In-house Property Solicitor (Remote - fortnightly office visit)
This is an in-house property solicitor role which is essentially remote (office attendance once per fortnight) for a lawyer with experience of managing residential leasehold acquisitions.
Client Details
Our client is a privately owned and expanding specialist residential property business focused on the acquisition, refurbishment, letting and refinancing of retirement (age-restricted) leasehold flats across South East England. The business has a large and rapidly expanding portfolio.
Description
This is a newly created in-house role. The solicitor will act exclusively for the business on its own transactions, running the legal process on residential leasehold acquisitions from instruction to completion across several concurrent transactions. The role demands a high degree of autonomy.
Responsibilities include:
- Manage the full legal process on leasehold purchases from instruction to completion, running multiple transactions simultaneously
- Review titles, leasehold documentation and survey reports; obtain legal search insurance in lieu of traditional searches
- Raise and resolve pre-contract enquiries; agree service charge retentions with sellers, to be resolved upon receipt of end of year service charge statements from the managing agent
- Review leases for age-restricted clauses, assignment provisions and sub-letting conditions specific to retirement stock
- Produce a standardised legal report on title for each acquisition, covering lease term and unexpired years, freeholder and managing agent details, ground rent, service charge, section 20 works, reserve fund, fire risk assessment, asbestos report, buildings insurance, age qualification, assignment and sub-letting provisions, unusual covenants, applicable fees (registration, SDLT, land registry, transfer fees on future sale) and search insurance cost
- Liaise with external banking solicitors where mortgage finance is involved
- As part of each acquisition, proactively obtain from the freeholder and/or their managing agent the documentation the business will need for future refinancing: leases, service charge accounts, ground rent demands, buildings insurance certificates, fire safety documentation, asbestos reports and any scheme-specific consents
- Review the expiry dates of all time-sensitive documents obtained at purchase (e. buildings insurance, fire risk assessment, EPC). Where a document is in date at purchase but likely to expire before refinancing completes, flag this to the property manager with a recommended chase date so that reminders can be set in advance
- Ensure all information is complete, properly filed and handed over to the property management team on completion in a structured, consistent format
- Build and maintain a standard information checklist to be used consistently across all acquisitions
- Work closely with the acquisitions team to ensure the legal process does not slow deal timelines
- Advise internally on leasehold matters - age-restricted consents, assignment, sub-letting and lease obligations - as they arise post-completion
- Support the wider team with ad hoc legal queries relating to the portfolio
Profile
The successful candidate will be a UK Qualified Solicitor (SRA) or Licensed Conveyancer (CLC).
They will have:
- A minimum of 3 years' post-qualification experience in residential property / conveyancing
- Solid leasehold experience - comfortable with lease structures, title issues and pre-contract enquiry processes
- Proven ability to manage multiple concurrent transactions autonomously and to deadline
- Familiar with legal search insurance as an alternative to traditional searches
Desirable:
- Experience with retirement, sheltered housing or age-restricted leasehold stock
- Familiarity with residential refinancing information requirements (service charge accounts, buildings insurance, fire safety documentation)
- Prior in-house experience at a property company or investor
The role is primarily remote, with occasional attendance at the London office for team meetings and key transactions.