Conveyancing Fee Schedule
We are very happy to provide you with a personalised fee estimate by email. Please contact our team to request this. The information which follows is general and for guidance only.
Our charges for dealing with residential conveyancing are usually based on a fixed fee basis and we will always let you know in writing what our charges will be for dealing with your transaction. Occasionally, complications will arise during your transaction that can affect the amount that you will pay. We will always let you know if that happens and will explain what the cost will be to deal with the problem. We will agree this with you, before the cost is incurred. We have set out examples of the kinds of issues that can sometimes arise below, together with the typical costs of dealing with them.
You can request a personalised conveyancing fee estimate by filling in our contact form.
We have set out below typical fees for a range of transactions.
Our charges are usually offered on a fixed fee basis plus VAT and any extra administrative charges and costs paid to others on your behalf (known as ‘disbursements’).
VAT
We will add VAT to all charges at the rate that applies when the work is done. At present VAT is 20%.
Hourly Charge Out Rates
For all other matters or In the unlikely event the conveyancing transaction becomes complex we shall deal with your matter on a private fee-paying basis at our hourly charge out rates as follows:
Conveyancing Partner: £350.00 + VAT
Conveyancing Solicitor and Licenced Conveyancer
with over 4 years post qualification experience: £275.00 + VAT
Other solicitors and Legal Executives £225.00 + VAT
Trainee Solicitor and support staff: £175.00 + VAT
The charges above are based on an hourly rate plus VAT and any extra administrative charges and costs paid to others on your behalf (known as ‘disbursements’).
Residential Property Sales
Our charges are usually offered on a fixed fee basis plus VAT and any extra administrative charges and costs paid to others on your behalf (known as ‘disbursements’).
Scale of our fees
| Price of Property | Legal Fees |
| Up to £500,000 | £1,250 plus VAT |
| £500,001- £750,000 | £1,500 plus VAT |
| £750,000 – £1,000,000 | £1,750 plus VAT |
| £1,000,001 + | £2,100 – £3,100 plus VAT |
How long will it take?
The speed of your transaction from the point at which you accept an offer will depend on a number of factors. In our experience the average time is between eight and ten weeks.
Your transaction may move more quickly or more slowly depending on the other parties in your chain and the particular circumstances of your transaction. We will always talk to you about the timescale that you have in mind and will stay in touch with you to update you throughout.
What happens?
Every transaction is different but some of the key stages include:
- take your instructions and give you initial advice
- obtaining client ID and carrying out ID checks
- send you property information forms for completion
- drafting contract documents
- obtaining title information documents from the Land Registry
- sending contract package to the Buyers solicitors
- obtaining service charge information from the freeholder (Leasehold sales only)
- dealing with enquiries raised by the Buyers solicitors
- advising you on all documents and information relevant to the sale
- agreeing the final contract document and sending it to you for signature
- agree completion date (your moving date)
- exchange of contracts
- agreeing the transfer documents and sending to you for signature
- receiving the purchase funds and completing the sale
- paying the estate agents invoice from the sale proceeds
- redeeming any mortgage
- Send documents to the buyers solicitors
- Send money to you where applicable
Performance Time-Scale
A transaction of this nature is estimated to take between 6 – 8 weeks from start to finish. Although, you will appreciate the transaction is dependent upon outside factors, such as parties in the chain, searches, whether a mortgage is involved, enquiries and whether it is a freehold or a leasehold purchase. We cannot guarantee the exact time it will take to complete a transaction, but we are confident that we will give you a high quality service in all respects. Here is a breakdown of how the purchase transaction will take place:
Example:
| Stage One – Initial Instructions
|
– You will confirm your instructions by signing a copy of our Client Care letter and providing the initial payment on account for fees and disbursements. We will also require you to complete and return the protocol forms.
– We will contact the buyer’s solicitors confirming our instructions and will obtain confirmation from them that they are instructed in this matter. |
| Stage Two – Pre-Exchange
This stage usually takes around 3 – 4 weeks. |
– Upon receipt of the completed protocol forms and your initial payment, we will obtain up to date Official Copy of Register of Title and will issue the draft contract papers to the buyer’s solicitors.
