Flat owners in Bath no longer have to wait two years after buying before they can claim a lease extension, one of the first parts of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act to come into force, and in a city where a large share of homes are leasehold flats carved out of Georgian terraces, that change has already sent a stream of new owners to property solicitors in Bath. Lease length, ground rent, service charges, the freeholder's identity and the state of the roof shared by five flats are the first things a Bath conveyancer looks at, and a lease with fewer than eighty years left is still a serious problem for price and mortgage.
The buildings themselves add a layer that few other cities have. Much of central Bath is listed, and the whole city is a World Heritage Site and largely a conservation area, so a buyer needs to know that the replacement windows, the loft conversion and the kitchen extension all had listed building consent; unauthorised works pass to the new owner with the house. Flying freeholds, where one house's room sits above another's, party walls, vaults under pavements and rights of way through shared gardens are all ordinary Bath problems.
Family houses in Weston, Combe Down and Bear Flat, student houses in Oldfield Park, where planning controls limit new shared houses, village homes in the Chew Valley and commuter properties in Keynsham, Bradford-on-Avon and Corsham complete the residential picture. Landlord and tenant work covers student and family lettings and possession claims at Bath Law Courts. Commercial solicitors handle leases of listed shops and restaurants, where the landlord's and the council's consents overlap, and office and hotel transactions.
Conveyancing is usually a fixed fee; in Bath, ask whether leasehold enquiries and listed-building checks are included.
The property firms serving Bath are listed below, verified firms first and then by distance. See what conveyancing involves, the legal fees for buying a house, neighbour disputes explained, commercial property law and the general property solicitors guide.
