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Whether you are a first-time buyer or seeking to increase your property portfolio, the experience can be equally exciting and daunting. At Stirling Ackroyd Legal, we offer expert advice on the process and can handle all your legal work for you. Whatever the property, our Solicitors are experienced in all areas including freehold, leasehold and listed properties and can assist you with your purchase.

• Leasehold Properties
• Freehold
• First-time Buyers
• Buy-to-Let
• New Build Properties

Simplifying the process

Conveyancing can be a complex and sometimes lengthy process, so we are here to keep the process as simple and stress-free as possible. We will carry out investigations into the title of your new property with the Land Registry as well as all the necessary searches on your behalf. We can also connect you with our expert teams across the firm such as consultants who can advise you about Tax and Trusts amongst other areas.

Leasehold properties

Most UK flats are sold as leaseholds, meaning that the buyer will own the property for a specified number of years, as set out in the lease. The duration of a lease can vary from 99 to 999 years, and the property can still be bought and sold during this time.

When buying a leasehold property, who is the freeholder?

The freeholder is the person or company that owns the property. The leaseholder is the person purchasing the lease. They are responsible for paying yearly ground rent to the freeholder and for any property maintenance or repairs that are required.

Freehold

Most houses in the UK are ‘freehold’ properties. This means that the owner, or freeholder, can do whatever they wish, subject to planning regulations. There are however a few exceptions, including:

• If it is a ‘listed building’
• If the property is situated within either a conservation area or an area of outstanding natural beauty
• For certain new builds, permission may be needed to restructure the property

First-time Buyers

When you are ready to buy your first property, our dedicated team are here to guide and support you through every step of the conveyancing process. Your home is likely to be the biggest purchase that you will ever make, and we understand what it means to take the first step onto the property ladder.

The Process

You can read about buying your first home on our blog.

Buy-to-Let

Whether you are purchasing your first investment property or adding to a growing portfolio, our specialist team of conveyancing experts can help.

Offering you advice and support

As well as providing advice, support and guidance on every aspect of the conveyance, we can also offer ongoing support for the future, including taxation and planning law as well as dealing with any tenancy disputes that may occasionally arise.

New Build Properties

Purchasing a new build property is not the same as purchasing a standard property. Purchasing a new build can consist of buying the property before its physical state, in other words, in an ‘off plan’ state, before the property has been built on the associated plot of land.

Customise your new home

This gives the buyer the opportunity to customize the property as they wish. When going through a mortgage, you may find that new builds offer regulations such as exchange taking place before the mortgage offer is released to the buyer.

What is a reservation fee when buying a new build property?

If you are planning to buy a new build, you will be required to pay a reservation price to secure the property and to ensure you use a conveyancer that is well informed about the ins and outs of the new build conveyancing process.

What is a reservation fee when buying a new build property?

Stirling Ackroyd Legal operate a separate new build department to ensure all regulations set by the developer are adhered to, to help you reach a smooth completion.

With over 100 years’ combined experience, you can be assured of a service that is professional, efficient and tailored to suit your individual needs.

Should you wish to know more about the services we offer, please feel free to contact our client services department via our enquiries page, or give us a call 0203 058 3365.