TRW & Co · Real Estate & Construction
Residential Property and Conveyancing Solicitors in London
Conveyancing solicitors in London manage the legal side of buying, selling and remortgaging homes: title, searches, contracts, mortgages, Stamp Duty Land Tax and Land Registry registration. In 2026 the work also means checking leasehold reform, building safety protections and the Renters' Rights Act, and tracing overseas funds carefully, because those issues now decide whether a London sale completes on time.
Key pointIn London the deal-breakers are rarely the price: they are a short lease, an unevidenced building safety position, an SDLT surcharge nobody flagged, or overseas funds that cannot be traced, and all four can be identified before an offer is accepted.
At a glance
SDLT top rate 12%
Residential SDLT in England runs from 0% up to 12% on the portion above £1.5 million, with first-time buyer relief unavailable on purchases above £500,000.
Surcharges can stack
Buyers of additional homes pay an extra 5%, and non-UK residents pay a further 2%, so an overseas investor can pay well above the headline rates.
Fourteen-day SDLT deadline
The SDLT return must be filed and the tax paid within 14 days of completion, with penalties and interest for late filing or payment.
Section 21 abolished
From 1 May 2026 the Renters' Rights Act 2025 ended no-fault evictions in England, changing the risk profile of buying a tenanted home.
Safety protections need evidence
Qualifying leaseholders in buildings over 11 metres are protected from cladding costs, but buyers should see the deeds of certificate before exchange.
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What conveyancing solicitors in London handle
Conveyancing solicitors in London handle the legal transfer of homes: buying, selling, remortgaging, transferring equity between spouses or family members, and buying new-build or off-plan flats. The work covers title, searches, the contract, the mortgage, Stamp Duty Land Tax and registration at HM Land Registry, and it runs to deadlines set by chains, lenders and tax rules.
London transactions carry extra layers. Most flats are leasehold, many buildings are over 11 metres and raise building safety questions, prices often reach the upper SDLT bands, and a high proportion of buyers are overseas, use companies or rely on family money from abroad. Each of those features adds legal steps that a volume, form-filling service can miss.
We act for owner-occupiers, investors, families buying for children, and overseas buyers. Where a purchase forms part of wider estate or family planning, we work with our private client and wills and estate planning teams so that ownership structure and succession are dealt with at the outset rather than after completion.
The legal framework for buying and selling homes
Residential conveyancing in England and Wales is governed by land law statutes, tax law, anti-money laundering rules and the requirements of mortgage lenders. Scotland has a different system of missives, registration and tax, and Northern Ireland has its own land registry, so this page focuses on England and Wales.
Title and registration
The Land Registration Act 2002 governs registered land. The buyer becomes the legal owner only when HM Land Registry registers the transfer, so the period between completion and registration is protected by an official search with priority. Unregistered land, still found in older London family holdings, needs a first registration and closer examination of the deeds.
Stamp Duty Land Tax
Purchases in England pay Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT); Wales has Land Transaction Tax and Scotland has Land and Buildings Transaction Tax. The SDLT return must be filed, and the tax paid, within 14 days of completion. Current residential rates, as published on GOV.UK, are:
| Portion of the price or rule | Rate or effect |
|---|---|
| Up to £125,000 | 0% |
| £125,001 to £250,000 | 2% |
| £250,001 to £925,000 | 5% |
| £925,001 to £1.5 million | 10% |
| Above £1.5 million | 12% |
| First-time buyer relief | 0% on the first £300,000 and 5% from £300,001 to £500,000; not available above £500,000 |
| Additional dwellings | Extra 5% on each band where the buyer will own more than one residential property |
| Non-UK resident buyers | Extra 2%; broadly, a buyer is non-resident if not in the UK for at least 183 days in the 12 months before the purchase |
The surcharges stack, so an overseas company or an overseas investor buying a second home can pay substantially more than the headline rate. Our article on Stamp Duty Land Tax explains reliefs, linked transactions and refunds of the higher rates when a previous main residence is sold.
Leasehold and building safety rules
Most London flats are held on long leases. The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 is being brought into force in stages, and several of its valuation and lease extension changes still await regulations. The Building Safety Act 2022 protects qualifying leaseholders in buildings over 11 metres or five storeys from paying for cladding remediation and caps other historic safety costs, but only if the protections are properly evidenced on a sale. Our building safety team advises where a building has known defects.
Anti-money laundering and consumer rules
Solicitors must verify the identity of clients and the source of funds under the Money Laundering Regulations 2017, and the Solicitors Regulation Authority supervises compliance. Estate agents must give buyers material information about a property; national Trading Standards guidance on this was withdrawn in 2025 when consumer protection law moved to the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, but omitting material information can still be an unfair commercial practice.
