Legal Adviser (Plot Sales)

Sovereign Housing Association Limited; Basingstoke; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent housing organization is seeking a Legal Adviser to join its In-House Legal team. This role involves handling property transactions for affordable housing, ensuring smooth experiences for customers buying properties. The ideal candidate will have a qualification in property law, excellent communication, and planning skills. The role offers full training, a hybrid working arrangement in Basingstoke, and various benefits including 25 days holiday and a good pension scheme.

Benefits

25 Days Holiday + Bank Holidays

Option to buy or sell holiday

3 extra paid Wellbeing days

2 paid charity days

Enhanced pension scheme up to 12%

Life cover worth 4x salary

Private medical insurance options

Wellbeing discounts including Gym Memberships

Qualifications

• You need a qualification in property law or similar knowledge from work.
• A law degree, Graduate Diploma in Law, or working towards CILEX membership is ideal.
• Work experience in business or legal settings is beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Create documents from templates for property transactions.
• Work with buyers' solicitors and estate agents.
• Ensure mortgages meet SNG's requirements.
• Review plans for compliance with Land Registry rules.
• Check transaction files before exchange and advise on next steps.

Skills

Planning skills

Problem-solving skills

Communication skills

Attention to detail

Discretion

Computer skills

Education

Qualification in property law

Legal Practice Course

CILEX membership

Job description

SNG is a leading Housing Association, committed to providing good, affordable homes and services within sustainable, successful communities. We follow our values and are driven by a strong social purpose, putting our customers at the heart of everything we do.

We have a great opportunity for a Legal Adviser to join our In-House Legal team. Working under our Legal Counsel (Development & Sales) and Senior Legal Counsel (Development & Sales) you'll work in the Development & Sales Legal Focus Area to handle property transactions – both new build and general property sales – for SNG under the supervision of our Legal Counsel (Development & Sales). This team handles sales of existing properties, Shared Ownership and Open Market new build properties.

Based in Basingstoke, you'll mix home and office working. You will need to travel with this role between our other offices and to occasional development/property site visits, so you should be happy to travel and have transport access.

The role

Your role will help ensure our affordable housing customers have a smooth experience when buying a property from SNG Homes.

With full training provided, we will give you the skills and knowledge you'll need to manage your own set of property transactions.

The role focuses on selling Shared Ownership properties, private sales of new build homes on new build development schemes and sales of other property types.

Your main tasks will include:

• Creating documents from templates such as contracts, transfers and shared ownership leases.
• Working with buyers' solicitors and estate agents to move sales forward.
• Getting updates on transactions and sharing these with our Sales and Development Teams.
• Checking mortgages to ensure they meet SNG's requirements
• Reviewing plans to ensure they follow Land Registry rules.
• Handling or passing on queries to senior team members.
• Checking files before exchange and advising on next steps.
• Helping senior team members with various tasks and supporting the wider Legal team when needed.
• Office tasks related to property sales and team administration.

What we're looking for

Our ideal candidate will have a qualification in property law or similar knowledge from work. You might have a law degree, Graduate Diploma in Law or have started or finished the Legal Practice Course or be working towards CILEX membership. You'll also need:

• Good planning skills with the ability to organise your work well.
• Basic business sense and good thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Clear speaking and writing skills.
• Good eye for detail with the ability to adapt to deliver our service.
• Ability to build good working links within the Legal team, with colleagues and other partners.
• Ability to make good choices and be discreet.
• Good grades and computer skills.

The successful candidate will get full training for the role. These qualities are helpful but not required:

• Work experience in a business, law firm, in-house legal department, housing association or council, managing your own work and preferably working on legal cases.
• Experience in a similar role, or in legal matters for house sales.
• Knowledge of the key steps in a property sale.
• Experience using case management systems.
• Experience in an office role.

Equality and Diversity is key to creating a welcoming culture at SNG and we value diverse thinking. We welcome candidates with a growth mindset who share these values and want to join an organisation that is leading change.

What you'll get from us

Along with a good salary, we have great benefits at SNG, including:

• 25 Days Holiday + Bank Holidays (plus an extra day each year up to 30 days)
• Option to buy or sell holiday
• 3 extra paid Wellbeing days and 2 paid charity days
• Good pension scheme up to 12% and Life cover worth 4x salary
• Extra maternity/adoption pay
• Extra paternity pay - 6 weeks full pay (after 26 weeks' service)
• Options for private medical insurance, dental insurance and critical illness cover
• Wellbeing discounts, including Gym Memberships and 24/7 virtual GP service

It's an exciting time to join SNG as we change and work towards our goals. If you want a new opportunity, we'd love to hear from you!