The service charge demand for a flat at Nine Elms can run to thousands of pounds a year, because a swimming pool, a concierge and a landscaped roof have to be paid for by somebody. Buyers who fell in love with the show flat are often surprised, and a property solicitor in Wandsworth earns part of their fee simply by reading the lease and the last few years of accounts before exchange and explaining what they mean. Building-safety paperwork, ground rent terms and the management company's rules all need the same attention.
The older borough has different problems. Battersea's mansion blocks are often share-of-freehold, which means checking the company as well as the lease; conversions in Balham, Earlsfield and Tooting have short leases that need extending; and the Victorian terraces between the commons generate loft extensions, side returns and basement digs, with party wall notices and neighbour disputes to match. Putney and Southfields houses change hands at prices where stamp duty alone needs careful calculation. Tenants in Tooting and Earlsfield, and the landlords of Wandsworth's many buy-to-let flats, bring deposit, repair and possession questions, and the rebuilding of the Winstanley and York Road estates has created leasehold and rehousing issues of its own.
Conveyancing is usually a fixed fee. Ask for a quote that shows the solicitor's charge separately from searches, Land Registry fees and stamp duty, and for a leasehold flat ask what the firm charges for dealing with the managing agent's enquiries, which can add weeks and money. Lease extensions, enfranchisement and commercial leases for the shops of Northcote Road and the units at the power station are usually priced by stage.
Below are the property solicitors nearest Wandsworth, verified firms shown first. For background, the guides to conveyancing, the legal cost of buying, landlord and tenant law and neighbour disputes cover the basics, and the property solicitors page explains the service in general.
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