Hartwell & Co
Property Law Solicitor in London: One Person Handling Your Move, Start to Finish
If you need a property law solicitor in London, the thing that will actually annoy you isn't the legal work itself — it's not knowing who you're speaking to from one week to the next.
At Hartwell & Co in Islington, one solicitor handles your file from the first phone call to completion. You get a written estimate before we open the file, and if your matter can't be fixed-fee, we tell you the likely range and why upfront.
Conveyancing in London: Buying, Selling and Everything Between
Buying or selling a property in London usually means dealing with a chain, a mortgage lender, and a deadline that keeps moving. We act for buyers and sellers across Islington and the wider London boroughs, and we run the conveyancing so you're not chasing three different people for an update.
The process starts with title checks and searches — local authority, drainage, environmental — then moves into raising and answering enquiries with the other side's solicitor. Most straightforward residential purchases in London take between six and ten weeks from offer to exchange, though a long chain or a slow lender can push that out. We flag delays as soon as we see them, not the week you were expecting to move.
Leasehold sales bring their own paperwork: management pack requests, ground rent and service charge history, sometimes a Section 20 notice for planned works. We know what to ask for early, because a missing leasehold pack is one of the most common reasons London completions slip by weeks.
Leasehold, Freehold and Lease Extensions
A lot of our leasehold clients come to us confused about what they actually own. If you're buying a flat, we explain what the lease does and doesn't cover before you commit — service charges, alterations clauses, ground rent reviews — so there's nothing unexpected after completion.
If your lease is dropping toward 80 years, its value to a future buyer or lender starts to fall, and extending it gets more expensive the longer you leave it. We handle statutory lease extensions and enfranchisement claims, including the notices and negotiation with the freeholder, and we'll tell you honestly if the numbers make it worth doing now rather than later.
Freehold purchases, including collective enfranchisement where several leaseholders buy the freehold together, involve more parties and more coordination. We keep one point of contact for the group so you're not each fielding separate queries from the same solicitor's office.
Landlord and Tenant Matters
Landlords in London come to us for tenancy agreements that actually hold up, not templates downloaded and never checked against current law. We draft and review assured shorthold tenancy agreements, and we advise on the notices you need to serve correctly if a tenancy needs to end.
Disputes are where things usually go wrong for landlords without proper advice — rent arrears, disrepair claims, deposit disputes, or a tenant who won't leave after a valid notice. We look at the facts, tell you where you stand, and handle the correspondence and, where needed, the court process.
Tenants instruct us too, usually over a deposit that hasn't been protected correctly or a landlord ignoring repair obligations. Either way, we deal directly with the other solicitor or agent, so you're not stuck negotiating with your landlord yourself.
Remortgaging, Transfer of Equity and Land Registry Work
Remortgaging sounds simple until the new lender's solicitors start asking for documents you didn't know you needed. We act on remortgages across London, checking the title is clean and dealing with the redemption of your existing mortgage so the new one completes without a hitch.
Transfer of equity — adding or removing someone from the title, often when a relationship or ownership structure changes — needs to be registered correctly at the Land Registry or it can cause problems years later when you come to sell. We prepare the transfer deed, handle the Stamp Duty Land Tax return where it applies, and submit the registration.
We also deal with straightforward Land Registry matters: correcting a title, registering a first-time registration for an unregistered property, or resolving a query the Registry has raised. These sound minor but an unregistered or incorrectly registered title can hold up a sale months later, so it's worth sorting properly the first time.
Development, Planning and Boundary Disputes
Property developers and investors working in London need a solicitor who understands site acquisitions, overage agreements, and the planning conditions attached to a development. We advise on the legal side of these deals — title, contract terms, planning obligations tied to the land — and bring in the right planning consultant or surveyor where the matter goes beyond legal advice.
Boundary and easement disputes are some of the most personal property matters we see: a fence moved six inches, a right of way blocked, a neighbour building over a shared boundary. We look at the title plan and any historical deeds first, because most of these disputes turn on documents that already exist rather than argument. Where mediation can resolve it faster and cheaper than court, we say so.
Why Londoners Choose Hartwell & Co for Property Law
One solicitor, not a rotating cast
You deal with the same person throughout your transaction — no explaining your case again to whoever picks up the phone.
A written estimate before we start
You know the cost, or the fee range and why, before any work begins on your conveyancing or dispute.
Fixed fees wherever the work allows it
Most residential conveyancing is quoted as a fixed fee, so there's no hourly clock running in the background.
Local knowledge of London property
Based in Islington, we act across London boroughs and understand the leasehold quirks and chain pressures typical of the local market.
Frequently asked questions about property law
How much does a property law solicitor in London charge for conveyancing?
For most residential purchases and sales, we quote a fixed fee once we know the property, the price, and whether it's leasehold or freehold. If something about your matter means we can't fix the fee, we tell you the likely range and the reason before you decide to instruct us.
How long does buying or selling a property in London usually take?
A straightforward purchase or sale usually completes in six to ten weeks from offer to exchange, though chains, lenders and leasehold paperwork can add time. We'll flag any delay as soon as we spot it rather than let you find out the week you expected to move.
Can you help if my landlord or tenant dispute is already in progress?
Yes. We regularly pick up disputes partway through, whether that's a deposit disagreement, arrears, or a disrepair claim. We'll review what's happened so far and tell you straight where you stand.
Do you handle commercial property as well as residential?
Yes, we act on commercial conveyancing, leases and landlord-tenant matters for businesses and investors, alongside our residential work.
My lease has under 80 years left — is it worth extending now?
Usually yes, because the cost of extending rises the shorter the lease gets, and it affects what buyers and lenders will offer. We'll look at your lease and give you the real numbers before you decide.
What if my boundary dispute needs more than legal advice?
We start by checking the title plan and deeds, since most boundary questions are answered there. If it needs a surveyor or another specialist, we say so and bring in the right person rather than guessing.