Residential Property & Conveyancing

Buying or selling a home can be the largest investment you make; so you want to make sure you get expert property advice and the best value for money. Our highly respected residential property and conveyancing team is one of the largest and most experienced in Kent, serving client across the South East, London and nationally.

We know that moving house can be stressful. With us, you will have your own dedicated lawyer to help the transaction run as smoothly and quickly as possible.

With a broad range of property conveyancing legal know-how we provide an efficient, personal and informative service to our clients in the following areas:

• Freehold and leasehold – sales, purchases, mortgages and re-mortgages
• High value properties (including large country homes and prestigious London properties)
• Listed buildings
• Holiday homes and investment properties
• First time buyers
• Executor and attorney sales
• Court of Protection sales and purchases
• New-builds
• Lease extensions and lease enfranchisement
• Matrimonial and probate transfers
• First registrations of title with the Land Registry.

Why choose Thomson Snell & Passmore?

Our local knowledge and strong networks with agents ensures your property transaction proceeds as efficiently as possible. We are on all of the major lenders’ panels and do not receive or pay referral fees.

Our market leading team of experienced conveyancing lawyers, based in Tunbridge Wells and serving clients across Kent, London, Sussex, Surrey and nationally, specialise in dealing with the sale and purchase of all types of residential property. Due to the level of service we provide and the quality of work, the team have been recognised in the Chambers HNW Guide for Real Estate with Head of Department, Rebecca Swain being ranked as a leading individual.

We offer direct contact with the same lawyer (via telephone and email) throughout your transaction. In the event of any absence, our team is structured to ensure that your transaction will be looked after by another lawyer, without a reduction in our level of service.

We can provide peace of mind by offering searches that check for any future development proposed near your property. The standard searches we propose reveal details of planning permissions granted on properties nearby.

All of our searches and correspondence with the Land Registry are conducted online, for speed and to keep costs down.

Our clients can also benefit from our strong network of lawyers who can provide additional advice on all aspects of your property transaction, including wills, trusts and tax planning, dispute resolution, family law and lease enfranchisement.

The time from your offer being accepted until you can move in, will depend on a number of factors, including the size of the chain. We aim to progress matters as quickly as possible, but all transactions are different. Assuming there is no chain it typically takes between 4 – 6 weeks from when a solicitor receives/sends the contract pack. When you are part of a chain, due to factors beyond our control, it will typically take a minimum of 8 weeks. However, transactions can compete much more quickly if all parties are committed to doing so and the documentation and funding is in place. Mortgage offers, delayed searches, management packs and information from third parties are all factors that can influence the time a transaction takes.

If you dream of living in a listed property full of character such as a converted barn or church, an old thatched cottage, or even a castle, there will be many different things to consider before making your purchase.

Listed properties are very special and are protected under law, which is why buying one also brings with it the responsibility to look after and protect the building for future generations. Our expert listed buildings conveyancing lawyers have extensive experience in buying and selling listed properties and can help guide you through the process.

Buying or selling a listed building can be complex, we offer straightforward and intelligent advice on the whole range of issues that are specific to listed buildings, giving you peace of mind throughout the transaction.

To learn more, visit our buying or selling a listed property page.

Changing the legal ownership of property is known as a transfer of equity. Our highly experienced residential property lawyers have considerable expertise in helping clients to transfer equity for a number of reasons including:

• On divorce, dissolution or separation of a cohabiting couple
• When property is being gifted
• Transferring property between family members
• On the formation of a trust.

A transfer of equity can have a number of implications and it is important to seek expert advice early on. As a full service firm, we work closely with our colleagues in our family and tax planning teams to ensure that all aspects of a transfer of equity are taken into account, so that is runs as smoothly as possible.

To learn more about how we can support you, visit our dedicated transfer of equity page

Many people dream of buying a home with land, such as an equestrian property or a property with woodland. Buying or selling landed property can be complex and there are some key things you will need to consider.

Our expert residential conveyancing lawyers will be able to guide you through every step.

For those looking to buy or sell agricultural land or property, our experienced agricultural specialists as part of our Real Estate team will be able to help.

To learn more, visit our buying & selling properties with land page.

When buying a property with someone, there are two main joint ownership options to choose from. You will normally own the property as either joint tenants or tenants in common.

Many people also wish to record aspects such as who paid a greater part of the deposit as well as set out how the proceeds will be split when the property is sold. A declaration of trust is a legally binding document that sets out these aspects and can also include things such as who will pay what share of the mortgage and what should happen if one person wants to move out.

Our friendly conveyancing lawyers can help guide you through the process and ensure you select the right option for your needs. Where appropriate, we can work with our tax planning colleagues to ensure that all relevant tax considerations are taken into account.

To find out more, visit our joint ownership & declarations of trust page.

Purchasing a buy to let property can be complex. Our residential property & conveyancing lawyers have extensive experience of the process and can help guide you through it.

For experienced landlords with portfolios of property, our specialist commercial real estate landlord & tenant team are here to help.

For more information, visit our dedicated buy to let page.

Buying a second or ‘holiday’ home, whether that is by the seaside or a pied-à-terre in town is a dream for many people. The process for purchasing a second home can be complex and there are tax considerations to take into account.

Our residential conveyancing lawyers have significant expertise in helping clients to buy and sell second homes and work closely with our tax experts as needed.

You can find additional information on our buying a holiday or second home page.

We have a team of lawyers who have extensive experience dealing with leasehold enfranchisement matters.  We advise landlords and leaseholders as well as developers on this complex area of law and we work closely with other professionals including valuers and surveyors.

Our specialist team can offer advice and guidance on the following issues:

• The freehold purchase of a house
• Extending the lease of a house
• The freehold purchase of a building containing flats
• Extending the lease of an individual flat
• Right of first refusal
• Right to manage
• Applications to the Tribunal and to the Court
• Advice on strategy for protecting and enhancing the value of your investment.

We provide a comprehensive service including clear and concise advice and information on costs. Visit our dedicated lease extension & enfranchisement page for further information

Our planning experts have an in-depth understanding of the complexities of UK planning law and significant expertise in helping guide clients through difficult planning issues.

We focus clearly on the results that our clients want to achieve and we will always be pragmatic, clear and candid on what’s the most realistic way to get there.

Our specialisms include:

• Assessing the planning risks prior to purchasing a property
• Permitted development rights
• Appeals against refusal (or non-determination) of planning permission
• Judicial reviews/group actions against decisions for planning locally
• Submitting representations for/against proposals
• NPPF and planning guidance.

For more information, please visit our dedicated planning page.