Property Purchase Solicitors in London
New builds, chains, first homes and land: fixed-fee legal help from accepted offer to registered ownership.
Buying a Home in London With Adam Bernard Solicitors
Adam Bernard Solicitors are property purchase solicitors in London who handle the legal side of buying a home, from accepted offer to registered ownership. We act on new builds, chain purchases, first homes, auction lots, repossessions and residential land, from offices in High Holborn (WC1) and Upton Park (E6). Our residential team is SRA-regulated and accredited under the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme, and every quote is fixed and given in writing before you instruct us.
Selling as well? Our property sale solicitors run both sides together so your sale and purchase exchange and complete on the same day.
Call 0207 100 2525 (24/7) or book a consultation by phone, Zoom, Teams, WhatsApp or Skype.
What Does a Property Purchase Solicitor Do?
A property purchase solicitor checks the legal title, runs the searches, negotiates the contract, exchanges and completes, then pays your Stamp Duty Land Tax and registers you as owner at HM Land Registry. In practice that means:
- reviewing the seller’s contract pack, title and title plan
- ordering local authority, drainage and environmental searches
- raising enquiries and reviewing the seller’s replies
- meeting your mortgage lender’s requirements
- reporting to you in writing before you commit
- exchanging contracts and holding your deposit
- sending funds on completion day
- filing your SDLT return and registering your ownership
GOV.UK sets out the same stages in its guide to transferring ownership (conveyancing). For a wider view of how we handle sales, remortgages and transfers, see our conveyancing solicitors in London.
New Build Conveyancing Solicitors in Holborn, Westminster and East London
Buying off-plan or a new build in London means working to the developer’s deadlines, usually exchange within 21 to 28 days of reservation, with a contract written in the developer’s favour. Our High Holborn team acts for buyers on developments across Westminster, the City, Camden and Southwark, and our Upton Park team covers Stratford, the Royal Docks and Barking Riverside.
On a new build purchase we:
- check the reservation agreement, reservation fee and exchange deadline before you pay
- review the long-stop date, so you can withdraw and recover your deposit if the build is badly delayed
- confirm the build warranty your lender needs (for example NHBC or an equivalent)
- check planning consent, building regulations sign-off and estate roads and sewers agreements
- review service charges, estate management charges and, on leasehold flats, the lease length and ground rent
- explain the notice-to-complete clause, which can give you as little as 10 working days to complete once the home is finished
New long residential leases granted since 30 June 2022 should carry no ground rent beyond a peppercorn. If a developer’s lease says otherwise, we raise it before exchange. GOV.UK explains the basics of buying a leasehold property.
Our Property Purchase Services
First-time buyer solicitors in London
First-time buyers in England pay no Stamp Duty on the first £300,000 of a home costing £500,000 or less. We claim this relief for you on the SDLT return and explain every document in plain English. We also advise on government-backed routes that are open now:
- First Homes scheme: 30% to 50% off market value for eligible first-time buyers; the household income cap is £90,000 in London
- Shared ownership: buy a share and pay rent on the rest (see our shared ownership purchase service)
- Lifetime ISA: up to £4,000 a year with a 25% government bonus; we handle the withdrawal paperwork with your ISA provider
The old Help to Buy ISA is closed to new savers. For the latest deposit schemes, read our guide to the Your First Home scheme.
Buying with a mortgage or as a cash buyer
We act for your lender as well as for you, which keeps costs and delays down. Check whether we are on your bank’s panel on our lender panels page. Buying with a partner or family member’s help? A lender may require independent legal advice for anyone contributing funds.
Auction property solicitors
At a property auction, contracts exchange when the hammer falls and completion is usually due within 20 to 28 days. Instruct us before you bid. We review the auction legal pack, special conditions, title and searches, and tell you about any extra fees, defects or covenants before you commit.
Repossession purchases
Lenders and receivers sell repossessed homes with little information and fixed timetables. We review what title information exists, explain the gaps and the insurance options, and move quickly to meet the seller’s completion date.
Land purchase solicitors (residential land and building plots)
Buying land or a self-build plot needs more checks than buying a house: access, boundaries, planning, services and overage. We confirm legal access to a public road, rights for drainage and utilities, restrictive covenants, any overage or clawback clause, and whether planning permission runs with the land. Bare land with no dwelling can fall under the non-residential SDLT rates. Buying development or commercial land? Our commercial property sales and purchases team handles that.
Looking for a lawyer to draft a business purchase agreement rather than buy property? See sale and purchase contracts.
Buying in a Property Chain
A property chain is a line of linked sales where each purchase depends on the one below it, so one delay holds up everyone. As your property chain solicitor in London, we keep the chain moving by chasing other parties’ solicitors daily, ordering searches on day one, and agreeing a single exchange and completion date across the chain.
If you are selling one home and buying another, timing matters for tax. You usually pay an extra 5% SDLT if you own two homes at the end of completion day. If you then sell your old main home within 36 months, you can claim that surcharge back, according to HMRC’s guidance on buying an additional residential property. We line up simultaneous exchange and completion so you avoid the surcharge where possible.
