Will it flood? No question is put to a Chichester property solicitor more often. The Manhood Peninsula south of the city is low, flat and surrounded by water on three sides; Bosham's lanes flood on spring tides; Selsey and Pagham face the sea's slow advance; and the Lavant, dry for most of the year, has filled the city's streets within living memory. Environmental and flood searches are read line by line here, lenders ask for insurance quotes before exchange, and buyers at West Wittering or Selsey are told plainly what they say.
Age shapes the rest. Chichester's retirement developments are leasehold, with service charges, ground rents and, in some older leases, exit fees payable on sale that a buyer's family needs to understand before completion. Second homes on the harbour change hands between families who have holidayed there for generations, often with a declaration of trust built into the purchase. The city centre and the villages are full of listed and conservation-area houses, where consents for past works are checked and indemnity policies arranged.
New building is the counterpoint. Large estates have gone up on the west and north sides of the city, with estate rent charges, management companies and planning conditions, and the South Downs National Park, which takes in Midhurst and Petworth, applies its own planning rules to everything inside it. Farms, nurseries and equestrian land bring agricultural tenancies, access and water rights, and the occasional dispute over a track or a hedge.
Possession claims from the district go to the county court at Chichester Combined Court Centre. Commercial leases cover the four streets, the retail parks on the eastern edge and the units around Goodwood and Tangmere.
Conveyancing fees are fixed; ask for the flood, environmental and leasehold extras to be itemised.
Property solicitors serving Chichester are listed below, verified firms first. Read what conveyancing involves, the legal fees for selling a house, neighbour disputes and the general property solicitors guide.