– We will obtain the title deeds from your lender (if applicable) – The buyer’s solicitors will approve the contract papers and will raise any enquiries. They will also commence their searches. – We will respond to the buyer’s solicitor’s enquiries and will forward any enquiries to you which you are required to answer. – We will discuss possible dates for exchange of contracts and completion and agree this with the buyer’s solicitors. – We will forward the agreed contract to you for your execution in readiness for exchange of contracts. |
| Stage Three – Exchange of Contracts | – We will require the original executed contract from you to exchange contracts. A date for completion is agreed once contracts have been exchanged.
– Once contracts have been exchanged, we will obtain a redemption statement from your lender. (if applicable) – Once contracts have been exchanged, you are legally bound to the contract. |
| Stage Four – Pre-Completion
|
– We will swap signed contracts with the buyer’s solicitors and they will send us the 10% deposit of the purchase price which we will hold pending completion.
– The buyer’s solicitors will send us the Transfer (TR1) which you will need to execute in the presence of an independent witness and return to us prior to completion. Please note completion cannot take place unless we are holding a correctly signed Transfer. |
|
Stage Five – Completion |
– You are required to ensure that the property is vacant by 1 pm on the day of completion.
– We will receive the completion funds from the buyer’s solicitors and authorise you to release the keys to the agent/ buyer. – We will redeem any mortgages registered against the property (if applicable). |
|
Stage Six – Post Completion |
– We will send the original signed Transfer and any other original title deeds to the buyer’s solicitors.
– We will pay the estate agents invoice. – We will send you our invoice and statement of account and will forward the sale proceeds to you. Our costs and all disbursements will be payable at this stage. – Your file is closed accordingly |
Residential Property Purchases
We will deal with everything that is required to complete your purchase of your new home, including dealing with registration at the Land Registry, payment of Stamp Duty Land Tax (Stamp Duty) if the property is in England or Land Transaction Tax (Land Tax) if the property you wish to buy is in Wales.
Our charges are usually offered on a fixed fee basis plus VAT and any extra administrative charges and costs paid to others on your behalf (known as ‘disbursements’).
Scale of our fees
| Price of Property | Legal Fees |
| Up to £500,000 | £1,450 plus VAT |
| £500,001- £750,000 | £1,800 + VAT |
| £1,000,001 – | Negotiable |
Performance Time-Scale
A transaction of this nature is estimated to take between 6 – 12 weeks from start to finish. Although, you will appreciate the transaction is dependent upon outside factors, such as parties in the chain, searches, whether a mortgage is involved, enquiries, whether you are first-time buyer and whether it is a freehold or a leasehold purchase. We cannot guarantee the exact time it will take to complete a transaction, but we are confident that we will give you a high quality service in all respects. Here is a breakdown of how the purchase transaction will take place:
Example:
| Stage One – Initial Instructions
|
– You will confirm your instructions by signing a copy of our Client Care letter and provide the initial payment on account for fees and disbursements
– We will contact seller’s solicitors and confirm our instructions and request the draft contract papers. |
| Stage Two – Pre-Exchange
This stage usually takes around 3 – 4 weeks. |
– Once we receive the draft contract papers from the seller’s solicitors, we will approve the contract documents and raise any enquiries with the seller’s solicitors.
– We will commence the searches. – We will receive your mortgage offer and valuation report (if applicable). – Upon receipt of the replies to enquiries and the search results, we will report to you on our investigation of the property and will arrange for you to execute the contract documentation in readiness for exchange of contracts. Any enquiries that you may have will be discussed with you at this stage. – We will discuss possible dates for exchange of contracts and completion and agree with the seller’s solicitors. |
| Stage Three – Exchange of Contracts | – We will require the original executed contract documentation from you together with your deposit to exchange contracts.
– Once contracts have been exchanged, you will need to arrange your buildings insurance (if applicable) – Once contracts have been exchanged, you are legally bound to the contract. |
| Stage Four – Pre-Completion
|
– We will swap signed contracts and will send the agreed deposit to the seller’s solicitors or hold the deposit to their order pending completion
– We will prepare and send a completion statement to you advising you of the amount required to complete. The final full amount, including our fees and all the disbursements must be transferred to us at least one day before completion to avoid any delays. – We will inform your lenders of the proposed completion date so that the mortgage funds are released to us at least one day before completion. – We will carry out priority searches. – We will forward the Transfer Deed to the seller’s solicitors and to you to execute in readiness for completion |
|
Stage Five – Completion |
– We will receive the mortgage funds from your lenders (if applicable) and together with the balance of your completion funds, we will send the required completion amount to the seller’s solicitors on the day of completion.
