Moving house is consistently ranked among the most stressful things people do. Most of that stress is not the legal work itself — it is not knowing what is happening, waiting for replies that do not come, and discovering costs nobody mentioned at the start.
We do this differently. You get a fixed fee agreed before we start, a named solicitor who knows your file, and a straight answer when you call.
We are accredited under the Law Society's Conveyancing Quality Scheme, and we hold a 5.0 rating from 37 independently verified reviews.
What conveyancing actually involves
Conveyancing is the legal transfer of property ownership. It sounds administrative. In practice it is the process by which somebody checks that the thing you are spending several hundred thousand pounds on is actually what you think it is, actually belongs to the person selling it, and does not come with problems attached.
That work falls into four parts.
Investigating title. Confirming the seller owns what they claim to own, and identifying anything registered against it — rights of way, covenants restricting what you can do, shared drains, unadopted roads.
Searches. Enquiries of the local authority, water company, environmental databases and, where relevant, specialist bodies. These reveal planning applications, road schemes, contamination, flood risk, and whether the property is affected by anything nearby.
Enquiries. Questions to the seller's solicitor about anything unclear — building work without approval, boundary disputes, service charge arrears, planning conditions.
The transaction itself. Contract, exchange, mortgage funds, completion, Stamp Duty Land Tax, and registration at HM Land Registry.
Skip or rush any of it and the problems surface after you own the property, when they become yours.
What we do
Buying a property
From reviewing the contract pack through to registering you as the new owner. We carry out full searches, raise enquiries, report to you in plain English, exchange, complete and register.
Selling a property
Preparing the contract pack, answering the buyer's enquiries, liaising with your lender to redeem the mortgage, and dealing with the estate agent. Sellers often assume the work is lighter than buying. It is not — enquiries can be extensive, particularly on leasehold.
Buying and selling together
Most moves are both, in a chain. Synchronising exchange and completion on two transactions is where experience matters most, and where things most often go wrong.
→ First-time buyers → New build purchases
Remortgaging
Switching lender requires legal work: redeeming the old mortgage, registering the new charge, and satisfying the lender's requirements. Usually quicker and cheaper than a purchase.
Transfer of equity
Adding or removing someone from the title — after marriage, separation, or where a parent comes off a property. Often involves the existing lender's consent, and sometimes independent legal advice for the party giving up their interest.
Leasehold
Flats and some houses. Leasehold conveyancing is materially more involved: reviewing the lease, service charges, ground rent, the management company, and the landlord's information pack. Expect it to take longer and cost more, and be wary of anyone quoting the same fee as for a freehold house.
Declarations of trust
Where two or more people buy together in unequal shares, or where a parent contributes to a deposit. A declaration of trust records who owns what and what happens on a sale. Genuinely worth doing, and often skipped.
Buy-to-let, shared ownership and equity release
Each has its own requirements. Shared ownership in particular involves the housing association's own procedures and timetables.
The process, and how long it takes
A straightforward freehold purchase with a mortgage typically takes 8 to 14 weeks from instruction to completion. Leasehold usually takes longer — commonly 12 to 20 weeks — because of the landlord's information pack.
| Stage | What happens | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Instruction | Client care letter, ID checks, funds on account for searches | 1–3 days |
| 2. Contract pack | Seller's solicitor sends contract, title, and property forms | 1–2 weeks |
| 3. Searches | Local authority, drainage, environmental, plus any specialist searches | 1–4 weeks |
| 4. Enquiries | Questions raised and answered | 2–4 weeks |
| 5. Report to you | We explain what we found and what it means | 2–3 days |
| 6. Mortgage | Offer received, conditions checked, funds requested | Alongside 3–4 |
| 7. Exchange | Contracts exchanged, deposit paid, completion date fixed | Once all parties ready |
| 8. Completion | Funds transferred, keys released | Usually 1–2 weeks after exchange |
| 9. Post-completion | SDLT return filed, Land Registry registration | Filing within |
The honest version: these timescales assume everybody in the chain is responsive. In reality, the slowest party sets the pace. We will always tell you where the delay actually sits — including when it is at our end.
