Holmes & Hills' shared ownership solicitors understand the operational pressures of shared ownership delivery and provides a client-focused service that aligns with your goals.
As a leading East Anglian law firm with a strong reputation for delivering efficient, client-focused property services nationwide, we act with and alongside multiple housing associations, mortgage brokers and advisers across a high volume of shared ownership transactions across England and Wales. We combine specialist expertise with a proactive, service-led approach.
Our team simplify the legal process, making shared ownership transactions easy to understand and stress-free. We will guide you through every stage, ensuring confidence in the purchase. With a proven track record in shared ownership, we combine legal excellence with operational efficiency to deliver consistently high-quality outcomes.
We provide a fully integrated service across all shared ownership matters, including:
We focus on shared ownership transactions and understand the unique legal and practical complexities involved, including leases, staircasing provisions and housing association requirements. We have established working relationships with a wide range of housing associations, enabling smoother communication and fewer delays during the transaction process.
Efficient management of high-volume shared ownership transactions nationwide.
You will have a dedicated conveyancer managing your transaction, ensuring consistent communication and a single point of contact throughout your transaction.
Clear and automated milestone updates via email and SMS - improving pipeline visibility and your clients experience.
Bespoke fixed fee quotations provided at instruction enabling accurate upfront cost communication to clients
We provide full cost breakdowns upfront so you know exactly what to expect from the outset.
Our client-focused approach ensures more time is spent delivering a high-quality service and less time on administration. We pride ourselves on responsiveness, accessibility and delivering a supportive experience.
When instructing Holmes & Hills' shared ownership services, your transaction will go through a workflow built to support housing associations and brokers, managing multiple concurrent transactions, ensuring consistency, visibility and progress at scale.
The dedicated workflow includes:
Holmes & Hills' shared ownership solicitors simplify the legal process, making shared ownership transactions easy to understand and stress-free. We guide the client through every stage, ensuring confidence in the purchase. We can deliver efficient, high-quality transactions at scale and minimise delays through proactive case management. As a result, this collaborative approach supports housing providers’ strategic objectives while delivering exceptional client care. Ultimately, these processes are designed for volume, accuracy, and speed - reducing delays and improving client experience.
Our shared ownership solicitors support clients locally across their seven offices in Essex and Suffolk, including Colchester, Witham, Braintree, Tiptree, Halstead, Coggeshall and Sudbury, while also delivering shared ownership services nationwide.
Holmes & Hills' shared ownership division is made up of a team of experienced property lawyers who specialise exclusively in shared ownership transactions. With our specialists priding themselves on being approachable, responsive and solution-focused, providing trusted guidance to both clients and referrers at every stage of the process.
Call 01206593933 and ask for Shared Ownership Client Enquiries. Or complete the form below to request a quote.
Make important decisions today to ensure that your interests, finances and welfare are arranged for your own benefit and that of your family for the future.
Lasting Powers of Attorney, Trusts, Wills and Inheritance Tax Planning afford opportunities for you to decide who will make decisions if you are unable to, mitigate tax and provide for loved ones on your death, to avoid unnecessary worry for those who may need to care for you or who you wish to inherit your estate when you die.
Holmes & Hills has a specialist team of lawyers who are able to offer expert legal advice from any one of our seven offices based in Colchester, Braintree, Witham, Halstead, Sudbury, Coggeshall and Tiptree.
Your Holmes & Hills lawyer can advise you on:
Want to know who can legally view a Will before someone passes away? Read our guide on who is entitled to see a Will before death.
By working in partnership with clients, estate agents, and mortgage brokers our residential property lawyers ensure a smooth transaction whilst protecting your legal interests.
Your choice of property solicitor or lawyer will be the single biggest factor in determining how stressful the experience is for you, particularly when it comes to buying or selling. Our residential property solicitors offer expert advice and representation. We provide fixed-fee conveyancing quotes with absolutely no hidden charges. As would be expected, conveyancing services from Holmes & Hills Solicitors include professional advice and regular updates throughout the process.
Rightmove* and others estimate that 30% of property transactions fall-through on average, nationally, a number far higher than many anticipate. For those unlucky ones that experience this, the costs can be significant.
Those using Holmes & Hills' residential property services benefit from a materially higher successful completion rate compared to the national average for residential conveyancing lawyers. Your transaction has an increased chance of successfully completing when Holmes & Hills is advising and representing you.
From our seven offices in Colchester; Braintree; Witham; Sudbury; Halstead; Tiptree and Coggeshall we advise thousands of people across Essex and Suffolk every year in relation to conveyancing and other residential property related matters.
