Example fees for Residential Conveyancing

Our standard conveyancing fee is based on the sale or purchase price, whether the property is freehold or leasehold and whether the property is a new build or recently converted. As a guide our standard conveyancing fee for a £550,000 freehold house sale will be between £1,500 plus VAT and £1,900 plus VAT and for a freehold house purchase at the same price our fee will be between £1,600 plus VAT and £2,000 plus VAT, depending in each case on the exact circumstances of the transaction. In each case, the rate of VAT is 20% of the fee, for example a fee of £1,500 plus VAT is £1,800 inclusive of VAT.

We will give you a “fixed” fee quote based on the circumstances of the transaction which you provide to us. However, if after you have instructed us to act on your behalf those circumstances change or a new development arises, we will discuss and agree any change in the fee quote with you. Therefore where there is likely to be an additional fee incurred, we will make sure you are informed of this at the earliest opportunity and a clear estimate of the additional fee agreed with you. Usually we will only deviate from our initial fee quote if the matter becomes protracted, or there are unforeseen circumstances or additional legal work is required which was not evident at the start of the transaction.

PLEASE NOTE:

Expenses (known as disbursements) are payable in addition to our fee, as follows:

Disbursements relating to all transactions

  • A Compliance check fee for each client of £30 (inclusive of VAT at 20%) in line with Anti-Money Laundering Regulations requirements and a CHAPS fee for any money payments made which is £45 (inclusive of VAT at 20%).

Disbursements relating to sales

  • The Land Registry fee for the Land Registry filed documents relating to the property of between £6 and £30 approximately (with no VAT), depending on the number of relevant documents required; and
  • On leasehold sales, the freeholder/managing agent fee for supplying the management information pack which could be between £75 and £450 plus VAT at 20%. This fee is set by the freeholder/managing agent and we will obtain confirmation of the exact fee as soon as we can, should you decide to instruct us.

Disbursements relating to purchases

  • The search pack – £350 to £600 (inclusive of VAT at 20%) depending on the area in which the property is located;
  • Land Registry fees for pre-completion searches and for any documents obtained as part of the legal due diligence – between £3 and £50 (with no VAT) depending on the property and whether the purchase is a cash purchase or a purchase with the assistance of mortgage finance;
  • Land Registry registration fee – £95 to £910 (with no VAT) depending on the value of the property and whether it involves a new lease and a transfer of part. Please refer to the following website for further information: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/hm-land-registry-registration-services-fees;
  • Stamp duty land tax where the property is located in England – this depends on the value of the property and HMRC’s calculator can be found by clicking the following link: https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/calculate-stamp-duty-land-tax/#/intro;
  • Land transaction tax where the property is located in Wales – this again depends on the value of the property and the Welsh Government’s calculator can be found by clicking the following link: https://gov.wales/land-transaction-tax-calculator;
  • For leasehold properties – a notice of transfer fee which will depend on the contents of the lease and the fee set by the landlord/managing agent, further a deed of covenant, transfer of share fee and compliance certificate fee may apply and these fees are also set by the landlord/managing agents. We will confirm the amounts of these fees when we receive the management information pack from the seller’s solicitor.

Disbursements relating to purchases

  • The search pack – £350 to £600 (inclusive of VAT at 20%) depending on the area in which the property is located;
  • Land Registry fees for pre-completion searches and for any documents obtained as part of the legal due diligence – between £3 and £50 (with no VAT) depending on the property and whether the purchase is a cash purchase or a purchase with the assistance of mortgage finance;
  • Land Registry registration fee – £95 to £910 (with no VAT) depending on the value of the property and whether it involves a new lease and a transfer of part. Please refer to the following website for further information: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/hm-land-registry-registration-services-fees;
  • Stamp duty land tax where the property is located in England – this depends on the value of the property and HMRC’s calculator can be found by clicking the following link: https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/calculate-stamp-duty-land-tax/#/intro;
  • Land transaction tax where the property is located in Wales – this again depends on the value of the property and the Welsh Government’s calculator can be found by clicking the following link: https://gov.wales/land-transaction-tax-calculator;
  • For leasehold properties – a notice of transfer fee which will depend on the contents of the lease and the fee set by the landlord/managing agent, further a deed of covenant, transfer of share fee and compliance certificate fee may apply and these fees are also set by the landlord/managing agents. We will confirm the amounts of these fees when we receive the management information pack from the seller’s solicitor.

Disbursements relating to re-mortgages

  • The search pack – as above for purchase transactions, OR alternatively the lender may accept a no-search indemnity insurance policy in lieu of the searches which will cost between £75 and £250 approximately (the cost depends on the value of the property and/or the amount of the mortgage advance);
  • Land Registry fees – as above for purchase transactions;
  • Land Registry registration fee – as above for purchase transactions; and
  • For leasehold properties – a notice of charge fee which varies from property to property and is set by the landlord/managing agents.

All elements of the conveyancing transaction are included in our fee, except any additional fees payable to account for a short timescale, complex transaction or a simultaneous exchange and completion, or additional fees are payable for us to deal with a bridging loan or when the lender has a separate solicitor acting. It may be necessary to carry out work on an hourly rate basis either throughout the transaction or in addition to the quoted fees. If this is applicable, our time will be charged based on an hourly rate and you will be notified of the appropriate hourly rate before any such work is carried out.

The average straight forward residential sale and purchase takes between 4 to 6 weeks to reach the point of exchange, however there are many variables. We will therefore keep you appraised of the likely timeframe as the matter progresses.

A fee supplement is payable if the transaction involves a leasehold flat, a mortgage loan from a private bank, bridging finance, a mortgage where separate solicitors are instructed by the lender.

Additional fee supplements may be payable depending on the circumstances eg. a short timescale, a complex transaction, a simultaneous exchange and completion.

Separate fee scales apply to shared ownership properties, retirement homes, trust deeds, lease extensions, stand-alone loans from private banks and bridging finance etc.

We do NOT charge a fee supplement for acting for a mainstream lender (where a separate solicitor is not instructed by the lender), redeeming a mortgage on a sale, or for completing and submitting the stamp duty return and paying the duty due.

Information regarding complaints procedure can be found here.