The fee for conveyancing matters will vary matter to matter. You will be given a ‘Costs Estimate’ depending on the price of the property you are purchasing or selling and whether it is a leasehold property etc.
We will be as transparent as possible and if the matter becomes substantially more complex due to factors that arise during our work then we shall advise you accordingly as to any extra charges you may incur both by way of fees or disbursements.
Please note that ‘disbursements’, such as search fees, Land Registry fees etc are out of our hands and are paid to external bodies upon which VAT may be payable.
Our hourly rates are shown on the Our Fees page of our website.
Please see below for our estimated conveyancing charges. Please note the indication of fees below does not include VAT.
This estimated charge also does not include any disbursements or Stamp Duty Land Tax – please see further on for more information on these charges.
Our estimated fee assumes that:
- This is a standard transaction and that no unforeseen matters arise including for example (but not limited to) a defect in title which requires remedying prior to completion or the preparation of additional documents ancillary to the main transaction;
- In the case of leases – this is the assignment of an existing lease and is not the grant of a new lease – for which more work is required;
- The transaction is concluded in a timely manner and no unforeseen complication arise;
- All parties to the transaction are co-operative and there is no unreasonable delay from third parties providing documentation;
- No indemnity policies are required. Additional disbursement may apply if indemnity policies are required.
Purchase of a Freehold Residential Property
Our estimated legal fees cover all the legal work required to complete the purchase of your new home, including dealing with registration at the Land Registry and dealing with the payment of Stamp Duty Land Tax (‘Stamp Duty’) if the property you wish to buy is in England, or Land Transaction Tax (‘Land Tax’) if the property you wish to buy is in Wales.
Indication of our Legal Fees (not including Stamp Duty/Land Tax, Disbursements or VAT):
| Purchase (Freehold Residential) – Price of Property: | CVC Estimated Fee * (net of VAT): |
| Up to £100,000 | £800.00 |
| £100,001 – £200,000 | £900.00 |
| £200,001 – £300,000 | £1,100.00 |
| £300,001 – £400,000 | £1,250.00 |
| £400,001 – £500,000 | £1,650.00 |
| £500,001 – £650,000 | £1,800.00 |
| £650,001 – £800,000 | £2,000.00 |
| £800,001 – £1million | £2,250.00 |
| £1million and above | £2,250.00 + |
*Please note that there will be an additional charge of £50 plus VAT for dealing with a Help to Buy ISA
Disbursements & Stamp Duty/Land Tax
‘Disbursements’ are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as Land Registry fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process. The list below is not exhaustive and other disbursements may apply. Stamp Duty or Land Tax depends on the price of your property. You can calculate the amount you will need to pay by using the HMRC’s website – www.tax.service.gov.uk/calculate-stamp-duty-land-tax – or if the property is located in Wales by using the Welsh Revenue Authority’s website – https://beta.gov.wales/land-transaction-tax-calculator
Disbursements on a typical Purchase of a Freehold Residential Property:
| CHAPS Transfer Fee | £36.00 inc VAT (per transfer) |
| Search Fees | £350.00 approximately depending on which searches are required (inc VAT) |
| Chancel Indemnity Insurance | Approx. £20.00 Inc Insurance Premium Tax |
| Bankruptcy Search (per individual) | £2.00 per buyer |
| Land Registry Search (per title) | £3.00 per title |
| Land Registration Fee | Varies depending on price of property. |
| Stamp Duty/Land Tax | Varies depending on price of property. |
How long will my house purchase take?
How long it will take from your offer being accepted until you can move into your house will depend on a number of factors. The average process takes between 8-12 weeks.
It can be quicker or slower depending on the parties in the chain. For example, if you are a first-time buyer, purchasing a new build property with a mortgage in principle, it could take 8 weeks.
However, if you are buying a leasehold property that requires an extension of the lease, this can take significantly longer, possibly between 2 and 6 months. In such a situation additional charges would apply.
Stages of the process
The precise stages involved in a purchase of a residential property vary according to the circumstances. However, these are some key stages:
- Take your instructions and give you initial advice;
- Check finances are in place to fund purchase and contact the lender’s solicitors if needed;
- Receive and advise on contract documents;
- Carry out searches;
- Obtain further planning documentation if required;
- Make any necessary enquiries of the seller’s solicitor;
- Give you advice on all of the documents and information received;
- Go through the conditions of your mortgage offer with you;
- Send final contract to you for signature;
- Agree completion date (the date from which you will own the property);
- Exchange contracts and notify you that this has happened;
- Arrange for all monies needed to be received from lender and you;
- Complete purchase;
- Deal with Stamp Duty/Land Tax;
- Deal with application for registration at the Land Registry.