We also provide advice on:
What are searches and why do I need them?
If you’re getting a mortgage to help fund your purchase, your mortgage lender will often require us to carry out searches. These will usually include:
Depending on the nature of the transaction and the location of the property and the buyer’s particular requirements other searches may be required and may include Highways Searches; Chancel Check; DevAssess; Mining; Energy & Transportation; Planning. Further guidance is available here.
Yes, we have a team of specialist shared ownership lawyers in Essex and Suffolk that can advise purchasers and owners of shared ownership on all matters relating to:
Buying a freehold property means you own the property, the land it is built on and there is no fixed time limit. Buying a leasehold property means you own the property for a fixed amount of time, as you are leasing the property from the Landlord, who owns the building and the land it is built on.
All flats are leasehold and most houses are freehold in England. However, there are some leasehold houses and, in this situation, you own the property but not the land it sits on but you will usually be responsible for the maintenance of the whole property and not just the internal property and also be responsible for insurance.
With a freehold property, you have control over the maintenance of the property and land and you are free to deal with the property how you wish.
With a leasehold property, the lease is usually granted for a period between 99 years and 999 years and ground rent is payable to the Landlord every year. You are responsible for the maintenance of the internal property but there can be restrictions on alterations, particularly where they are structural.
The lease also sets out what you can and cannot do with the property. With a leasehold property the Landlord is responsible for maintenance of the building and they recover their cost through payment of service charges which you will have to contribute towards.
Because the lease is for a fixed period of time, at some stage, the lease will need to be extended and you would pay a premium to your Landlord for them to grant you with the extension.
This is to comply with the anti-money laundering regulations. This cannot be waived and is a legal requirement placed on us by the government and our regulators. It may feel like we are asking a lot of information, but please be assured we have to obtain this from all of our clients (including keeping this up to date for returning clients).
Stamp duty is a tax payable when buying property over a certain value in England. The amount depends on the purchase price and other factors such as whether you’re a first-time buyer or if you own other properties.
A Will is a legal document that allows you to direct how your assets (your “estate”) should be distributed when you die. As a homeowner, it is strongly advisable to make a Will or consider updating your current Will (which should be reviewed at regular intervals and when your circumstances change).
Without a Will your property may not pass to those you intend, and a lack of a Will can cause issues and delays for those dealing with your estate. Our specialist Wills solicitors offer expert legal advice from any one of our seven offices based in Colchester, Braintree, Witham, Halstead, Sudbury, Coggeshall and Tiptree.
It is particularly important to have a Will when you jointly own a property with another person(s) and you hold the property on trust as tenants in common. Learn more about declaration of trust.
You can meet your property lawyer face to face at any one of our seven offices across Essex & Suffolk, at any point during your residential property transaction.
Or if you prefer to keep in touch by phone or email, we are happy to do whichever is most convenient for you.
*Holmes & Hills' successful completion rate is calculated using sample data for 333 residential property transactions started between July 2022 to September 2022 and is compared to national average successful completion rate of 70.3% (provided by Rightmove, 13/02/2023).
Holmes & Hills property solicitors can be accessed at seven offices across Essex and Suffolk.
Losing someone close to you is a distressing time, not helped by the need to administer their estate with the many decisions and complexities of the law to contend with.
Holmes & Hills Solicitors’ team of friendly, dedicated, professionals are experts who are able to assist you with all aspects of estate administration whether you are an executor appointed by a Will or an administrator where there is no Will (an Intestacy).
Administering an estate is often time consuming, complex and there are pitfalls for the lay person. We are happy to assist with as much or as little as you need, whether applying only for the Grant of Representation or the whole of the estate administration from start to finish. You can have peace of mind knowing that you will have the benefit of our expert knowledge to ensure you comply with your legal responsibilities.
Holmes & Hills have seven offices across Essex and Suffolk, making it easy to book an appointment with our probate solicitors in Colchester, Braintree, Witham, Sudbury, Halstead, Tiptree or Coggeshall.
We’re pleased to offer convenient remote appointments for clients who prefer to meet online. Whether you are based in locally in Essex and Suffolk, elsewhere in the UK, or living overseas, our solicitors can meet with you remotely, providing clear and accessible legal advice wherever you are.
If you are considering contesting a Will or challenging some other aspect of an estate, or the way the estate has been administered and distributed, Holmes & Hills Solicitors can help you. Contested probate is a specialist area of law requiring unique expertise and significant experience. Holmes & Hills has a team of solicitors specialising in advising on matters concerning contested probate. If you need advice on an inheritance dispute in any capacity, please contact our specialist contentious probate solicitors.