Key decisions for buyers and sellers
Good conveyancing solicitors in London raise the decisions that cost money if left to the last minute. The most important are below.
How to hold the property
Joint buyers choose between holding as joint tenants, where the survivor takes the whole, and as tenants in common, where each share passes under that owner's will. Unmarried couples and buyers using unequal deposits should record their shares in a declaration of trust. Parents helping a child buy should decide whether money is a gift or a loan, because lenders, tax and any later divorce will all turn on the answer.
Personal name, company or trust
Buying through a company can suit some investors but brings higher SDLT, annual tax charges for higher-value dwellings held by companies, and lender restrictions. Overseas companies must also register on the Register of Overseas Entities before HM Land Registry will register them as owner. Tax advice should be taken before an offer is accepted, not after exchange.
Freehold house, leasehold flat or share of freehold
For flats, the length of the remaining lease, the ground rent, the service charge record and the building's safety status matter as much as the price. Leases with less than about 80 years remaining become markedly more expensive to extend, and many lenders impose minimum unexpired terms. Our lease extension team can serve a statutory notice so that the right to an extension passes to the buyer.
Buying with tenants in place
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 abolished section 21 "no-fault" evictions in England from 1 May 2026 and converted most private tenancies to periodic tenancies. A buyer of a tenanted home, or a landlord planning to sell, now needs to understand the new possession grounds before relying on vacant possession. Our article on the Renters' Rights Act covers the changes.
In London conveyancing, the expensive mistakes are usually decisions about ownership, tax and lease terms that nobody raised before exchange.
The conveyancing process step by step
Timescales depend on the chain, the lender and whether the property is leasehold. Leasehold flats usually take longer because information must come from the landlord or managing agent.
- Instruction and checks. We confirm identity, source of funds and source of wealth, and agree the scope of work. Delays here are common when funds come from abroad, so start early.
- Contract pack. The seller's solicitor issues the draft contract, title documents and property information forms, and for leasehold property the lease and the landlord's management information.
- Searches and enquiries. The buyer's solicitor orders local authority, drainage and water, environmental and other searches, and raises enquiries on title, planning, building regulations, service charges and safety.
- Mortgage and report. The lender issues its offer and instructs us on its requirements. We report to the buyer on title, the lease, searches and any risks before they commit.
- Exchange of contracts. The deposit is paid and both sides become legally bound, with a fixed completion date. Buildings insurance is usually the buyer's responsibility from exchange.
- Completion. The balance is sent, the seller's mortgage is redeemed and keys are released.
- Post-completion. We file the SDLT return and pay the tax within 14 days, serve any notices required by the lease, and apply to register the buyer at HM Land Registry.
Payment fraud targets conveyancing transactions. We never change our bank details by email. Before sending any money, confirm our account details by telephone on a number you already have, and treat any message asking you to pay a different account as fraudulent until proven otherwise.
Documents and information to prepare
Sellers can save weeks by preparing early. Buyers should have funds and identity documents ready before an offer is accepted. Conveyancing solicitors in London typically ask for:
- Passports or other photo identification, proof of address and, for companies, constitutional documents and details of beneficial owners.
- Evidence of the source of the deposit and the purchase funds, such as bank statements, sale proceeds, gift letters and, for overseas money, evidence of how it was earned and transferred.
- For sellers: title deeds if unregistered, completed property information and fittings and contents forms, guarantees, and planning and building regulation documents for works carried out.
- For leasehold sellers: the lease, recent service charge accounts, ground rent demands and the managing agent's details, plus the building safety documents and any leaseholder deed of certificate.
- Mortgage details, including the redemption figure for any existing loan.
- For buyers using a power of attorney: the original or certified copy, properly executed in line with HM Land Registry requirements.
Risks and common mistakes
These are the problems that most often cause delay, extra cost or a failed transaction.
Missing the SDLT deadline or paying the wrong rate
The return and payment are due within 14 days of completion, and penalties and interest run if they are late. Mistakes in claiming first-time buyer relief, or in applying the higher rates for additional dwellings or the non-resident surcharge, can lead to enquiries and back-tax. Residence for the non-resident surcharge is tested over the 12 months before purchase, so buyers who have recently arrived in or left the UK should get advice before exchange. Where the higher rates are paid on a replacement main residence, there are time limits for claiming a refund once the old home is sold.
Buying a flat with an unresolved building safety problem
Flats in buildings with cladding or other fire safety defects can be difficult to mortgage and resell. The Building Safety Act 2022 shields qualifying leaseholders from cladding costs and caps other costs, but the protection depends on the leaseholder deed of certificate and the landlord's certificate being in place. Buyers should see the external wall assessment, the remediation plan and the deeds before exchange, and should check whether the lender is willing to proceed. A Remediation Bill introduced in October 2026 may add new duties on building owners.