If you would like any clarification on the stages of the process do not hesitate to speak to the fee earner dealing with your matter.
Purchase of a Leasehold Residential property:
| Purchase (Leasehold Residential) | Additional legal fees as above + £200.00 + VAT (plus Disbursements – see below) |
Disbursements on Leasehold
There are certain disbursements which will be set out in the individual lease relating to the property. The disbursements which we anticipate will apply are set out below. This list is not exhaustive and other disbursements may apply depending on the term of the lease. We will update you on the specific fees upon receipt and review of the lease from the seller’s solicitors.
Disbursements on a typical Purchase of a Leasehold Residential Property:
| CHAPS Transfer Fee | £36.00 inc VAT (per transfer) |
| Search Fees | £350.00 approximately depending on which searches are required (inc VAT) |
| Chancel Indemnity Insurance | £20.00 inc Insurance Premium Tax |
| Bankruptcy Search (per individual) | £2.00 per buyer |
| Land Registry Search (per title) | £3.00 per title |
| Land Registration Fee | Varies depending on price of property |
| Stamp Duty/Land Tax | Varies depending on price of property |
Anticipated Disbursements:
| Notice of Transfer Fee | This fee if chargeable is set out in the lease. Often the fee is anything between £50.00 + VAT and £200.00 + VAT (but this will depend). |
| Notice of Charge Fee (If the property is to be mortgaged) | This fee is set out in the lease. Often the fee is anything between £50.00 and £200.00 (but this will depend). |
| Deed of Covenant Fee | This fee is provided by the Management Company for the property and can be difficult to estimate. Often the fee is anything between £50.00 and £200.00 (but this will depend). |
| Certificate of Compliance Fee | To be confirmed upon receipt of the lease, and can range between £50.00 and £200.00 (but this will depend). |
Please note that these fees will vary from property to property and can on occasion be significantly more than the ranges given above. We can give you an accurate figure once we have sight of your specific documents.
You should also be aware that ground rent and service charge are likely to apply throughout your ownership of the property. We will confirm the ground rent and the anticipated service charge as soon as we receive this information.
Sale of a Freehold Residential Property
Our estimated legal fees cover all the legal work required to complete the sale of your property.
Indication of our Legal Fees (not including Disbursements or VAT):
| Sale (Freehold Residential) – Price of Property: | CVC Estimated Cost (net of VAT): |
| Up to £100,000 | £700.00 |
| £100,001 – £150,000 | £750.00 |
| £150,001 – £200,000 | £800.00 |
| £200,001 – £250,000 | £850.00 |
| £250,001 – £300,000 | £925.00 |
| £300,001 – £350,000 | £975.00 |
| £350,001 – £450,000 | £1,250.00 |
| £450,001 – £550,000 | £1,400.00 |
| £550,000 – £650,000 | £1,500.00 |
| £650,000 – £800,000 | £1,900.00 |
| £800,000 – £1million | £2,100.00 |
| £1million + | £2,100.00 + |
Disbursements
The disbursements which we anticipate will apply are set out below. This list below is not exhaustive and other disbursements may apply.
Disbursements on a typical Sale of a Freehold Residential Property:
| CHAPS Transfer Fee | £36.00 inc VAT (per transfer) |
| Office copy of the Title | £3.00 (+£3.00 per additional copy document that may be required) |
| Office copy of the plan | £3.00 |
How long will my sale take
How long it will take from acceptance of your buyer’s offer until completion will depend on a number of factors. The average process takes between 8-12 weeks.
It can be quicker or slower depending on the parties in the chain. For example, if you have an onward purchase, or your buyer has a related sale (or even both). It will also depend on whether you, or anyone else in the chain, require a mortgage.
However, if you are selling a leasehold property that requires an extension/variation of the lease, this can take significantly longer, possibly between 2 and 6 months. In such a situation additional charges would apply.
Stages of the process
The precise stages involved in a sale of a residential property vary according to the circumstances. However, these are some key stages:
- Take your instructions and give you initial advice;
- Obtain title documentation from the Land Registry. If the Property is unregistered, then we will prepare an Epitome of Title;
- If the Property is subject to an existing mortgage, communicate with the mortgage lender and obtain an up to date settlement figure;
- Prepare contract documents, and forward the same to the buyer’s solicitors for consideration;
- Take your instructions as necessary, and respond to any enquiries raised by the buyer’s solicitors;
- Send final contract to you for signature;
- Agree completion date (the date you will move out of the property);
- Exchange contracts and notify you that this has happened;
- Arrange for any final settlement figures to be obtained from any existing mortgage or loan companies;
- Complete sale;
- Repay any existing mortgages/loans secured against the property, and arrange the removal of their legal charge from the property title;
If you would like any clarification on the stages of the process do not hesitate to speak to the fee earner dealing with your matter.