Probate is the legal and financial process involved in dealing with the property, money, and possessions (assets) of a person who has died.
Probate is the process of proving that a will is valid (if there is one) and confirming who has the authority to administer the estate of the person who has died.
Before the executor named in the will can claim, transfer, sell or distribute any of the deceased's assets they might have to apply for a grant of probate.
A grant of probate is a legal document that can sometimes be needed to access bank accounts, sell assets, and settle debts after someone has died.
This document is only called a grant of probate if the person left a will. If they didn't leave a will, a grant of letters of administration is used instead. Both documents work in a similar way, giving a named person legal authority to deal with the estate of the person who died.
Once probate has been granted, the next of kin or the executor can start to deal with the deceased person’s assets. If there is a will, this sets out how the assets should be distributed. If the person died without a will the law determines who should receive everything.
It's possible to deal with probate yourself, providing you're familiar with the legal process and confident in completing all the required tasks. DIY probate can be time-consuming and the work involved can be complex.
Dealing with probate yourself also carries a level of risk, because you can be held personally financially liable if you make any mistakes.
For these reasons, many people choose to instruct a solicitor to deal with this on their behalf.
If you don’t apply for probate, the deceased’s assets can’t be accessed or transferred to any beneficiary. If an estate only consists of accounts holding small balances then probate may not be necessary. Each institution has different requirements.
Probate gives a named person legal authority to deal with assets. Without this, they can’t do anything with assets. This includes closing down bank accounts, selling or transferring property, transferring pensions or cashing in other investments.
By not obtaining probate, this can cause problems further down the line.
*By prior arrangement - home visit charges apply.
If you or someone you know has been injured in an accident that was not your fault, or has received negligent care from a medical professional, this can not only cause you pain and suffering but also cost you money, limit your future earning potential, prevent you from working (temporarily or permanently), and impact your daily life.
If you think you might be entitled to compensation for your pain, suffering, losses and the impact of your injuries on your ability to go about daily life, it is important you get legal advice from specialist solicitors . Holmes & Hills Solicitors has a team of expert personal injury and clinical negligence lawyers in Essex and Suffolk, operating under the brand of Blackwater Law, that advise hundreds of clients across the country every year.
Our personal injury and clinical negligence lawyers are experienced in successfully claiming compensation in relation to:
Our specialist lawyers offer free initial advice to anyone that thinks they may be entitled to claim compensation. All of the compensation claims cases we accept are operated on a no win, no fee basis so there is no financial risk to you. If your case is unsuccessful, you will not have to pay anything.
Call us on 01206593933.
You will get free initial legal advice from an expert solicitor in Essex and Suffolk. We will quickly tell you whether you may be entitled to make a claim for compensation in relation to your injuries.
Your injury solicitor at Holmes & Hills will give you expert advice from the very start of your claim, through to the day you get your compensation. You will be kept up to date with progress and your solicitor will build the strongest possible claim for compensation on your behalf.
Our team of personal injury and clinical negligence solicitors is one of the largest in the region and is recognised as one of the leading teams of personal injury lawyers in the South East by The Legal 500 - an independent directory of the UK’s leading law firms.
Where appropriate and where your injuries require, your injury lawyer at Holmes & Hills will arrange for private medical treatment and or rehabilitation to support you in your recovery.
You can use our Personal Injury Compensation Claim Calculator to get an idea of how much compensation you may be entitled to. This provides very broad ranges and only a rough guide. We recommend you call us and speak with one of our personal injury solicitors who will give you free initial advice and speak with you about your potential claim for compensation.
When faced with a dispute, be it related to running your business or in your personal life, it is crucial that you get specialist legal advice so that your interests and assets can be properly protected.
Holmes & Hills has a team of lawyers specialising in litigation and dispute resolution. From seven offices in Essex and Suffolk, our team advises and represents business and individuals across the country, acting to successfully resolve disputes in favour of our clients. Your lawyer at Holmes & Hills will always seek to resolve your dispute with a focus on cost-effectiveness and efficiency.
Our team of specialists offer expert advice in relation to:
Click one of the above links for more information on each service area and our related experience.
Holmes & Hills family law solicitors in Essex and Suffolk can help you to recognise your rights and understand your legal position to best protect your interests both now and in the future.
Whether you are looking to end a long-term relationship, or are beginning a new one, both you and your spouse will have your own individual finances, assets and family interests, as well as those that you both share.
