This Cardiff law firm is helping its clients navigate all things property amid today’s turbulent market
HCB WiddoWs Mason offers tailored adviCe for its Clients WHo are looking to Buy or sell a HoMe, lease a Business preMises, and More
GETTING on the property ladder can be a tricky process for many people, especially in today’s turbulent economy. Whether someone is a first-time buyer or looking for somewhere to set up their business, it’s vital that the right type of trusted legal support is available for them.
With offices in Cardiff, Bristol and Aberdare HCB Widdows Mason is one of the fastest-growing law firms in Wales, offering expert advice in all things property for its clients. Dealing in residential property, re-mortgaging, and bridging finance as well as commercial property, it prides itself on a personal and professional service that can be counted on.
Geraint Aubrey, director and head of property for Wales and South West at HCB, says: “The UK property market is very volatile at the moment. Over the last few years, it’s experienced a lot of changes such as the end of the stamp duty holiday period, and price hikes that have made things quite difficult for people. However, we’re here to help our clients in any way that we can.”
“When someone contacts us regarding a property case we give them an accurate price estimate straight away, which outlines all of their details and disbursements, including additional costs such as for their stamp duty that they would have to pay.”
This would then allow them to budget accordingly and we would discuss their needs with them in regards to the property transaction itself.
“A first-time buyer may say they want to be in their new home by a certain date, and a developer may tell them they have a 28-day exchange deadline. Investors often want things done quickly in auctions or using bridging finance. It varies drastically but we make sure our clients are looked after and put with the right person for the job.”
A GROWING FIRM
HCB Widdows Mason is a thriving firm with a local presence. Its offices are situated in Cardiff, Bristol and Aberdare and it is part of the HCB Group, which has a presence across the UK, including in the likes of Birmingham, Leicester, Northampton and Gatwick. The company’s Cardiff site was founded in 2015 by one of its directors, Andrew Barrowclough, mainly focusing in education law. In 2017 Geraint Aubrey was brought in from a national conveyancing firm to start the property department.
Over the last six years, the Cardiff property department has grown to 20 members of staff, ranging from paralegals to fully qualified and experienced solicitors. In its last expansion in 2021, Claire Winterburn joined from an international corporate firm and is now a director. The team deals with all aspects of residential and commercial property law, including auction, development finance, bridging finance and more.
The firm has recently expanded further by adding three high profile members of staff. Leighton Sheady now heads up the commercial property department having joined as director in October. Along with being able to handle all types of commercial transactional work, Leighton has specialised in the leisure and telecommunications sector of property. He has acted for national brewery companies, mobile network providers, and national developers in land acquisition and development projects. The residential property team has also been boosted with the addition of Amy Palmer as conveyancer and Martin Edwards as senior associate.
Geraint Aubrey commented: “We are delighted with the new hires that we have made and believe this strengthens our team and offering massively. We are committed to providing a fantastic service to our clients in all areas of property.” BESPOKE ADVICE HCB Widdows Mason prides itself on offering a personal conveyancing service to its clients instead of a call-centre type of approach. Customers are able to come into the firm’s Cardiff or Bristol office and speak to a professional in a face-to-face environment whilst also having the option to complete formalities over the phone and electronically. This allows the firm to act for local clients as well as some who are further afield.
The property team is made up of four sub-teams; Residential, Investment and Development, New Build and Commercial. Each team provides its client with the specific advice they need and handles their matters in accordance with the requirements of the particular transaction. For example, the residential team will be geared up to look after first-time buyers and families that are moving house, whilst the Investment team will be tailoring its service to fast-track cases and specific finance products like bridging loans. The new build team offer a bespoke solution to this niche area of property law. This means it can meet strict developer deadlines and help ensure clients secure the plot they have set their hearts on at the right price. Finally, the new commercial team headed up by Leighton Sheady can deal with all aspects of leasing or buying commercial property.
So, whether you are buying or selling a home for the first or second time, looking to lease a commercial property, purchasing at auction or wanting to do something more complex such as develop a plot of land using bridging finance, you will have a fully qualified team set up specifically to look after your legal property needs. To contact the team you can email cardiff@hcbgroup.com or to find out more about the types of property advice HCB Widdows Mason can offer, visit the website.