Ignoring a short lease
A lease with a short remaining term can be hard to mortgage and expensive to extend. Under the current rules, the premium rises once the term drops below 80 years because of marriage value, although the 2024 Act will remove marriage value once valuation regulations are made. A seller can serve a statutory lease extension notice and assign the benefit to the buyer on completion, so the buyer does not need to wait to qualify. The two-year ownership requirement was removed on 31 January 2025, so a new buyer can also start the process straight away.
Not documenting family money
Lenders, solicitors and HMRC all need to understand where purchase money comes from. Undocumented gifts can delay exchange, and a "gift" that is really a loan may need to be disclosed to the lender. Family members who contribute without being on the title may claim a beneficial interest later, which can cause problems on divorce, death or sale. A declaration of trust, a loan agreement or a gift letter, as appropriate, avoids that uncertainty and supports the anti-money laundering file.
Exchanging before the chain is secure
Exchange makes the contract binding. A buyer who exchanges before their own sale is secure risks owning two properties or forfeiting the deposit; a seller who agrees a long gap between exchange and completion carries the risk of the buyer failing to complete. Agree completion dates, deposit arrangements and any bridging finance before exchange, and make sure insurance is in place from the moment the contract becomes binding.
New-build and off-plan purchases
New-build flats are a large part of the London market, and they raise issues that resale purchases do not. Conveyancing solicitors in London acting on off-plan purchases focus on the developer's contract as much as on title, because the buyer is committing to a building that does not yet exist.
Key points to check include the longstop date by which the developer must complete, the buyer's rights if it does not, how much the specification and floor area can change, and whether the deposit is protected while construction continues. Buyers should also confirm that the new home warranty is in place, that the lease and estate management arrangements are reasonable, and that the service charge budget is realistic rather than artificially low to support sales.
For higher-risk residential buildings of 18 metres or more, or seven or more storeys, the developer needs building control approval from the Building Safety Regulator and the building must be registered before people live in it. Delays at these regulatory gateways can push back completion, so mortgage offers, which have expiry dates, and any sale of the buyer's existing home should be planned around a realistic programme rather than the marketing date.
Conveyancing solicitors in London will also check the planning permission and section 106 agreement, because obligations such as affordable housing occupancy restrictions or car-free covenants can bind individual flats.
Overseas buyers, Bangladesh and the wider world
London attracts buyers from Bangladesh, the Gulf, Singapore, China and the EU, and many British Bangladeshi families buy or sell property in both countries. Cross-border purchases raise questions that domestic conveyancing does not.
Source-of-funds checks must trace money through foreign accounts. Bangladesh restricts outward remittances by residents under its foreign exchange regulations, so funds coming from Bangladesh need a lawful, documented route; funds from the Gulf or Singapore usually need payslips, sale contracts or company records to show how they were earned. We plan this evidence before the buyer makes an offer.
Non-resident buyers usually pay the 2% SDLT surcharge and may also face the additional dwellings rate. Overseas companies must register on the Register of Overseas Entities at Companies House. Documents signed abroad, including powers of attorney and transfers, must meet English execution and witnessing rules; where a foreign notary is involved, we check the formalities in advance.
The reverse flow matters too. Our Bangladesh property team acts for UK residents buying, inheriting or selling land in Bangladesh, and can coordinate both sides where proceeds from one sale fund the other.
How TRW & Co's conveyancing solicitors in London help
Our conveyancing solicitors in London combine residential transaction work with tax, private client and cross-border advice from the same firm. We do not promise completion dates we cannot control, but we identify the issues that cause delay at the start.
Purchases and sales
Freehold houses, leasehold flats, new-build and off-plan purchases, with a clear written report on title, lease, searches and risks before you exchange.
Leasehold and building safety
Lease reviews, service charge and ground rent analysis, building safety certificates and lease extensions alongside the sale or purchase.
SDLT and structuring
Checking the correct SDLT rate and reliefs, handling the return within the 14-day window, and coordinating with tax advisers on company, trust or family ownership.
Remortgages and transfers of equity
Remortgages, adding or removing a co-owner, declarations of trust, and property transfers on separation or within families.
Overseas and expatriate clients
Remote identification, source-of-funds planning, powers of attorney, Register of Overseas Entities filings and coordination with advisers in Bangladesh, the Gulf and Asia.
Buy-to-let and tenanted property
Purchases and sales with tenants in place, advice on the Renters' Rights Act 2025 and coordination with our landlord and tenant team on possession.
For disputes over tenancies or service charges, see our landlord and tenant practice. You can also check who owns a property using our guide, or browse all our practices.
Checklist before you exchange
Whether you instruct us or other conveyancing solicitors in London, make sure you can answer yes to each of these before you become legally bound.