Separating the lives of two people, and any dependents, can be a complex process, and as such, the family solicitors at Holmes & Hills want to ensure all aspects of your situation are taken into account before offering any advice. This is why we offer an initial one hour consultation at a fixed fee, rather than offering free generic advice. There is no obligation to continue to take advice from Holmes & Hills after this consultation.
We find this approach to be beneficial to clients as it provides a much clearer landscape as to the various paths that can be taken, while also helping to dispel some of the legal myths surrounding various situations.
Holmes & Hills Family Law solicitors are committed to treating each client with the empathy, sensitivity and understanding their case requires. Whatever the issue you are seeking advice on, our expert solicitors provide the highest level of personable and approachable service, by listening to your concerns and helping you to achieve the best outcome for you and your family.
Our family solicitors are also members of Resolution, and as such, abide by their code of practice which promotes amongst other items:
We appreciate that it is not always easy to get to an office during the working week, particularly for an initial consultation, and so we are able to conduct these on Microsoft Teams, or by telephone, allowing you greater flexibility in both time and location.
Of course, if you would prefer to come in to one of our office and speak in person with one of our family solicitors, you can choose from one of our seven offices across Essex and Suffolk: Colchester, Braintree, Witham, Sudbury, Tiptree, Halstead or Coggeshall.
Holmes & Hills family law team are recognised by Legal 500, an independent legal research company collecting client and peer feedback and assessing expertise based on the cases the firm handles.
‘Carol Toulson is an experienced and pragmatic family law practitioner. She works tirelessly to ensure that she has provided her clients with the best service. She is the consummate professional.’
‘Alex Garrett has been extremely helpful and easy to work with. My case was dealt with in a very professional manner. He was respectful to all parties involved and reassured everyone where needed. ’
‘Alexandra Jury has done her upmost to ensure my mind is put at ease, constantly updating me and making me feel she also has my back.’
‘Holmes & Hills have a well deserved reputation as one of the leading law firms in Essex. They have a very strong legal team who offer the whole range of legal advice in family law. They are also able to access specialist advice from their other legal teams such as commercial and conveyancing if required, this is a huge advantage to their clients.’
Partner and Head of the Family Law Department, Carol Toulson, is recognised by Legal 500 as a Leading Partner, highlighting her as one of the leading family law partners in Essex.
Our experienced family law lawyers believe it is crucial that in any relationship situation, you take action to protect your individual and shared interests at the earliest stage possible, so as to safeguard your own future and that of your family.
Call us on 01206 593933 today to speak with one of our family law team. Or complete the form below.
Our family law services:
Holmes & Hills has a large team of corporate & commercial solicitors who advise companies operating in a wide range of industries including construction, manufacturing, retail, professional services, agriculture and technology, through to large scale property development.
Representing directors and senior leadership teams of companies across East Anglia and nationally, our team of expert commercial solicitors provide pragmatic and proactive legal services. Through provision of advice and representation centred on an understanding your business and industry, our team ensures you can form, grow, sell or evolve your business, taking advantage of commercial opportunities whilst minimising and understanding related legal risks.
Our commercial solicitors in Essex and Suffolk are experienced in advising and representing business owners in relation to:
The Corporate and Commercial Department at Holmes & Hills is regularly advising business owners on acquiring and selling businesses, working closely with corporate financiers and business brokers. Transaction values range in value up to £35 million and spanning industries from manufacturing and logistics through to retail and hospitality.
Our large team of commercial solicitors are regularly advising directors, borrowers and guarantors on the full range of debt and security measures commonly utilised by businesses, including facility agreements, debentures, charges on shares, personal guarantees and company guarantees.
Our Corporate and Commercial Department advise directors, senior business leadership and individuals on commercial contracts and agreements covering the full range of stakeholder relationships, from consultancy and subcontractor agreements, through to terms and conditions and contracts for the provision of services.
Commercial solicitors at Holmes & Hills advise directors on their personal statutory duties, as well as those imposed by Articles of Association, providing guidance on personal liability, rights and obligations regarding the company or companies.
Holmes & Hills’ Corporate and Commercial Department regularly advises business owners on restructuring corporate entities and ownership set-up, often for the purposes of preparing the business for sale, succession planning, or working with the company’s accountants to plan for tax.
Our specialist commercial solicitors advise on, negotiate and draft terms and conditions for businesses operating in a range of industries and providing a range of products and/or services, ensuring clients’ legal interests protected and access to redress secured.
Our Corporate and Commercial Department can assist with the formation of a new limited company, along with providing advice on directors’ duties (as mentioned above), drafting bespoke Articles of Association for the new limited company and drafting and advising on Shareholders’ Agreements.