What we charge
Fixed fees, agreed in writing before we start.
| Transaction | Legal fee from | VAT | Total from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freehold purchase | Fixed Fee — please contact us for a quote | Fixed Fee — please contact us for a quote | Fixed Fee — please contact us for a quote |
| Freehold sale | Fixed Fee — please contact us for a quote | Fixed Fee — please contact us for a quote | Fixed Fee — please contact us for a quote |
| Leasehold purchase | Fixed Fee — please contact us for a quote | Fixed Fee — please contact us for a quote | Fixed Fee — please contact us for a quote |
| Leasehold sale | Fixed Fee — please contact us for a quote | Fixed Fee — please contact us for a quote | Fixed Fee — please contact us for a quote |
| Remortgage | Fixed Fee — please contact us for a quote | Fixed Fee — please contact us for a quote | Fixed Fee — please contact us for a quote |
| Transfer of equity | Fixed Fee — please contact us for a quote | Fixed Fee — please contact us for a quote | Fixed Fee — please contact us for a quote |
Disbursements — searches, Land Registry fees, Stamp Duty — are additional and set by third parties.
→ Full pricing, including every disbursement → Get a quote for your transaction
Why clients choose us
CQS accredited. The Law Society's Conveyancing Quality Scheme is the recognised standard for residential conveyancing practice. Most major lenders require it.
A named solicitor. You deal with the same person throughout, and you can reach them. Our reviews return to this point repeatedly.
Fixed fees, genuinely fixed. The figure we quote is the figure you pay, unless the transaction changes materially — and if that happens we tell you at the time, not on the completion statement.
We are local, and we act nationally. Our office is in Maidenhead town centre. We act for clients across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and beyond.
We answer the phone. Unglamorous, but it is the single most common thing clients say they valued.
Areas we cover
Our office is at 47 High Street, Maidenhead. We act for clients throughout England and Wales, with particular concentration across:
Berkshire — Maidenhead, Reading, Windsor, Slough, Bracknell, Wokingham, Ascot, Twyford, Sunninghill Buckinghamshire — High Wycombe, Marlow, Beaconsfield, Gerrards Cross, Bourne End, Amersham Oxfordshire — Henley-on-Thames and surrounding villages
→ Conveyancing in Reading · Maidenhead · Slough · Windsor · Bracknell · High Wycombe · Wokingham
Frequently asked questions
How long does conveyancing take? Eight to fourteen weeks is typical for a freehold purchase, twelve to twenty for leasehold. Chains, mortgage delays and slow responses from other parties are the usual causes of extension.
When should I instruct a conveyancer? As soon as your offer is accepted — earlier if you can. Instructing before you find a property lets us complete ID checks in advance, which can save a week at the start.
Do I need a solicitor, or will a licensed conveyancer do? Either can handle the transaction. A solicitor can also advise on related matters — a declaration of trust, a will to reflect your new circumstances, independent legal advice for a family member. If your situation has any complexity beyond the purchase itself, a solicitor is usually the more practical choice.
Can I use an online conveyancer instead? You can, and they are often cheaper. The trade-off is usually a call centre rather than a named person, and case handlers who may not be qualified solicitors. If your transaction is straightforward and you are comfortable with that, it may suit you. If anything is unusual, or you want to speak to the person handling your file, it generally does not.
What are searches, and do I have to have them? Searches are enquiries of the local authority, water company and environmental databases. If you are buying with a mortgage your lender will require them. If you are a cash buyer you can technically decline, but we would strongly advise against it — searches routinely reveal things no survey would find.
What is the difference between exchange and completion? At exchange, contracts become legally binding and the completion date is fixed. Pulling out after exchange means losing your deposit. At completion, the money moves and you get the keys. There is usually one to two weeks between them, though same-day exchange and completion is possible.
Why is leasehold more expensive? Because there is significantly more work — reviewing the lease, checking service charges and ground rent, dealing with the freeholder or managing agent, and obtaining the landlord's information pack. There are also additional disbursements payable to the landlord.
What happens if the sale falls through? Before exchange, either party can withdraw. You will still be liable for work done and disbursements already incurred — searches in particular are non-refundable. We will always tell you what has been spent.
Internal links out: all conveyancing spokes · /independent-legal-advice/ · /wills-probate/will-writing/ · /contact