Our Fees are made up of the following:
1. Our Fees for Legal Work
2. Disbursements - a disbursement is a cost relating to your matter which is payable to a third party such as Land Registry Fees. We handle this payment on your behalf.
3. Stamp Duty Land Tax (purchase only).
Please note where VAT is referred to below, this is charged at the applicable rate which is 20%.
Our fees:
Our fixed fees are based upon the value of the property:
Residential Conveyancing Fees
Please see our full details of how we calculate our fixed fee conveyancing charges below. For a quote that is specifically tailored to your property, please click here and we can give you an estimated quotation. Our fixed fees cover all of the work required to complete the sale, purchase, re-mortgage and/or transfer of equity.
If you are buying and selling a property then a charge would be made for both the sale and the purchase. Please note that our fees above are excluding VAT and there is a charge of 20% VAT on all our fees.
If at any point during the transaction, money needs to be sent via telegraphic transfer, then we charge a fee of £40 + VAT.
If you are buying a property, we will complete the HMRC Stamp Duty Form on your behalf and submit it on completion. For this we charge a fee of £55 + VAT.
We charge additional fees for the following transactions:
Leasehold Purchase - £250.00
Leasehold Sale - £200.00
New Build - £200.00
Shared Ownership - £200.00
Help to Buy ISA - £50.00
Help to Buy Scheme - £400.00
Buy To Let - £50.00
Overview of the legal work we will be doing for you:
The precise stages involved vary according to the circumstances. However typically we will need to do the following:
Purchasing
Once an offer is accepted and you have instructed us we will then send you initial documentation, for you to complete and return and ask you to make an initial payment and give you initial advice.
We will then check finances are in place to fund your purchase and contact the lender’s solicitors if needed.
The sellers’ solicitors will then send us a draft contract pack and once received, we will begin to order searches on the property you are purchasing.
We will then raise any necessary enquiries in relation to the property and send them to the seller’s solicitors for them to respond.
When we are satisfied with the replies to our enquires from the seller’s solicitors, we will then report to you and go through the conditions of your mortgage offer with you.
You will then receive the final contract for your signature.
Both parties, at that time will agree to a completion date. This is the date from which you will own the property.
Exchange will then take place and we will notify you when the solicitors have exchanged contracts. The purchase of the property is now legally binding and you can arrange any necessary removal companies.
We will then arrange for all monies required to complete your purchase to be received from lender and you (if required).
On the completion date agreed, we will then complete the purchase and transfer the monies. Once confirmed we will advise you that you now the legal owner of the property and you can arrange to collect the keys.
After completion we will deal with payment relating to Stamp Duty and apply to the Land Registry to register the property into your name(s).
Once the Land Registry has registered the property in your name(s) we will then send you the updated Title documentation and any other important documents we hold in relation to the property.
Selling
Once an offer is accepted and you have instructed us we will then send you initial documentation, for you to complete and return and ask you to make an initial payment and give you initial advice.
Once we have received the initial fee. We will then prepare the draft contract pack and send this to the purchaser’s solicitors. Once the contract pack has been sent we will then inform you and the estate agents and wait to hear from the purchaser’s solicitors with any enquires they may have in relation to the property you are selling.
We will reply to any enquiries raised by the purchaser’s solicitors.
Send final contract to you for signature and agree a completion date.
When agreed and where possible, we will exchanging contracts and notify you that this has happened.
On completion day, we will transfer the funds between the relevant parties and redeem any mortgages and or charges on the property. Any surplus funds will then be sent to you by your chosen payment method.
Re-Mortgage
Once you have instructed us we will then send the initial documentation, which you will complete and return together with our initial fee and give you initial advice.
When we have received the above, we will then obtain your title deeds from the land registry (if the property is registered).
If the property is freehold we will note any mortgages on the title and obtain an initial redemption statement, showing the outstanding figure on your current mortgage.
Once we are in receipt of your mortgage offer from your new lender, we will report to you on the information therein.
Send you final documents for signature.
We will then agree a completion date and request a final redemption statement from your existing lender and submit a Certificate of Title to your new mortgage lender so we can receive the funds on the agreed completion date.
On completion, once in receipt of funds from your new lender, we will then pay off your existing mortgage and request they remove their charge on the title deeds.
We will then deal with the application for registration at the Land Registry. They will replace the existing lender’s charge with your new lender.