We can also provide your newly incorporated limited company with advice on shareholding structure and its commercial aspects such as data protection, terms and conditions and employment contracts (see below).
Advice on limited liability partnerships as an alternative to other company forms, along with advice as to statutory legal obligations of, and personal risks to, Partners, alongside advice on and drafting of partnership agreements.
Providing the full range of legal advice and guidance required by owners of family-run businesses. Our Corporate and Commercial Department, along with specialists from across Holmes & Hills, ensure all of your legal needs are met through the provision of pragmatic and proactive commercial legal services, covering legal matters from ownership structure and re-organisation, through to commercial property and disputes.
Our corporate and commercial solicitors are supported by specialists from the firm’s Commercial Property, Land and Development, Planning and Development and Employment departments, as well as the firm's Dispute Resolution Division.
The firm's collection of specialist departments means that Holmes & Hills provides companies with a single source of expert legal advice covering the wide range of commercial legal issues that business owners and management find themselves contending with when starting, operating, growing and exiting their business.
Holmes & Hills’ specialist team of commercial dispute resolution solicitors provide business owners with expert legal advice and representation relating to bringing or defending commercial disputes with other businesses, public sector organisations, professionals or consumers.
Holmes & Hills has a team of employment solicitors providing advice, representation and training to business owners and leadership teams covering the full spectrum of Employment Law issues that arise in the workplace. Our services provide for mitigation of risk and effective resolution of potential or actual employment disputes where these arise.
Holmes & Hills boasts a formidable Commercial Property Department, one of the largest in the region, acting for commercial landlords, owner-occupiers and tenants, as well as commercial property investors and developers, in acquiring, selling, leasing, licensing and developing commercial property.
Holmes & Hills' Construction solicitors provide pragmatic and strategic legal advice to sub-contractors, main contractors and construction professionals. From their offices in Essex and Suffolk, Holmes & Hills’ Legal 500 ranked Construction Department represents clients based and operating across the whole of the UK.
Holmes and Hills' specialist probate solicitors support individuals and families with a wide range of services, including probate, estate administration, and wills. We provide clear, compassionate guidance to help you manage complex legal and financial matters with confidence and peace of mind.
Call us on 01206 593933 today to speak with one of our Corporate and Commercial team.
Specialist commercial property solicitors advising on acquiring and disposing of commercial property, commercial landlord and tenant matters, as well as commercial property financing.
Dealing with matters concerning commercial property exposes your business to potential risks and liabilities. Holmes & Hills' team of commercial property solicitors work with you to provide proactive and pragmatic advice and representation that will protect your interests and minimise risks, whilst allowing you to take advantage of opportunities and move forward with your business or investment plans.
Holmes & Hills has a Commercial Property Team that is recognised as being one of the leading teams of commercial property solicitors in the region by the Legal 500 – an independent directory of the UK’s leading law firms. The Team works in partnership with and acts for businesses across East Anglia, ranging from start-ups taking on a new tenancy, through to commercial property investment funds and organisations operating internationally and needing assistance in managing portfolios.
Holmes & Hills' team of commercial property solicitors work with commercial premises owners, occupiers, investors, agents and owner-occupiers, taking a proactive and pragmatic approach to providing advice and guidance. The approach taken by the team ensures transaction, lease and finance matters progress efficiently and to a successful conclusion according to client objectives.
Our commercial property solicitors are experienced in advising clients on the full spectrum of commercial property matters and the ancillary legal issues which are regularly connected with commercial property matters and projects. The team's experience covers advising on and dealing with:
Holmes & Hills' commercial property solicitors work closely with expert commercial property litigators in the firm's Litigation Department to provide specialist advice and representation to clients on a wide range of commercial property disputes. Importantly, this allows Holmes & Hills to advise clients on how to protect against future disputes and mitigate exposure to risk or liability.
Holmes & Hills Solicitors is unique in having teams of lawyers specialising in both Commercial Property Law and Planning Law. This means clients of the firm, that have commercial property matters involving issues concerning Planning Law, are able to get expert advice, covering both specialist areas, from a single legal service provider. This allows our solicitors to be more efficient and effective in dealing with your property matter and is commented upon by our clients as being of significant benefit.
Holmes & Hills Planning & Development Team is recognised by both the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners as being a leading source of Planning Law advice in the region. Our team of Planning Law solicitors can advice on obtaining permission for expansion of premises, change of use, appealing planning decisions and defending planning enforcement matters.
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