- Have you received and read a written report on title, searches and, for flats, the lease?
- Do you know the remaining lease term, the ground rent and the service charge history, and whether a lease extension is needed?
- Has the building's safety position been checked, including any leaseholder deed of certificate?
- Is the SDLT rate confirmed, including any first-time buyer relief or surcharges?
- Is the source of all funds documented and the mortgage offer unconditional on anything still outstanding?
- Have you decided how to hold the property, and signed any declaration of trust?
- Is buildings insurance arranged from exchange where you are responsible for it?
- If you are overseas or buying through a company, are registrations and signing formalities ready?
To discuss a purchase or sale, contact our London office at Holborn Gate, 330 High Holborn, London WC1V 7QH, email info@trw.co or call +880 1779 127165.
Frequently asked questions
01How long does conveyancing take in London?
It depends on the chain, the lender and the type of property. Freehold houses with straightforward titles move faster than leasehold flats, where information must come from the landlord or managing agent and building safety documents must be checked. Overseas funds, unregistered land, probate sales and new-build purchases add time. The most effective way to shorten the process is to complete identity and source-of-funds checks before an offer is accepted and, for sellers, to prepare the contract pack and leasehold information early.
02Why do conveyancing solicitors in London ask so many questions about my money?
Solicitors are required by the Money Laundering Regulations 2017 to verify your identity and understand the source of the funds used to buy property, and the Solicitors Regulation Authority checks that firms do this properly. Lenders have similar requirements. We will ask for bank statements, evidence of savings, sale proceeds or gifts, and, for funds from abroad, evidence of how the money was earned and moved. Providing this early avoids last-minute delays before exchange.
03Do I pay the non-resident SDLT surcharge?
Buyers of residential property in England or Northern Ireland pay an extra 2% if they are not UK resident for SDLT purposes. Broadly, you are treated as non-resident if you were not present in the UK for at least 183 days in the 12 months before the purchase. Joint purchases, companies and trusts have their own rules, and the surcharge can sit on top of the 5% higher rates for additional dwellings. Take advice before exchange, because the residence test looks back over the previous year.
04What should I check before buying a leasehold flat?
Check the remaining lease term, ground rent and how it can increase, the service charge budget and accounts, any major works planned, the building's insurance, restrictions on letting or alterations, and the building safety position, including any external wall assessment and leaseholder deed of certificate. Leases with less than about 80 years left are more expensive to extend under the current rules. Your solicitor should report on all of these before you exchange contracts.
05Can I buy a London property from Bangladesh or the Gulf without travelling?
Yes. Identity checks can be carried out remotely, and documents can be signed abroad provided they meet English execution and witnessing requirements. Many overseas buyers appoint an attorney in the UK using a power of attorney that complies with HM Land Registry rules. The main practical issue is usually evidencing the source of funds and moving money lawfully, particularly from Bangladesh, where outward remittances are restricted. We plan these steps before the offer stage.
06What changes after the Renters' Rights Act if I buy a tenanted property?
From 1 May 2026, landlords in England can no longer use section 21 no-fault notices, and most private tenancies become periodic. A buyer who wants vacant possession must rely on a statutory ground, such as the landlord's intention to sell or to move in, subject to notice periods and restrictions. Before exchange, check the tenancy terms, deposit protection, compliance certificates and any rent arrears, and make sure the contract reflects whether the sale is with or without tenants.
07Is conveyancing different in Scotland?
Yes. Scotland uses a separate system in which the contract is formed through an exchange of missives, ownership is registered in the Land Register of Scotland, and Land and Buildings Transaction Tax replaces SDLT. Wales uses the same land law as England but has its own Land Transaction Tax. Northern Ireland has its own land registry and some distinct procedures, although SDLT applies there. A Scottish purchase needs a Scottish solicitor, and we can coordinate where a client is buying in more than one part of the UK.
Sources and official materials
- Stamp Duty Land Tax: residential property rates — Current SDLT bands, first-time buyer relief and surcharges
- Land Registration Act 2002 — Registration of title in England and Wales
- HM Land Registry — Registration, searches and practice guides
- Renters' Rights Act 2025 — Private tenancy reforms in England from 1 May 2026
- Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 — Leasehold reforms being commenced in stages
- Leaseholder protections on building safety costs: FAQs — Who qualifies and the caps on non-cladding costs
- Register an overseas entity — Companies House rules for overseas buyers of UK land
- How to buy a home — Government guide to the home buying process
General information only, current as at 21 October 2026. It is not legal advice and does not create a solicitor–client relationship. It reflects the law of England and Wales unless stated otherwise; Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate legal systems, and the law changes frequently. Check current official sources and take advice on the facts of your matter.