If you’re looking for a reliable and trusted conveyancer in Oxford, you’re in the right place. Compare My Move work with the best conveyancing solicitors and licensed conveyancers in Oxford. We can connect you with up to 5 conveyancers near you so you can compare and save on your conveyancing costs.
Rest assured, Compare My Move only work with professional and qualified conveyancers. They must all pass our strict verification process before coming on board, meaning all of our conveyancers and solicitors are regulated by either the SRA, CLC, LSS, LSNI or CILEx.
You will need to hire a conveyancer when you’re buying a house in Oxford. Your conveyancer will be responsible for arranging conveyancing searches that will provide you with vital information about the property and the land it was built on. Conveyancers and conveyancing solicitors will guide you through the buying process.
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."
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.
"Absolutely fantastic, the best experience weve ever had with buying or selling AND weve moved a lot!Excellent communication, personable and a fabulous team, we will use Juno again without failThank you Juno team "
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."
Attwells Solicitors LLP
Attwells Solicitors LLP, 18 North Hill, Colchester, CO1 1DZ
Attwells Solicitors are a first-class conveyancing solicitor who specialise in conveyancing for buying, selling and both.
"Amazing service, communication, highly recommend Attwells, great work Many thanks."
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.
Oasis Solicitors
Oasis Solicitors, 8 The Village, London, SE7 8UD
Oasis Solicitors are a firm of 2 partners with over 24 years of experience in the conveyancing industry between them. We treat each client and case with the same level of respect and quality to ensure the best outcome.
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.
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 has researched everything you need to know about your conveyancing in Oxford. The conveyancing process can seem daunting, so we’ve answered all the frequently answered questions. Our research shows that the cost of a Local Authority Search in Oxford is £170, according to Oxford Council’s website.
Our research also revealed that some areas in Oxford are particularly prone to flooding and there isn’t a high risk of radon gas. The city doesn’t have a high risk of subsidence either. When you’re buying a house in Oxford, your conveyancing searches will reveal any environmental or legal threats regarding the property.
Some of the conveyancing searches that your conveyancer will arrange include a Local Authority Search, Environmental Search and also a Water and Drainage Search. These enquiries will be made to a variety of different authorities and will provide you with information about the property you’re hoping to buy.
One of the larger searches is the Local Authority Search. This is a query into the local area and land where the property resides. It will often come in two parts, LLC1 and CON29 and is compulsory when applying for a mortgage. Oxford City Council has created a list of these searches on their website, pricing them accordingly.
Your conveyancer will be the one to arrange these searches but it’s worth researching their average cost beforehand to enable you to budget properly. According to the Oxford City Council’s Local Land Charges Search Fees page, the standard LLC1 form will be exempt from VAT, costing £37. Any additional enquiries will cost £28 each.
The standard CON29R form will cost prospective buyers £133, with additional parcels costing £24 each. This final cost includes VAT. In Oxford, there is also the option of requesting the separate CON29O form which is made up of further enquiries. For Enquiries 4 to 21, the price will be £17 each, whilst for Enquiry 22, the price is set at £42.
LLC1 Form
£37.00 inc VAT
This includes details of any restrictions or prohibitions on the land/property and any financial charges held against it. It is exempt from VAT.
CON29R Form
£133.00 inc VAT
This includes approximately 60 enquiries. It provides vital information such as recent statutory notices, Compulsory Purchase Orders and any building or road proposals that may impact the property.
CON29O Optional Enquiry 22 Only
£42.00 inc VAT
The CON29O is a set of optional additional questions to ask the local authority. This one includes Enquiry 22 only.
CON29O Optional Enquiries 4 to 21
£17.00 inc VAT
The CON29O is a set of optional additional questions to ask the local authority. This price is for each individual enquiry between 4-21.
Environmental Search Standard Enquiry
£82 inc VAT
This report will cover past land uses of the site, a site investigation, information on local landfills, contaminated land and any information relating to the site in general.
Local Authority Search costs taken from the Oxford City Council website, correct as of July 2020.
As the River Thames and the River Cherwell flows directly through Oxford, it is an area that is accustomed to flooding alerts. Areas such as New Botley, North Hinksey Village, Sunnymead and streets such as Norreys Avenue and Sunningwell Road, are particularly subject to flood warnings.
This high risk of flooding highlights how vital it is to have a flood risk report arranged by your conveyancer during the conveyancing process. It will help identify how at risk the property you’re interested in is and will give you an opportunity to research the city’s current defences.
When viewing the Oxfordshire Flood Map, you can see where all the main rivers flow through Oxford and where they also meet up. It’s a very helpful tool for prospective buyers as you can input the address of the property and use the key features to see if the area is within a flood zone or a flood warning area.
Many properties could potentially be affected and ultimately damaged by future flooding, whether it be from the rivers or reservoirs, and so it’s vital you do your research before purchasing the home. For further information, you can even use Friends of the Earth’s Flood Map to uncover which areas of Oxford have been most affected by historic flooding.
During the Environmental Search, your conveyancer will also arrange a ground stability report for the land your property is situated on. As a buyer, it’s important to be aware of any ground instability as it could affect the safety and value of the property.
If subsidence should occur, the foundations of a property could misalign forcing the building to possibly sink into the ground. The Environmental Search is vital for buyers as you will be warned about any current or future damage.
Fortunately, Oxford does not seem to have a high risk of subsidence. According to Geobear’s UK Subsidence Map, Oxford is not an area that contains any major risk of subsidence within its properties.
However, many homes across Oxford have been built on clay soil which is one of the most shrinkable soil types. The UK Distribution of Clay Map has labelled Oxford and many of its surrounding areas as a Hazard Level D. This means that the soil will be prone to shrinking and swelling under added pressure or during an extreme change in temperature.
It’s vital that you hire a verified and reliable conveyancer to conduct the necessary conveyancing searches as it’s information like this can save you from a poor investment.
Another factor that the Environmental Search will uncover, is the level of radon gas within the area. Radon gas is a colourless, odourless and radioactive gas that is formed by the decay of natural uranium in rocks and soils. Although it’s a natural gas that will be found in most locations, it can come with health risks when in extreme amounts.
When looking at the UK Radon Map, you can see that Oxford city does not have high levels of radon. The majority of the area has low levels of radon emissions, with some even seemingly below average. However, it is situated close to a ‘hotspot’ showing signs of extreme levels of emissions.
West Oxfordshire has severely high levels of radon gas, with areas such as Headington, Chipping Norton and Banbury being six times above the recommended levels. Headington resides within Oxford and so if you’re viewing properties within these areas, it would be wise to thoroughly discuss the search results with your conveyancer.
The Health Protection Agency has previously had to work to reduce the level of radon emissions within Oxfordshire to cut the level of exposure to its citizens. This type of radiation has been connected to an increased risk of lung cancer and so it’s vital you remain informed when viewing properties in Oxford and, in particular, West Oxfordshire.
Contaminated land is when substances, soil or pollutants are present that can cause potential harm to people, protected species or property. The conveyancing searches should uncover if the property you’re buying is built on or near contaminated land. This is an important factor to highlight as it could affect the value or safety of the property.
Examples of contaminated land include land that has previously been used as a landfill site or for mining. Oxford City Council’s Contaminated Land Register currently states that there are no sites in Oxford that have been classified as contaminated land. However, they do have a thorough Land Quality Strategy to protect and maintain the quality of the area.
If you’re still concerned that the property you’re purchasing may be on or near contaminated land, then you should read through the Environmental Search and Local Authority Search results with your conveyancer. They will provide important information on the historical and current use of land in the area surrounding the property.