Compare My Move can connect you with up to 5 verified conveyancing solicitors in Hackney, saving you up to 70% on your London conveyancing costs. Our dedicated team put all potential partners through our strict verification process and ensure they are regulated by either the SRA, CLC, LSS, CILEx or LSNI before joining us.
The purpose of hiring a conveyancer is to handle the legal aspects of your property purchase. Additionally, they will be responsible for arranging essential searches on the home and land. These can highlight if there are any flood risks, ground stability and contaminated land concerns and the levels of radon gas in the area of Hackney you are looking to move to.
Bishopsgate Law
99 Bishopsgate, London, EC2M 3XD
Bishops Gate Law have many years of combined experience as a team in property law. We specialise in helping you with the legal side of the purchase and sale of a house.
"Excellent service, Kunjal and Kaya were always available to help with my many questions! They always seemed on top of everything and had to do very little asking where we were at. Would definitely use again and highly recommended, they are on the more expensive side but it was worth it for the ease."
Spencer Lockwood Solicitors
Spencer Lockwood Solicitors , 16 Prescot Street, London, E1 8 AZ
Based in London, we are Spencer Lockwood Solicitors. A fully regulated licensed conveyancer, we have a wealth of knowledge in the industry.
Juno
Juno Property Lawyers Ltd, 43-51 New North Road, London, N1 6LU
Juno are a team of licensed conveyancers who will help you when you want to buy or sell a house.
"Excellent, highly recommended , professional helpful yes I would use them and recommend them to everyone I know "
Ross Coates Solicitors
Ross Coates Solicitors, Unit 5-7 Alpha Business Park, Ipswich, IP1 5LT
Ross Coates Solicitors have over 25 years providing our professional and trusted residential conveyancing service across Wales and England.
Alexander Grace Law
A G Law, 7 Kestrel Court, Burnley, BB11 5NA
Alexander Grace Law is an award-winning residential conveyancer, winning ESTAS Best Conveyancer in the North West and County in both 2018 and 2019.
"They were on top of matters. The team were always helpful and kept me informed on most issues. The only slight criticism is I found it hard sometimes to actually speak to someone on the phone which may well be a fault of mine as I am not good with online communication but we got through it."
Muve Conveyancers
Connect2law, 5 Kew Road, Richmond, TW9 2PR
Muve Conveyancers are proud to provide our expert conveyancing service across England and Wales.
"Fathima Nusra and Ann Caldera , were very helpful .There help was invaluable, they pushed and chased to get our completion on time .Thank you "
Moving Direct Property
Suffolk Enterprise Centre, Felaw Maltings, Ipswich, IP2 8SJ
Moving Direct Property can offer an expert and professional conveyancing service all across the UK. We specialise in helping with the sale of a property.
My Home Move Conveyancing
My Home Move Ltd, 5 Barton Close, Leicester, LE19 1SJ
At My Home Move Conveyancing, we understand that buying, selling and remortgaging a house can be a stressful process - that is why we provide professional conveyancing services to make the process clearer, easier and better for every client.
"The positive is that eventually I did get my place. The negatives- Very poor communication, at times I had to take matters into my own hands to get information from one side to another.- I made it very clear what we were doing on the first day, a couple of months in we had to redraft and sign some documents because they hadnt listened on day one.- Fees never given in one go. Id pay when asked and then suddenly theres another one just appeared.- I was homeless for 6-7 weeks because of how things dragged out without any transparency. This especially endangered my medical wellbeing as I couldnt sign up to a GP without a fixed address and have a lifelong chronic illness.The scariest part is that I think this might be a half decent service, so what does that say about the rest?"
Taylor Rose MW
Taylor Rose M W, 69 Carter Lane, London, EC4V 5EQ
With a 100 year heritage, Taylor Rose MW are one of the leading law firms in England and Wales.
QC Law Ltd
5th Floor, 29 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, WC2A 3EG
QC Law Ltd specialises in multiple areas of law, including conveyancing and other forms of property law. We are based in Central London and our team of conveyancing solicitors have a combined experience of over 30 years.
Ackroyd Legal
16 Prescot Street, London, E1 8AZ
Based in London, Ackroyd Legal are proud to provide their conveyancing services across the whole of the UK. Born from one of the fastest-growing, city-based law firms in recent times, brings together the best of the best.
Compare My Move have researched conveyancing in Hackney to answer any questions you may have about the process. We found that the cost of Local Authority searches (LLC1 and CON29) in the borough is £178.60. Flooding and contaminated land may be issues but Radon Gas levels appear low.
Your conveyancer will organise the searches that can provide information about the property you are looking to buy. This is a key part of the conveyancing process and can highlight concerns with regard to the home and the wider local area.
The searches organised by your conveyancer are a crucial part of buying a house in the UK. The results of these searches can provide you with useful information about the property you are looking to buy, including information held by Hackney Council.
The local authority report will highlight any restrictions or charges affecting the use of the property, such as tree preservation orders, enforcement notices, planning permissions and financial charges. It will also provide information on matters such as local plans, highways and assets of community value.