– Once the seller’s solicitors have received the funds, they will inform us and will also inform the estate agents to release the keys to you. – You can then collect the keys and move into your new home. – We aim to complete by 2pm on the day of completion. |
|
Stage Six – Post Completion |
– We will receive the original signed Transfer Deed and any other original title deeds from the seller’s solicitors.
– We will submit the stamp duty form and payment (if applicable) on your behalf with HM Revenue & Customs. – We will prepare and serve notice of mortgage and transfer to the freeholder/managing agent. – We will arrange to register the property in your name. – Once registration has completed, we will forward a copy of the title deed to your lender and will forward a copy to you together with any title deeds which the lender does not require. |
Land Registry fees
Dependent on the property value:
| Value | Fee |
| £0- £80,000 | £20 |
| £80,001 – £100,000 | £40 |
| £100,001 – £200,000 | £100 |
| £200,001 – £500,000 | £150 |
| £500,001 – £1,000,000 | £295 |
| £1,000,001 and over | £500 |
Search fees and Land Registry fees will vary depending upon local charges where your property is situated and the property price.
Stamp Duty Land Tax
Stamp Duty is charged in relation to the purchase price of the property and is increased if you own other properties. You can use the calculator on HMRC’s website for properties in England.
For Residential properties please visit: https://www.gov.uk/stamp-duty-land-tax/residential-property-rates
For non-residential and mixed use properties please visit: https://www.gov.uk/stamp-duty-land-tax/nonresidential-and-mixed-rates
Residential Property Remortgage/Transfer
We will deal with everything that is required to remortgage/transfer your home. including redeeming any existing mortgage and dealing with registration at the Land Registry.
Our charges are usually offered on a fixed fee basis plus VAT and any extra administrative charges and costs paid to others on your behalf (known as ‘disbursements’).
Scale of our fees
| Amount | Legal fees |
| Up to £500,000 | £1250 plus VAT |
| £500,001-£750,000 | £1350 plus VAT |
| £750,000 -£1,000.000 | £1500 plus VAT |
| £1,000.000 and above | £1750-£2000 plus VAT |
How long will it take?
The length of time it will take to complete your remortgage/transfer depends on a number of factors, including the requirements set by your new mortgage lender. In our experience the usual timescale is 4-6 weeks from receipt of your mortgage offer. We will always talk to you about the timescale that you have in mind and will stay in touch with you to update you throughout.
What happens?
Every transaction is different but some of the key stages include:
- take your instructions and give you initial advice
- obtain copy title documents and review
- carry out searches
- Drafting, negotiating and approving draft Transfer Deed.
- give you advice on all documents and information relevant to the remortgage
- send the mortgage deed/transfer deed to you for signature
- agree completion date
- obtain redemption figure on existing mortgage(s)
- submit report on title to the lender and request funds
- redeeming any mortgage(s)
- account to you with any balance of funds held
- register new mortgage/ transfer deed at the Land Registry
Performance Time-Scale
A transaction of this nature usually takes between 4 – 6 weeks from receipt of contract papers. Although, you will appreciate the transaction is dependent upon outside factors, such as, other people in the chain and replies to enquiries. We cannot guarantee the time it will take to complete a transaction but we are confident that we will give you a high quality service in all respects. Here is a breakdown of how the transaction will take place:
Example:
| Stage One – Initial Instructions
|
– You will confirm your instructions by signing a copy of our Client Care letter and provide your initial payment on
– Your new Lender Solicitors will send us their requirements, a copy of the Loan Agreement and the Mortgage Valuation Report. – We will confirm our instructions with your new lender’s solicitors. |
| Stage Two – Pre-Exchange
This stage usually takes around 3 – 4 weeks. |
– We will apply for searches or if your lender accepts no search indemnity insurance, we will obtain a quote to be put on risk on the day of completion
– We will contact your exiting lender and request for a Redemption Statement. – We will report to you on your mortgage offer. Any enquiries that you may will be discussed with you at this stage. – We will send you the Legal Charge for your execution, – We will discuss possible dates for completion. |
| Stage Three – Pre-Completion
|
– The lender’s solicitors will submit the Certificate of Title to your new lender requesting for drawdown of funds in readiness for completion.
