20% of UK households privately rent, so investing in buy to let not only provides a potentially profitable investment, but is essential to provide homes to people who cannot yet buy or prefer the flexibility of renting.

However, purchasing a buy to let property can be complex and you also need to bear in mind the demanding legal responsibilities of being a landlord.

At Wosskow Brown, our conveyancing solicitors offer a specialist service to people looking to purchase or sell buy to let properties. Whether you are a first time landlord or an experienced investor with an extensive portfolio, we have the expertise and years of experience to assist you.

There are countless ways that investing in buy to let property can challenge you or trip you up:

• If you need financing, you will need a specialist buy to let mortgage.
• If buying in cash, there will be stricter checks to verify the source of the money.
• You may be buying a "fixer-upper", which will need careful investigation to ensure it’s a worthwhile investment. For example, planning permission for alterations or additions (or even to allow the property to be used as a house in multiple occupation (HMO)) may be required and might not be available – or even have been rejected in the past.
• You may be buying at auction which, while often presenting bargains and being cost-effective, it exposes buyers to legally committing themselves, without full knowledge of the transaction at the point of bidding.
• If the property is an HMO, you need to think about ongoing licensing requirements and the additional challenge of having multiple, unrelated tenants living with one another.
• Whatever kind of buy to let you purchase, you will need to make sure you comply with strict legal responsibilities around building and living standards, health & safety, maintenance and renting to tenants.
• You will need to think about tax, including higher rates of Stamp Duty, Capital Gains Tax upon selling and Income Tax. As solicitors, we are prohibited from offering any tax advice. We always advise going to an independent financial or tax advisor to ensure that you fully understand the implications of any proposed transaction.

Our team can also provide ongoing advice about complying with your duties as a landlord, from drafting tenancy agreements to resolving disputes with tenants over rent, deposits, breach of tenancy, repairs or any other issue.

Here’s what you can expect from us:

• Fixed fees – so you know how much your conveyancing will cost from start to finish.
• Conveyancing Quality Scheme accredited lawyers.
• A friendly team who respond quickly to calls and emails.
• Proactivity – we will chase the other side and push for progress. No delays will ever come from our side.
• Regular updates – so you always know what’s going on.

Three simple steps to get started with our buy to let conveyancing solicitors

1.    Request a fixed fee conveyancing quote

If you are a private individual looking to invest in property, then you can get an instant idea of how much your conveyancing is likely to cost with us by using our conveyancing calculator to request an instant quote*.

Our online quote will cover our fees, VAT and information about anticipated third party costs (such as Land Registry fees).

Once you have your quote, feel free to do whatever you need to do before deciding to instruct us. Gather some more quotes and do some more research. Also, check out our team to learn about our expert conveyancers.

* If you are purchasing or selling a buy to let property via a limited company, particularly where that company is using a mortgage or secured loan facility to enable any purchase, much more is required in terms of both director duties and company documentation, in addition to lender requirements. If you are purchasing or selling a property through a limited company, you will need to get in touch with our commercial property department to obtain a bespoke quote for you purchase or sale.

2.    Give us a call or send us a message

We have local offices across Sheffield on Attercliffe Road,  in Gleadless and Hillsborough, plus an office in Barnsley.

So, give us a call at your nearest branch, or fill in our online enquiry form and we’ll give you a call back as soon as possible.

3.    Let us work for you

We are ready to work for you from the moment you need us. But before we can really get stuck in to your property transaction, there will be some administrative tasks to get out of the way, such as verifying your identity and seeking your approval to our terms & conditions. So, if you can, get in touch at least a week or two before you need us.

At the point of instruction, we’ll also confirm your buy to let conveyancing quote in writing. We specialise in fixed fee conveyancing, so you can trust that the price we quote will be what you pay.

We promise to never go outside your quote unless extra work is required (which is sometimes necessary if there are delays or unexpected issues). However, we will contact you before doing any extra work to explain what needs doing and to get your agreement.

How our buy to let conveyancing lawyers can help you

We can assist with all matters relating to buying and selling buy to let property, including:

• Carrying out property checks and searches and reporting on the legal title.
• Handling buy to let mortgages and liaising with your lender.
• Advising on rights and restrictions, such as boundaries and access.
• Drafting and reviewing all necessary legal documentation and providing clear advice to you.
• Advising on buying and selling buy to let properties at auction.
• Handling sales and purchases of multiple properties and advising on property portfolio management.
• Advising on tenancy agreements and your rights and obligations as a landlord.

Why choose our buy to let solicitors in Sheffield and Barnsley?

Our Conveyancing team are accredited members of the Law Society Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) in independent recognition of our skills in the area of property law.

But what does this mean for you? It means:

• We succeed at what we do – you can trust that your transaction is in safe hands.
• We are skilled at spotting risks before they cause you problems, so our clients don’t have to worry about unnecessary delays during their conveyancing.
• We’re open and upfront about our fees. You’ll never be surprised by hidden costs.
• We’re approved to work with a wide range of mortgage lenders, from major high street banks to small local building societies. This means you can choose the best mortgage deal without having to worry about whether the lender will work with your lawyer.

Get in touch with our buy to let conveyancing solicitors in Sheffield and Barnsley today

We have local offices across Sheffield on Attercliffe Road,  in Gleadless and Hillsborough, plus an office in Barnsley.

Give us a call at your nearest branch or fill in our online enquiry form and we’ll give you a call back as soon as possible.