Property Solicitors Richmond upon Thames

The river comes up the road twice a day at Richmond, and a few times a year it comes further than usual. Anyone buying on the riverside at Richmond, Twickenham or Teddington learns that the Thames is tidal below Teddington Lock and floods the embankments at spring tides, that above the lock it rises in wet winters instead, and that the lender and the insurer will want to know which side of the line the house is on. Property solicitors in Richmond upon Thames order the flood searches as a matter of course and know how to read them.

The rest of the borough's property law comes from its age and its prices. Georgian and Victorian houses in Richmond, Kew, Barnes and Twickenham sit in conservation areas and are often listed, so extensions, new windows and basements need consents that a solicitor checks were obtained. Houses change hands at prices where every title defect matters. Mansion flats and conversions in Richmond and St Margarets need lease extensions and share-of-freehold checks; new developments on old industrial sites, such as the former brewery at Mortlake and the old television studios at Teddington, bring service charges and building-safety paperwork; and buyers in Kew ask about the Heathrow flight path before they ask about the schools. Neighbour disputes over trees, hedges, boundaries and rights of way are a Richmond staple.

Landlords, many of them accidental, let flats and houses across the borough and need tenancy agreements, deposit and possession advice. Commercial leases on Richmond's George Street and in Twickenham and Teddington turn on rent reviews and renewal rights.

Conveyancing is normally fixed-fee; ask for a quote that separates the solicitor's charge from searches, Land Registry fees and stamp duty, and expect more for a listed or leasehold property.

Property solicitors around Richmond upon Thames are listed below, verified firms first. Background reading: conveyancing explained, the legal fees for buying a house, neighbour disputes and landlord and tenant law, plus the general property solicitors page.