– We will prepare and send a completion statement to you advising you of the amount required to complete. The final full amount, including our fees and all the disbursements must be transferred to us at least one day before completion to avoid any delays. – We will carry out a priority search and bankruptcy search. – We will require the executed Legal Charge from you together with balance required to complete. |
|
Stage Four – Completion |
– We will receive the mortgage funds from your new lender’s solicitors.
– We will redeem the existing mortgage. – The remaining amount will be sent to you after deducting our fees and disbursements. |
|
Stage Five– Post Completion |
– We will arrange to register the new Lender’s Legal Charge against your property.
– Once registration has completed, we will forward a copy of the title deed to your new lender and will forward a copy to you together with any title deeds which the lender does not require. |
Commercial Property Transactions
We will deal with everything that is required to complete your commercial transaction. Our initial charges for a commercial transaction start at £2,500 + VAT plus any extra administrative charges and costs paid to others on your behalf (known as ‘disbursements’).
Additional Commercial Transaction Charges:
Every transaction is different and sometimes complications arise that are outside our control. The following list is not intended to be exhaustive but shows some commonly encountered complications which can affect our initial charges:
| Licence to Assign | £900 plus VAT |
| Rent Deposit Deed | £750 plus VAT |
| Licence for Alterations | £750 plus VAT |
| Purchasing Goodwill of Business | Starting at £2,500 plus VAT subject to change due complexity of the transaction |
Landlord and Tenant
This type of transaction will be dealt with on a private fee-paying basis, at our hourly charge out rates (as set out above) plus VAT and any extra administrative charges and costs that we may need to pay to others on your behalf (known as ‘disbursements’).
Third party charges
Dependant on each transaction:
- HM Land Registry document fee £3 each
- InfoTrack fee for Title Register Documents £3 each plus administration fee (currently £0.90 subject to change)
- Bankruptcy Search fee £2 each
- Bank Transfer fee (TT) – £15 plus VAT.
- InfoTrack ID verification – £6 plus VAT.
- InfoTrack eCOS (enhanced check) – £7.25 plus VAT.
- Landlords and managing agents supply information packs including insurance and service charges information. The estimated fee for Leasehold Information Packs is usually between £100 – £500 plus VAT.
- Usual and necessary searches (Local Authority, Drainage and Water, Environmental, Chancel etc). Estimated between £350 – £400 plus VAT
- Once your leasehold purchase/remortgage/transfer has been completed we will serve notice on the freeholder. You may incur an administrative charge for this, usually between £100 – £300 plus VAT.
Possible Additional Charges
Every transaction is different and sometimes complications arise that are outside our control. The following list is not intended to be exhaustive but shows some commonly encountered complications which can affect our charges:
The below additional charges are exclusive of VAT
| Accelerated Completion – fewer than five working days | £275 |
| Our Fee for processing and administering TT fee | £22.50 |
| Bank Account Verification Fee | £17.50 |
| Our Fee for processing and administering ID Verification and Anti-Money Laundering Compliance checks (per person) | £17.50 |
| Additional Fee for acting for Overseas Client | £500 |
| Dealing with Gifted Deposit | £275 |
| Dealing with Help to Buy ISA bonus account (per account) | £50 |
| Dealing with Occupier’s Consent | £87.50 |
| Dealing with Occupier’s Signature on Sale Contract | £87.50 |
| Dealing with service charge retention, costs to be advised but from | £100-£175 |
| Declaration of Trust costs to be advised subject to assessment of requirements | £550-£825 |
| Discharging Second Charge | £175 |
| Drafting and lodging Deed of Covenant | £175 |
| General Power of Attorney | £275 |
| Acting for Lender:
– Residential – Commercial |
£250 £500 |
| Our fee for completing and filling on your behalf Stamp Duty Land Tax return:
– Residential – Commercial |
£90 £125 |
| Obtaining copies of Bankruptcy Entries if indicated by search | £50 |
| Obtaining Indemnity Insurance | £60 |
| Obtaining references and dealing with Licence to Assign | £250 |
| Transfer of Share Certificate | £75 |
| Leasehold supplement | £250 |
| Buy to Let supplement | £250 |
| Right to Buy supplement | £250 |
| Sharia Compliant Mortgages | £500 |
| Our fee for processing and arranging Companies House Search | £17.50 |
| Companies House Document Registration:
– Legal Charge – Debenture |
£87.50 £87.50 |
| Photocopying & Scanning | £25 |
| Unregistered Land | £250 |