Fees

Costs Information

Conveyancing

All our conveyancing fees are based on a sliding scale, depending on the amount of work involved, the value of the property and any complications that may happen along the way. We will always give you an individual cost estimate up front and will flag any complications along the way immediately.

All our fees below are the total costs; we don’t charge for administrative tasks, such as filling in a stamp duty form or registering the transaction at Land Registry which some other firms add on as ‘extras’.

Stages of the process

The precise stages involved a residential property transaction vary according to the circumstances. However, below we have suggested some key stages that you may wish to include:

Take your instructions and give you initial advice
Check finances are in place to fund purchase and contact lender's solicitors if needed
Prepare contract documents on a sale/ Receive and advise on contract documents on a purchase
Carry out searches on a purchase
Obtain further planning documentation if required
Make any necessary enquiries of other parties' solicitors
Give you advice on all documents and information received
Go through conditions of mortgage offer with you on a purchase
Send final contract to you for signature
Agree completion date (date from which you own the property if purchasing / date by which you must vacate the property on a sale)
Exchange contracts and notify you that this has happened
Arrange for all monies needed to be received from lender and you on a purchase
Complete sale / purchase
Pay off any mortgage and account to you for sale proceeds on a sale
Deal with payment of Stamp Duty Land Tax on a purchase
Deal with application for registration at Land Registry on a purchase

Referral fee

Many conveyancing firms are linked to estate agents and introducers, paying them a fee of £300 to £500 in return for referring your sale or purchase. This leads to increased costs for clients and doesn’t provide any guarantee as to quality of service.

We do not pay referral fees to any estate agents or third parties. All our work arises from reputation and marketing alone.

Our fees for property conveyancing services in England and Wales are currently as follows:

PURCHASE OF A FREEHOLD RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY

Our charges cover all the work needed to complete the purchase of your new home, including our fees and necessary disbursements (or costs payable to third parties, such as Land Registry fees). We handle the payment of these disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

We hope to exchange contracts within 4-6 weeks from initial instruction and complete around 2 weeks later, although this depends on a number of factors, such as the number of parties in the chain, leases that need extending and complications with mortgage offers.

Client fees and costs are made up of:

Legal fee: £1,200–1,350 plus VAT (£240-£270), depending on value of property
Search fees: £150–£250 depending on Local Authority fees
HM Land Registry fee: £5–£10
Land Registry registration fees: based on purchase price or size of mortgage (read more here)
Stamp Duty Land Tax: generally based on purchase price (see calculator here or if the property is in Wales see here)
Electronic money transfer fee: £40 per transfer plus VAT (£8)

Please contact us for a more detailed quotation.

SALE OF A FREEHOLD RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY

Our charges cover all the work needed to complete the sale of your home. There are no searches involved in the sale side of a property transaction.

Client fees and costs are made up of:

Legal fee: £1,200– £1,350 plus VAT (£240-£270), depending on value of property
Electronic money transfer fee (if applicable): £40 + VAT (£8)
Additional fees, such as shared ownership, second charge, deed of trust, as appropriate

Please contact us for a more detailed quotation.

PURCHASE OF A LEASEHOLD RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY

Our charges cover all the work needed to complete the purchase of your lease, including our fees and necessary disbursements (costs payable to third parties, such as Land Registry fees). We handle the payment of these disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

On leasehold properties, there may be additional disbursements set out in the terms of the lease. These fees vary individually between properties, but we can provide you with an accurate figure for each once we have seen the full leasehold package provided by the seller.

Client fees and costs are made up of:

Legal fee: £1,250–1,400 plus VAT (£250-£280), depending on value of property
Search fees: £150–£250 depending on Local Authority fees
HM Land Registry fee: £5–£10
Land Registry registration fees: based on purchase price or size of mortgage (read more here)
Stamp Duty Land Tax: generally based on purchase price (see calculator here or if the property is in Wales see here)
Electronic money transfer fee: £40 per transfer plus VAT (£8)

Please contact us for a more detailed quotation.

SALE OF A LEASEHOLD RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY

Our charges cover all the work needed to complete the sale of your home. There are no searches involved in the sale side of a property transaction.

Please note that sellers of leasehold properties will also need to obtain a ‘Seller Management Pack’ from the Management Company. Costs vary considerably, and sellers should pay for this separately.

Client fees and costs are made up of:

Legal fee: £1,250 – £1,350 plus VAT (£250-£270), depending on value of property
Scanning and file storage fee: £35 + VAT
Electronic money transfer fee (if applicable): £40 + VAT (£8)
Additional fees may apply in particular circumstances; you will be advised which if any of these will apply.

Please contact us for a more detailed quotation.

Probate

Our fees for dealing with the estate of a deceased person are on a sliding scale, dependent on the interpretation of any will, gifts made prior to death, tax liabilities and the size of the estate.

On average, estates are dealt with within 4–9 months. Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes 12 weeks once submitted. Collecting assets then follows, which can take between 2–3 months. Once this has been done, we can distribute the assets, which normally takes 3–4 weeks.

As part of our fixed fee we will:

Identify the legally appointed executors or administrators and beneficiaries
Accurately identify the type of Probate application you will require
Obtain the relevant documents required to make the application, including account balances for any bank accounts held
Complete the Probate Application and the relevant HMRC forms
Make the application to the Probate Court on your behalf
Obtain the Probate
Collect and distribute all assets in the estate

The following is a brief guide to pricing:

Administration of a simple estate includes obtaining the grant, collecting assets and distributing them.
Fewer than five assets and an estate under £325,000: around £1,500 plus VAT (£300)
Fewer than five assets and a taxable estate: around £2,500 plus VAT (£500)
If more than five assets, each further asset is charged at between £150 and £500 per asset plus VAT (£30-£50)
CHAPS or bank electronic transfer of funds: £40 plus VAST (£8)
Probate Registry fee: £280
Statutory advertising charges (if required): £175–£275 plus VAT (£35-£55)

Disbursements not included in this fee:

Probate application fee: £280
Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department searches: £2 per beneficiary
Post in The London Gazette to protect against unexpected claims from unknown creditors: £175–275 plus VAT (£35-£55)
Post in a Local Newspaper to help protect against unexpected claims: approx. £150 plus VAT (£30)

Potential additional costs

If there is no will or the estate consists of any share holdings, there may be additional costs. Please contact us for a more detailed quotation.
If any additional copies of the grant are required, they will cost £2.50 each
Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included.