Residential property lawyers, solicitors and barristers at Keystone Law

Whether you are buying or selling a property, residential transactions present significant financial exposure, but also a tremendous opportunity. Skilled legal advice ensures you can reduce risk whilst increasing the likelihood of a successful outcome.

Our residential property law services

Keystone’s team of residential property lawyers advise on property transactions of all sizes, from ultra-high-value real estate, agricultural and landed estates, through to houses and flats. In addition to acquisitions and disposals, our team also deal with easements and covenants, leasehold enfranchisement, mortgaging and re-mortgaging, and Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) matters.

The team has extensive experience in landlord and tenant matters, including helping to resolve any disputes that arise.

Keystone offers specialist bilingual advice on all aspects of Spanish property law and Spanish succession, probate and administration of estates. Our English-speaking Spanish lawyer (abogado) and UK solicitor provides professional Spanish legal advice and has extensive knowledge and experience of Spanish law.

Who do we advise?

Our team of residential property experts act for private clients, high-net-worth individuals, landlords, property developers and investors, and estate agents.

Why choose our residential property team?

Private clients and businesses benefit from our seasoned, sensible solutions whatever the nature, scale or complexity of the transaction. Industry awareness, pragmatism and foresight are among our skills, and our experience will ensure you meet your personal goals quickly, with minimum expense.

Each member of our team has been a specialist in this area of law for many years, and we have individuals listed in legal directory The Legal 500 as leading advisers on property transactions and disputes.

Keystone Law is accredited by the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme, this means we can typically act for your chosen lender as well as you. This will ensure a seamless, and where necessary, rapid transaction.

For further information or to discuss a residential property matter, please telephone 020 3319 3700 or click here to email us.

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They advise on some of London's highest value property deals, dealing with a huge range of clients and their differing requirements.

Legal 500 2025
Very professional and always responsive. Always there to answer a query, practical solutions and client’s best interests always put first.

Legal 500 2024
The team at Keystone Law are exemplary in every aspect of their work and their communication is second to none.

Legal 500 2024

Residential Property (UK)

Acquisitions and disposals

Our team of residential property lawyers appreciate the time, effort and emotion involved in selling and buying property. We provide tailored and commercial advice in order to ensure that all transactions run as smoothly as possible for each individual client from start to completion. Our expertise spans from advising both on and off-shore individuals and investors, in the sale, purchase and financing of prime residential property. We also work closely with our colleagues to provide guidance in all areas of the transaction including tax, trusts, planning, employment, construction and any contentious issue that may arise.

Agricultural and Landed Estates

There are a number of obstacles involved, in relation to agricultural land and landed estates matters. We can offer our clients tailored advice in terms of agricultural tenancies, as well as in the selling and purchasing of land particularly with large country houses. We are also able to assist with the legal issues that often arise in the running of a farm or landed estate – working closely with our private client and tax colleagues to ensure our clients have all bases covered.

Conditional contracts

Our team of experts is well adept to advising in all forms of buying or selling property, including when there may be a conditional contract in place. We have vast experience in acting for either the seller or the buyer where conditions are imposed and we work very closely with our clients to ensure that all of their requirements are met before final completion of any transaction.

Easements and covenants

Our residential team understands the complexities that come with owning a property including the extensive rights, responsibilities and obligations that are posed. We often advise and explain to our clients any potential implications which might arise and work closely with our contentious team, particularly to off-set a potential dispute. We also regularly draft and negotiate easements, covenants and reservations of rights where necessary.

Landlord and Tenant

The relationship between a landlord and tenant can be of mutual benefit but can, at times, encounter a number of problems. We have extensive knowledge and experience of all kinds of residential leases and tenancies, whether long or short and therefore understand the importance of drafting, advising and negotiating the terms of a lease or tenancy with an eye to minimise any potential issues for our client in the future. We also act and provide a bespoke service for both landlords and tenants from companies and trusts to on and off-shore individuals.

Leasehold enfranchisement

Whilst, long leaseholders in England and Wales have the legal right to buy their landlord’s freehold interest outright this complicated area of law is ever-changing and specialist legal advice should always be obtained. Our team has extensive experience of acting for landlords and tenants in this field and works closely with other professionals, such as surveyors and valuers, to ensure that the best possible outcome is secured for the client.

Mortgaging and re-mortgaging

The sheer variety of the team’s client base enables us to proceed as efficiently as possible with a view to securing the draw down of a mortgage advance – at the earliest opportunity. Businesses that we advise include a number of banks and building societies, institutional investors, and borrowers.

Option and pre-emption agreements

An option agreement can be a useful way of compelling a seller to sell a property, at the buyer’s behest, within a certain time frame. We understand that, in other circumstances, a client may require a pre-emption agreement for peace of mind and certainty for a future acquisition. And our experience extends to acting for either side, as well as to drafting and negotiating the terms of these agreements in accordance with the client’s particular needs at that time.

