Sittingbourne and Dartford.
We have many offices throughout England and Wales, so you can find a solicitor near you.
- Exeter Walk, Rochester, Medway, ME1 2XF
- 120 High St, Rochester ME1 1JT
- 7 Beatty Road, Town Centre, Rochester ME1 2TG
- 60 The Fairway, Rochester ME1 2LU
- 31 North St, Rochester ME2 4SL
- Kensington Mid (terraced house) – Temple Wharf, Roman Way, Strood, Rochester, ME2.
Marketed by Redrow Homes.
Rochester Property Prices
| Average property price in Rochester | £325,264 |
| Population of Rochester | ?27,000 (2001) |
Local conveyancing solicitor
Are online licensed conveyancing solicitors better than property lawyers near me?
Before the internet, finding licensed conveyancing solicitors in Rochester would have meant to consult your local phone book or just to take a walk down your local high street to find your conveyancer near me.
Before modern ID checking processes your local conveyancing solicitors would need to meet with you to confirm who you were as part of their money laundering and 'Know Your Client' checks. Solicitors previously used to use this time to talk through the transaction with you in person - a part of the service that was reflected within their conveyancing solicitors fees. Nowadays, the legal process can be completed without face to face meetings, using online ID checks and new ID process.
Although local knowledge becomes critical when choosing your RICS surveyor for a home buyers survey, your solicitor in all cases, whether they're a 'conveyancing solicitor near me' or based 200 miles away will carry out their work by processing documents and forms, virtually all of which can be obtained and/or transmitted electronically.
There is no need for them to be based locally and you'll usually find that conveyancer near me will charge extra for business conducted 'in person' - such as ID checking - and that their time is better spent focusing on the paperwork. We welcome queries from our clients and act as the vital link between you and your solicitor which means you're kept in the loop and your solicitor is fully engaged in getting your move completed as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Why choose SAM Conveyancing Solicitors in Rochester?
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 Rochester has to offer, which are backed by a no sale no fee guarantee and the Rochester 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 Rochester 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 Rochester - speak to Medway Council to find out if you are eligible
- Discount Market Sale Rochester - check with Medway Council if they are running a DMS scheme
Rochester conveyancing solicitors
You can rest assured that you're in good hands with our Rochester Conveyancing Solicitors. They are skilled and experienced with complex property transactions from a simple purchase for a property in Rochester 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 Rochester 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 Rochester 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 Rochester
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 Rochester 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.
Rochester 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 Rochester, when choosing a good conveyancing solicitor for any property transaction.
Many factors can delay conveyancing in Rochester. 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 Rochester 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.
Kent, romantically described as 'the garden of England', is a coastal county in England's south-eastern corner. Because it borders Greater London, it is classed as one of the home counties. It contains the Weald and the North Downs.
Kent's county town is Maidstone. Other large cities include Gillingham, Chatham, Ashford, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Margate, Dartford and Gravesend.
Kent has many port towns including Dover, Folkestone and Margate. Adjacent counties include East Sussex, Surrey, Essex (across the River Thames) and, as stated earlier, Greater London. Curiously, Kent used to contain an enclave north of the River Thames until 1965, which equates now to the E16 postcode area and which has been reclassified as part of the London Borough of Newham. JMW Turner, the great impressionist painter, spent part of his childhood in Margate and regularly returned there in later life. The coastline of East Kent is regarded as the inspiration for many of his works, particularly his fantastic seascapes.
**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?
Rochester 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
When do you pay your estate agent's fees?
When you sell your home using an estate agent, you normally become liable to pay fees to them when they've introduced a buyer who exchanges contracts for buying your property.
The agent's commission is normally settled on the day of completion and the standard practice is to deduct it from the net proceeds of your house sale. Your solicitor will organise this payment on your behalf.