The Purchase Process in Five Stages
Most chain-free London purchases complete in 8 to 12 weeks; the national average is around 120 days from offer to completion, according to MHCLG.
- Instruction (day 1): fixed-fee quote, ID and anti-money laundering checks, source-of-funds evidence.
- Contract pack and searches (weeks 1 to 4): we receive the draft contract and title and order searches.
- Enquiries and mortgage (weeks 2 to 8): we raise enquiries, review replies and meet your lender’s conditions.
- Report and exchange (weeks 6 to 10): you get our written report, sign, pay your deposit (usually 10%), and we exchange. From exchange, the purchase is legally binding.
- Completion and registration (weeks 8 to 12): funds go to the seller, you collect the keys, and we register your ownership.
For every step in detail, read our step-by-step guide to buying a house in London. For what slows a purchase down, see how long conveyancing takes.
Exchange and Completion: What Your Solicitor Does on the Day
On completion day your property completion solicitor sends the purchase money to the seller’s solicitor; once it arrives, the keys are released and you own the property. Afterwards we:
- file your SDLT return and pay HMRC within 14 days of completion, as GOV.UK requires
- apply to HM Land Registry to register you as owner and record your lender’s mortgage
- send you the registered title once registration finishes
Stamp Duty When Buying a Home in London
For a home that will be your only property, SDLT is charged in bands on the price above £125,000. The current rates, which apply from 1 April 2025, are published by HMRC on GOV.UK:
| Price band | Standard rate | First-time buyer rate (price £500,000 or less) |
|---|---|---|
| Up to £125,000 | 0% | 0% |
| £125,001 to £250,000 | 2% | 0% |
| £250,001 to £300,000 | 5% | 0% |
| £300,001 to £500,000 | 5% | 5% |
| £500,001 to £925,000 | 5% | Relief not available |
| £925,001 to £1.5 million | 10% | Relief not available |
| Above £1.5 million | 12% | Relief not available |
Add 5% if the purchase leaves you owning more than one home, and 2% if you are not UK resident for SDLT purposes. Check your figure with HMRC’s SDLT calculator.
What We Check Before You Exchange
Due diligence before exchange protects you, because after exchange you cannot walk away without losing your deposit.
Title: the seller’s right to sell, restrictive covenants, rights of way and easements, existing charges, and the boundaries against the title plan. If a boundary or covenant problem appears after you buy, our property dispute solicitors can help.
Searches: local authority (planning, building control, road schemes, enforcement), water and drainage, environmental (flood, contamination, subsidence), chancel repair, and mining or HS2 searches where relevant.
Leasehold: lease length, ground rent, service charges, major works and the managing agent’s replies. Short leases may need extending; see our leasehold enfranchisement service.
Contract: unusual terms, fixtures and fittings, and planning and building regulations sign-off for extensions or alterations.
Home Buying Reform: What Changes for Buyers
On 19 June 2026 the government published a roadmap to reform home buying and selling over the rest of this Parliament. The MHCLG consultation outcome responds to evidence that purchases take an average of 120 days and around 1 in 3 transactions fail. The measures are not yet law, so nothing changes for a purchase you are making today. We will update this page as each stage takes effect.
Property Purchase Solicitors Across London
Central London: High Holborn office (WC1)
Chancery Station House, 33 High Holborn, London WC1V 6AX. We act for buyers in the City, Westminster, Camden, Islington, Southwark and Kensington and Chelsea, including new build and leasehold flats in prime postcodes.
East London: Upton Park office (E6)
25 Barking Road, London E6 1PW. We act for buyers across Newham, Stratford, the Royal Docks, Barking, Ilford, Romford, Dagenham, Hackney, Tower Hamlets and Walthamstow, where regeneration has brought many new developments to market.
We also act for buyers in South, North and West London, and anywhere in England and Wales.
Why Buyers Choose Adam Bernard Solicitors
- Fixed fees, in writing: you know the total before you instruct. See our conveyancing fees and our guide to conveyancing quotes.
- Available 24/7: call or WhatsApp when a problem comes up, not on Monday morning.
- SRA-regulated and CQS-accredited: check us on the SRA register and the Law Society’s Find a Solicitor.
- 15 years and 15,000+ clients: two London offices with local market knowledge.
- Speak to our property purchase solicitors in London today: call 0207 100 2525 or book a consultation.
This page is for general information and is not legal advice. Figures were checked against GOV.UK on 22 October 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a solicitor to buy a property in London?
How long does it take to buy a house in London?
What does a new build conveyancing solicitor do differently?
How much Stamp Duty will I pay as a first-time buyer?
When is Stamp Duty paid?
Can I avoid the extra 5% Stamp Duty if I am selling and buying?
What happens if the chain breaks before exchange?
Do you act on land and building plot purchases?
Do you offer fixed fees for buying a property?
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