You could save up to 70% on your conveyancing costs by using Compare My Move, who can match you with up to 5 verified conveyancing solicitors in the Wandsworth area. Our dedicated team ensure all potential partners undergo our strict verification process and check that they are regulated by either the SRA, CLC, LSS, CILEx or LSNI before joining us.
Your solicitor will handle all the legal aspects of your property purchase in Wandsworth. They will also responsible for organising essential searches on the home and land, which can reveal if there are any flood risks, ground stability and contaminated land concerns and the levels of radon gas.
RMNJ Conveyancing Solicitors
63 Hamilton Square, Birkenhead, CH41 5JF
RMNJ is a conveyancing solicitor firm based in Birkenhead, offering specialist conveyancing services since 1998. Accredited by the Law Society Conveyancing Quality Scheme the team have more than 50 years of experience in the conveyancing industry.
"Fantastic quote easy to use website. Havnt gone through the whole process yet to rate the completion date but hope its fast."
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."
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.
"Great experience, really ontop of things"
My Law Matters
Regus, 84 Salop Street, Wolverhampton, WV3 0SR
First established in 1986, My Law Matters are professional conveyancing solicitors regulated by the Solicitor’s Regulation Authority.
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.
"Lovely company to deal with and once my account was created correspondence was dealt with on line which made for a very smooth process."
Brevis Conveyancing Solicitors
Brevis, Kings Court, Stevenage, SG1 2NG
Brevis Conveyancing Solicitors are a firm of client-based conveyancing solicitors offering help to home movers across the UK.
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 done the research to bring you the important aspects of the conveyancing process in Wandsworth. We found that the cost of Local Authority searches (LLC1 and CON29) is £125. Flooding is a potential concern and there is a considerable risk of ground stability concerns. Radon gas levels, however, are low.
Your conveyancer will arrange for the necessary searches that can provide information about the property you are looking to buy. These can highlight concerns with regard to the home and the surrounding area.
One of the most important steps when it comes to buying a house in the UK is the local authority searches arranged by your conveyancing solicitor. These searches provide essential details of the property you are looking to buy, including information held by the local council, in this case, Wandsworth Council.
Following the searches, you will be sent reports with the findings. It is vital that you raise any concerns you have with these at the earliest possible convenience. Your 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 detail 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.
The local authority search is split into two parts - the Local Land Charges Search (LLC1) and the CON29 form. The cost for these searches will depend on the location of the property you are looking to purchase. The cost of the Local Land Charges Search (LLC1) in Wandsworth is £21 and the CON29 form is £104 (inc VAT). Additional enquiries (Con290) cost £15.
Local Land Charges Search (LLC1)
£21 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
£104 inc VAT
The CON29 provides information on matters such as local plans, highways and assets of community value.
Full Search
£125 inc VAT
LLC1 and CON29 combined
CON290 Questions
£15 inc VAT
These are the optional issues you can ask about, which would be in addition to the standard information provided.
Data from the Wandsworth Council website, correct as of March 2021.
The River Thames forms the northern boundary of the London Borough of Wandsworth. As a result, the northern part of the Borough, which includes Wandsworth town, are considered at risk of tidal flooding from the River Thames.
In addition to the Thames, the River Wandle enters Wandsworth from the south, near Summerstown. The River Graveney, a tributary of the River Wandle, defines the south-eastern boundary of Wandsworth and the Beverley Brook flows from south to north through Putney Vale, to the west of Roehampton and Putney Lower.
There are four Environment Agency Flood Warning Areas in Wandsworth for fluvial flooding from these rivers. These include the River Wandle at Wimbledon, the River Graveney at Tooting and Colliers Wood and the Beverley Brook at Wimbledon Common and Richmond Park.
Wandsworth Council reports that the borough has also experienced a number of surface water flood events and that there are 52 records of reported historic flooding from groundwater. The majority of groundwater flooding instances took place in the areas of Putney, south-east of Wandsworth Town, Balham, Battersea and Upper Tooting.
As part of the conveyancing process when buying a house, your solicitor will arrange searches that can highlight any potential flooding issues in and around the area of Wandsworth where you are looking to buy. Flooding can cause considerable damage to residential properties and it is essential that you are aware of any risks prior to purchase. You can safeguard yourself by reading the search reports thoroughly and raise any concerns you may have with your conveyancing solicitor prior to completion.
One of the most crucial parts of the searches arranged by your conveyancer is ensuring there are no ground stability concerns in the area. Ground instability can cause a host of serious problems with a property, from decreasing the value of the home to causing subsidence which can cause the house to “sink” and become unstable.
Much of Greater London has been built on “London Clay”, a type of shrinkable clay which is susceptible to changes. As a result, London is a known hotspot for ground stability issues. This is exasperated by the amount of large and high-rise buildings in a condensed area adding pressure on the ground.
According to a map created by Geobear, which identifies the UK subsidence hotspots, the borough of Wandsworth has a high amount of subsidence, most prominently in and around Battersea where the amount is higher than anywhere else in London.
It is paramount that you are aware of any ground instability issues in the area of Wandsworth you are looking to move to. The search report will be sent to you by your conveyancer will highlight any risks of subsidence and any other concerns regarding the stability of the ground around the home. This will allow you to make an educated decision on the property purchase.
Radon Gas is a colourless and odourless gas that can often go undetected in UK homes. It is formed by radioactive decay of small amounts of uranium that occurs naturally in rocks and soil throughout the UK. High levels can potentially cause a number of serious health issues, including lung cancer in non-smokers.
According to Public Health England’s heat map of Radon Gas, Wandsworth is an area with negligible evidence of Radon Gas. It is unlikely that this will be flagged as a concern on your environmental search reports. The only notable readings for the area were found in an area of Tooting.
Nevertheless, with the health risks linked to Radon Gas in mind, it is essential that you are aware of the level of radon in the area before purchasing a home. Whether it is in Tooting or closer to the centre of the borough of Wandsworth, ensure that you read your report thorough and query anything you are uncertain of with your solicitor.
Any land in the UK that contains pollution and substances which are considered harmful to human health and the wider environment, including water sources, is considered “contaminated land”. This contamination is usually caused by past industrial use or the deposition of waste such as heavy metals, oils and tars, solvents, gases, asbestos and radioactive substances.
Wandsworth Council state on their website that there has been a wide variety of potentially polluting industrial processes active across the borough. This ranges from gas works, large-scale oil storage depots and metal foundries to mills, engineering works and petrol stations.
Nevertheless, the Council reports that there are currently no entries in the public register they hold which details contaminated land sites in the borough.
Your conveyancer solicitor will arrange the necessary searches to ensure there are no risks of contaminated land in the area of Wandswords you are looking to move to. This will usually include a search of records, maps and documents relating to past land use which are held by the local authority. For Wandsworth, this would be the council. This gives you the essential information you need to make an informed decision on the property purchase.