Once the Land Registry has dealt with the change of Lenders we will then send you the Official Copies and any other important documents we hold in relation to the property.
Transfer of Equity
Once you have instructed us we will then send the initial documentation, which you will complete and return together with our initial fee and give you initial advice.
When we have received the above, we will then obtain your title deeds from the land registry (if the property is registered).
We will then review your title deeds and check for a mortgage and any other restrictions on the property. and prepare the transfer documents.
Once we have received the title deeds, we will notify any third party, such as your mortgage lender as they will need to consent to the transfer.
Next step is for all incoming or outgoing parties to sign the transfer document.
Once all the documentation is signed we will then deal with the application for registration at the Land Registry and remove any outgoing parties/ add any incoming parties.
When we have received the updated title deeds to the property we will then send you the Official copies and any other information documents we hold in relation to the property.
It would not normally be necessary to undertake other work or incur other costs other than those described above. However, we would advise you of the stages once we know the specific circumstances of your case. For more information you can also refer to the services page.
How long will my case take?
The average sale and purchase process takes between 8 - 12 weeks. However, the length of time from your offer being accepted or accepting an offer to completion will depend on a number of factors. The process can be quicker or slower than this timescale and is dependent on the parties in the ‘chain’ and other unforeseen factors.
The average re-mortgage process takes between 3 - 4 weeks. However, if there are complications it can take longer.
The average transfer of equity process takes between 4 - 6 weeks. However, if there are complications it can take longer.
For more information please see the services page.
Please note we may charge additional fees if further work has been required, or if the case has been of an unusual and complex nature. It would not normally be necessary to undertake other work or incur other costs other than those described above. However, we will advise you if this becomes the case and agree any additional fees with you.
Disbursements:
The disbursement that are payable by you are completely dependant on whether you are buying or selling property or both, whether you are buying a freehold or leasehold property and the location and type of property.
Freehold Property Purchase:
Search Fees - approximately £350.00 + VAT.
Lawyer Checker - £15.00 + VAT
Land Charges Searches - £3.00
Bankruptcy Searches - £2.00 (per individual)
Identification Checks - £13.80 (per individual)
Land Registry Fee - between £20.00 - £500.00 (depended on the purchase price). If the property is a new build the registration fee will be between £45.00 - £1,105.00 (depended on the purchase price). For more information, please refer to the Land Registry Section below.
Freehold Property Sale:
Land Registry Office Copy Entries & Title Plan - £6.00 (per title)
Identification Checks - £13.00 (per individual)
Leasehold Property:
In addition to the above freehold property disbursements you may also be required to pay the following;
Notice of Transfer fee – This fee if chargeable is set out in the lease. Often the fee is between £75.00 - £180.00 + VAT
Notice of Charge fee (if the property is to be mortgaged) – This fee is set out in the lease. Often the fee is between £75.00 - £180.00 + VAT
Deed of Covenant fee – This fee is provided by the management company for the property and can be difficult to estimate. Often it is between £75.00 - £180.00 + VAT
Certificate of Compliance fee - To be confirmed upon receipt of the lease, as can range between £75.00 - £180.00 + VAT
Leasehold Management Pack – This fee is chargeable when selling a leasehold property. Often it is between £300.00 - £600.00 + VAT
Re-mortgage/ Transfer of Equity:
Search Insurance - approximately £30.00 + VAT.
Land Charges Searches - £3.00
Land Registry Office Copy Entries & Title Plan - £6.00 (per title)
Bankruptcy Searches - £2.00 (per individual)
Identification Checks - £13.00 (per individual)
Land Registry Fee - between £20.00 - £500.00 (depended on the purchase price). If the property is a new build the registration fee will be between £45.00 - £1,105.00 (depended on the purchase price). Please see the below link for more information from the Government Website.
Stamp duty land tax:
If you are buying a property you will also need to pay Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT). The amount is dependant on the purchase price of the property. You can calculate the amount you will need to pay by using HMRC’s website or if the property is located in Wales by using the Welsh Revenue Authority’s website.
Land Registry Fee:
This depends on the purchase price of your property. You can calculate the amount you will need to pay by using the government website link Fee Review
Other costs to consider:
If you are selling the property and have a mortgage on the property or have an estate agent’s fee, typically these will be paid from the sale proceeds of the property.
In addition, you should also be aware that if you are purchasing a leasehold property then ground rent and service charges are likely to apply throughout your ownership of the property.