Overage and clawback agreements

The purchase or disposal of a property is seldom an easy transaction. Our residential team of lawyers works closely with clients to guide them through the plethora of options available to them and advise on a number of different styles of agreements including overage and clawback agreements. Such agreements can be complicated and often involve extensive negotiation and drafting. But our team is dedicated to providing bespoke tailored advice for our clients be they on the seller or the buyer side.

Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) and other taxes

Our residential team works closely with our excellent team of tax experts to ensure the best advice is given. Tax relating to residential property has been subject to extensive reform over recent years, particularly with regard to on and off-shore companies and individuals owning more than one property. Our dedicated team can advise on all aspects of tax relating to residential property, particularly in respect of SDLT, Annual Tax on Enveloped Dwellings, Capital Gains Tax and Inheritance Tax.

Property (Spain)

NIE applications

Any non-Spanish national with an interest in Spain is required to obtain an NIE number in order to purchase a Spanish property, open a bank account in Spain, or even inherit a property. Our experts assist clients on a regular basis on the process of obtaining an NIE number whether in person or by Power of Attorney.

Ownership structure, planning and succession advise

We strongly advise all of our clients to ensure that a future plan is in place before the purchase of a property in order to avoid difficulties that may arise further down the line. We are able to liaise with a tax adviser to ensure that the beneficial ownership structure is planned and best structured around the personal circumstances of each individual client.

Power of Attorney

We are fully qualified to draft documents to be signed in the UK and organise an apostille so that they can be used in Spain when travel to the country is not possible or the client prefers a representative to sign on their behalf in Spain.

Probate and estate administration

We are aware that probate and estate administration can be a lengthy process and especially when dealing with a jurisdiction outside of the UK. We have a specialist Spanish lawyer who advises clients on all probate and administration matters in Spain including drafting Spanish wills or English wills with Spanish elements.

Purchase of Spanish property

Purchasing a holiday home or a retirement home in the sun is a dream for many and few make it a reality; in most cases this is due to an anxiety of the unknown. Our experts in Spanish real estate are on hand to make this dream a reality and guide clients through the step by step process of purchasing a villa, apartment or even land. If required, our advisors can liaise with the Spanish notario or any other third parties in Spain on our clients’ behalf. All our services are unique to the needs of each individual client.

Sales of Spanish property

Selling property can be a stressful experience particularly if the property is in another jurisdiction or in a country where the local language isn’t the seller’s mother tongue. We understand these issues and help our clients to overcome them by advising on all aspects of the sale including with the organisation of required reports needed to proceed with the sale. With our years’ of experience in dealing with the Spanish real estate market, we are also able to liaise with estate agents in the area to help smooth the process.

Spanish wills and estate planning

Nobody likes to think of death but the fact of the matter is that it happens to all of us. Our experts are on hand to advise clients on will formation and estate planning and can even discuss the possibility of a Spanish will if the client requires.

Transfer of ownership following divorce/ to an existing co-owner

Our experienced real estate team works closely with colleagues in other departments which places us in the unique position to offer our clients a full service to fulfil all their needs. The transfer of ownership of a property can occur due to a number of circumstances and we work with experts handpicked to best deal with the situation. For example, following a divorce we will liaise with our excellent family department or if the transfer is of a share within the property we will liaise with our corporate counterparts.

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Acting on the sale of a Grade II listed country house in the Home Counties for an eight figure sum
Acting on the sale and purchase of various properties in Central London, each valued at several million pounds and some of which involved off-shore financing
Advising on the purchase of prestige residential properties both freehold and leasehold in central London – £25m to £50m with appropriate structuring requirements
Advising on the purchase of property in One Hyde Park with appropriate financing and structuring
Advising and dealing with a complex and high-net-worth individual’s estate which included a trust structure and successfully administering the Spanish estate
Successfully enforcing the Spanish Forced Heirship rules in a complex and potentially litigious estate administration to protect the interests of a British national minor
Acting on the successful negotiation, rescission of a contract and recovery of funds for an elderly couple from a property developer following a complex scenario where their daughter had entered into a binding contract and had subsequently passed away
Acted for a US billionaire and substantial fund manager/owner on the sale of a substantial and prestigious flat in London
Advised on the sale and remortgage of residential property portfolio involving the sale of one property and the taking up of second mortgage on the remaining four properties
Acted in the high value sale of an eco-friendly prime central London to a high profile individual
Acted on the high-value purchase of a residential property in Godalming, Surrey in a very tight timescale
Advised on the high-value sale of a significant central London property on Hyde Park Gate
Acted on a substantial purchase of a residential property in Oxford for a long-standing, well-known media client
Acted in a significant dispute with local authority

Please note: The experience list above features work carried out by lawyers who now work at Keystone Law however this work may have been completed prior to them joining the firm.