Property Security

Our Property Security Team is one of the largest and most experienced in the UK social housing sector. Acting for more than 130 Registered Providers and Registered Social Landlords, we deliver specialist advice on property charging, funding structures and asset readiness across facilities ranging from £1m to £2bn. As trusted banking and finance solicitors and property charging lawyers, we provide clear, commercially focused guidance that supports liquidity, strategic growth and long-term investment planning.

We advise on all aspects of property securitisation, including portfolio preparation, title due diligence, valuation strategies and the coordination of large-scale charging programmes. Our team understands the funding landscape for social housing and provides precise, proactive social housing finance legal advice, whether clients are accessing private placements, traditional loan facilities, bond aggregator vehicles or complex funding structures.

Our service is built around accuracy, efficiency and responsiveness. With decades of combined experience, we help clients manage risk, meet lender requirements and secure funding at pace.

Our Bespoke Toolkit and Streamlined Process

We have developed a bespoke in-house software programme, the Devonshires Toolkit, a pioneering transaction management system designed to streamline every aspect of the charging process. The Toolkit links directly with the Land Registry and our search providers, allowing us to download titles, plans, searches and related documents instantly, with all materials stored in electronic E-Packets for each property.

The system automatically generates a Titles Table and a Table of Outstanding Items, enabling clients to view the live status of all requirements throughout the transaction. These tables clearly distinguish items awaited from clients and those awaited from third parties, providing full transparency at every stage. Clients also have 24/7 portal access to all E-Packets, creating a permanent, well-organised record of titles, valuation bases and required documentation for future charging.

This technology significantly speeds up the charging process, reduces duplication and ensures a consistent, high-quality output across high-volume portfolios.

Real-Time Updates and Responsive Service

Our clients benefit from real-time, on-demand updates through our portal, enabling them to track progress across their entire charging programme. Our experience also allows us to identify early whether properties are likely to achieve Market Value Subject to Tenancies (MV-STT) or whether valuations will be restricted to Existing Use Value for Social Housing (EUV-SH). Where required, we advise on deeds of variation and rectifications to help maximise the value that can be secured.

Each transaction is delivered by a partner-led core team, supported as needed by additional specialists across our 30-strong securitisation group. We have extensive experience meeting tight deadlines and coordinating multi-site or high-volume programmes with speed and accuracy.

Our Services

We are legal experts in capital markets, and provide legal support for commercial property finance, we also provide a full suite of securitisation and funding‑related services, including:

• Asset and liability registers
• Property charging and portfolio preparation
• Getting properties “security‑ready”
• Advising on deeds of variation and rectifications
• Reviewing mortgagee protection clauses
• Reviewing over‑secured facilities
• Uplifting ex‑LSVT properties
• Security training workshops
• Loan and security documentation support across all major funders and aggregators
• Advice on private placements for Registered Providers and joint venture funding for housing associations