Conveyancing in Slough Q & As

Transport and public service information if you’re buying or selling residential property in Slough

• By road: Slough is served by the M4, M40 and A4.
• By rail: The nearest train station is Slough.
• By air: Slough has access to a number of airports: London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 (7 miles), London Heathrow Airport Terminals 1, 2, 3 and 4 (9 miles), White Waltham Airfield (9 miles), Northolt Jet Centre (12 miles), Wycombe Air Park (16 miles), TAG London Farnborough Airport (23 miles), Blackbushe Airport (23 miles), and London Elstree Aerodrome (30 miles).
• Hospital: Upton, Albert Road, Slough, SL1 2BJ. Council: Slough Borough Council (www.slough.gov.uk) .
• Attractions: Slough Museum, Windsor Castle, Legoland, Herschel Park, and Salt Hill Park.

How do I find the best conveyancing rates for a £161,000 house in Slough?

Numerous law firms claim to offer supposedly 'the cheapest conveyancing quotes' in their advertising, but additional charges are often hiding in the terms and conditions. Additional fees and disbursements should be reasonable and fair and clearly expressed. At Homeward Legal, our panel of expert conveyancing solicitors will happily provide a concise and transparent quote that details all such elements so that you know what you are going to be billed by the end of your move to Slough. Try the simple-to-use quote calculator, or give our team a call on 0800 038 6699 to obtain a fixed-fee quote with a cast-iron ‘No Move, no Fee’ guarantee.

I am purchasing a former chapel in South Hinksey. Do we need to obtain a chancel search?

Your assigned property solicitor may suggest that a chancel search be ordered as a safety measure. In Slough's much older areas, chancel repair dues can be collected on the current owners of a house where Parochial Church Councils may have not done so in the past, so the solicitor will be unable to make any guarantees, and will recommend insurance. However, recent changes to the law governing what these councils can do means that such chancel searches are now much easier to carry out so you will know your precise risk which will help you decide whether the insurance is needed to mitigate the risk.

Are your low cost solicitors able to move fast on the legal conveyancing of property auction properties in Slough?

Yes. At Homeward Legal, we specialise in auctions and frequently act for auction buyers and sellers. It is very important for bidders to decide on and appoint a good lawyer as swiftly as they can to allow sufficient time for a title report of the auction legal papers well in advance of the property auction. After the auction day itself, your lawyer will be prepared for get through the conveyancing within 28 days after exchange as typically required by the terms and conditions of sale.

After the auction day itself, your lawyer will be prepared for get through the conveyancing within 28 days after exchange as typically required by the terms and conditions of sale.

For some legal firms’ quotes, it may not be clear if an itemised charge is a fee or a disbursement. The costs for searches are disbursements and not fees, and this expense is passed on to the buyer at cost. At Homeward Legal, our straightforward approach to detailing the conveyancing quote makes the distinction completely clear. Call our skilled conveyancing team on 0800 038 6699 to arrange a fixed-fee quote, backed up by our ‘No Move, No Fee’ guarantee.

Do you recommend taking action to avoid paying Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) on our purchase in Slough?

Any SDLT mitigation scheme should be treated with extreme caution wherever you are buying in the UK. Homeward Legal strongly recommend that you avoid such schemes, because they are costly, uneconomical and unreliable. In addition, it should be pointed out that, should the scheme fail, you will be liable for paying the penalty of up to 100% of the duty remaining.

How many weeks should the legal work to sell a home require? I am buying a terraced house in Slough.

Conveyancing can be traditionally quite slow, with the time needed to complete everything for your move being between one and three months. The random nature of buying or selling residences can vary the timings significantly. The duration is predicated on several issues which may affect the smoothness of the transaction (e.g. if a third party is slow to respond, or someone in the chain is awaiting a mortgage application). With the experienced solicitors at Homeward Legal, every purchase is handled as fast as possible, without compromising on service, using solicitors who are highly proactive. We aim to complete the conveyancing work within six weeks. Give our highly skilled solicitors at Homeward Legal a call to discuss your needs.

What type of searches about the risk and history of flooding around Berkshire will a solicitor in Slough actually conduct?

When you instruct your conveyancing solicitor, they will initiate a set of standard searches. The environmental search includes the assessment of the risk of flooding at your Slough house. If the flood risk is deemed significant enough, a more in-depth search at Landmark will be requested. Property purchasers sometimes speak to a future neighbour for added assurance if they are still concerned about the level of risk.

How much is the council tax that will be charged on a semi-detached property I want to buy in Slough?

Ordinarily, the solicitor’s report on title will include information on the Slough council tax band into which the property falls. The latest council tax charges for Slough are detailed on the Slough Borough Council’s website (see the public service information at the head of these FAQs). For the 2016/2017 tax year, Slough’s council tax band charges are:

• Band A - 931.75
• Band B - 1,087.04
• Band C - 1,242.34
• Band D - 1,397.63
• Band E - 1,708.22
• Band F - 2,018.80
• Band G - 2,329.38
• Band H - 2,795.26