Sale of a Leasehold Residential Property:
| Sale (Leasehold) | Above + £100.00 + VAT (plus Disbursements) |
Disbursements
The disbursements which we anticipate will apply are set out below. This list below is not exhaustive and other disbursements may apply.
Disbursements on a typical sale of a Leasehold Residential Property:
| CHAPS Transfer Fee | £36.00 inc VAT (per transfer) |
| Office Copies | £12.00 (+£3.00 per additional copy document that may be required) |
Anticipated Disbursements:
| Freeholder/Management Company leasehold information pack | This figure varies and charges are typically between £75.00 plus VAT and £300.00 plus VAT |
Re-Mortgage of your Property
| Re-Mortgages | £450.00 + VAT (plus Disbursements) |
Disbursements
The disbursements which we anticipate will apply are set out below. This list below is not exhaustive and other disbursements may apply.
Disbursements on a typical Re-Mortgage:
| CHAPS Transfer Fee | £36.00 inc VAT (per transfer) |
| Search Indemnity Insurance (if relevant) | This typically varies between £20.00 and £50.00 (inclusive of Insurance Premium Tax) and depends on the value of the mortgage, or in some cases the value of the property |
| General Mining Search | £56.28 inc VAT (in some cases this may increase to £97.97) |
| Bankruptcy Search | £2.00 per individual |
| Land Registry Search | £3.00 per title |
| Land Registration Fee | Varies depending on value of the mortgage advance or value of property |
| Office Copies | £6.00 VAT (£12.00) if the property is leasehold) (+£3.00 per additional copy document that may be required) |
| Land Charge Searches if the property is Unregistered Title | £2.00 per proprietor/executor |
If the Re-Mortgage is for a Leasehold property then there will be extra disbursements payable for instance:
| Freeholder/Management Company leasehold information pack | This figure varies and charges are typically between £75.00 plus VAT and £300.00 plus VAT |
| Notice of Transfer Fee | This fee if chargeable is set out in the lease. Often the fee is anything between £50.00 and £200.00 |
| Notice of Charge Fee | This fee is set out in the lease. Often the fee is anything between £50.00 and £200.00 |
| Deed of Covenant Fee | This fee is provided by the Management Company for the property and can be difficult to estimate. Often the fee is anything between £50.00 and £200.00 |
| Certificate of Compliance Fee | To be confirmed upon receipt of the lease, and can range between £50.00 and £200.00 |
How long will my Re-Mortgage take?
This depends on a number of factors. The average process takes between 4-6 weeks.
It can be quicker or slower depending on how soon the Mortgage Lender issues their mortgage offer to us, and whether they are happy to accept search insurance, or if they require full property searches to be carried out.
However, if you are Re-Mortgaging a leasehold property then we will need to obtain a leasehold information pack from the Freeholder/Management Company, and this usually takes at least 2 weeks to be issued following receipt of payment.
If an extension/variation of the lease is required, then the transaction could be significantly longer, possibly between 2 and 6 months. In such a situation additional charges would apply.
Stages of the process
The precise stages involved in a Re-Mortgage of a residential property vary according to the circumstances. However, these are some key stages:
- Take your instructions and give you initial advice;
- Obtain title documentation from the Land Registry. If the Property is unregistered, then obtain the title deeds and investigate ownership;
- If the Property is subject to an existing mortgage, communicate with the mortgage lender and obtain an up to date settlement figure;
- Carry out searches as required by the Mortgage Lender;
- Obtain further planning and building regulations documentation if you have altered the property;
- Go through the conditions of your mortgage offer with you;
- Send final documents to you for signature;
- Agree completion date;
- Arrange for any final settlement figures to be obtained from any existing mortgage or loan companies;
- Arrange for all monies needed to be received from lender and you;
- Complete Re-Mortgage;
- Repay any existing mortgages/loans secured against the property, and arrange the removal of their legal charge from the property title;
- Deal with application for registration at Land Registry.
If you would like any clarification on the stages of the process do not hesitate to speak to the fee earner dealing with your matter.