The environmental searches organised by your solicitor will review land use and any concerns regarding contamination of the land. It will also shed light on any flood risk, the level of radon gas and any issues relating to ground stability and subsidence. You must raise any concerns you have with the findings and results of the searches at the earliest possible convenience.
The local authority search is split into two parts - the Local Land Charges Search (LLC1) and the CON29 form and the fees for these searches will depend on the location of the property you are looking to purchase. In Hackney, the cost of the Local Land Charges Search (LLC1) is £43 and the CON29 form is £135.60 (inc VAT). Additional enquiries (Con290) cost £12.48 each.
Local Land Charges Search (LLC1)
£43 inc VAT
The LLC1 search informs purchasers of restrictions or charges affecting the use of the property, such as tree preservation orders, enforcement notices, planning permissions and financial charges.
Form CON29
£135.60 inc VAT
The CON29 provides information on matters such as local plans, highways and assets of community value.
LLC1 and CON29 combined
£178.60 inc VAT
LLC1 and CON29 combined.
CON290 Questions
£12.48 per question inc VAT
These are the optional issues you can ask about, which would be in addition to the standard information provided.
Data from the Hackney Council website, correct as of March 2021.
There are several sources of flooding within Hackney, which includes flooding from rivers. Although there has been no major flooding from main rivers in the region since 1947, the River Lee Flood relief channel, constructed in the 1970s, almost reached capacity in 1987, 1993, 2000 and 2013. This highlights the flood risk posed to Hackney.
Surface water flooding is also a potential concern for Hackney residents. Surface flood incidents were recorded between 1999-2009 in the low lying areas of Brownswood Road, Cazenove Road, Stamford Hill, Mare Street, Ottaway Court and Dunsmure Road.
Moreover, the council highlighted groundwater flooding incidents within Hackney which have previously have been reported in Upper Clapton, Shoreditch, Finsbury Park and Homerton. In addition, localised sewer floods have and will continue to occur in many areas of Hackney under severe weather conditions and Hackney council state that climate change is likely to make them more frequent and more severe.
When it comes to buying a house in Hackney, your solicitor will arrange searches that can highlight the potential flooding issues in and around the area you are looking to buy. As flooding can cause considerable damage to residential properties - and in some cases a threat to life - it is essential that you are aware of any flood risks before you purchase the home. You can protect both yourself and your investment by reading your search reports thoroughly and raise any concerns you may have with your conveyancer.
In addition to flood risks, a key part of the searches arranged by your conveyancer is ensuring there are no issues regarding ground stability in the area. Ground instability can cause a host of serious problems for homeowners, from decreasing the value of the home to subsidence, which can cause the house to “sink” and be unsafe to live in.
London as a whole is a known hotspot for ground stability issues. Large areas of Greater London have been built on a natural material known as “London Clay”, a type of shrinkable clay which is susceptible to changes. This is further exasperated by the considerable amount of large and high-rise buildings in a condensed area, adding pressure on the ground
According to a map created by Geobear, identifying the subsidence hotspots across the UK, subsidence is present across East London, including the borough of Hackney. It is worth noting that although it appears to be a lower risk than other areas In London such as Battersea, it can still be a concern for potential homeowners looking to move to the area.
Your search report will highlight any subsidence and other ground stability concerns in the area of Hackney you are looking to move to. This will allow you to make an informed and confident decision on the property purchase and understand any risks regarding the stability of the ground in the local area.
Formed from the radioactive decay of small amounts of uranium that occurs naturally in rocks and soil across the UK, Radon Gas can potentially cause a number of serious health issues. As it is both colourless and odourless, it can often go undetected in UK homes.
According to Public Health England’s heat map of Radon Gas, there is evidence of Radon Gas across the East London area. However, these levels are lower in Hackney, increasing very slightly towards to east of the borough.
It is essential that you thoroughly read your search reports and are aware of the levels of Radon Gas in the area of Hackney you are looking to move to. High levels can potentially cause a range of health issues, including lung cancer in non-smokers. If you have any concerns regarding the report findings, you must raise this with your conveyancing solicitor at the earliest possible convenience.
Any land that contains pollution and substances which are considered harmful to human health, water sources and the environment is considered “contaminated land”. In Hackney, the contamination of land and water is a result of current and past commercial and residential uses, redevelopment and maintenance and transport emissions. The impact of events such as the Blitz bombing during the Second World War is also a factor.
According to Hackney Council’s website, about a quarter of the borough’s land has been associated with uses that could have resulted in contamination. Like many urban areas, due to the extent that Hackney’s land has been used through the ages, most soil and much of the shallow groundwater in the borough is impacted to some extent.
As a result, it’s common to find higher levels of lead, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (a component of ash) and asbestos in soils within the borough. However, the council states that the levels of these substances may be harmful in only a small proportion of cases.
It is important to be aware of any risks from contaminated land prior to the completion of your property purchase. Your conveyancer will arrange the necessary environmental searches to check for any contaminated land in and around the area of the home you are looking to buy in Hackney. This will usually include a search of records and maps held by the local council relating to historic land use, current or previous planning activity and data about waste, landfill sites and pollution incidents within the borough.