Fees

Residential Conveyancing:

We would always prefer to speak to you to understand your particular transaction as every house purchase, sale or remortgage is different.

However, as an indication – our fees for the sale of a freehold property up to £250k would be from £1100.00 plus vat at 20% – for a purchase of similar value from £1250.00 plus vat at 20%. As the value of the property increases, so does our fee. If the property is leasehold the fee in each case will be higher due to additional work required.

If you are buying a new build property the fee is likely to be upwards of £1750.00 plus vat at 20% due to the additional work involved in a new build property transaction

Our remortgage fee starts at £850.00 plus vat at 20%.

The figures quoted above assume a straightforward transaction without unforeseen complexities or issues. If the matter becomes complex then there will be an additional fee, examples of which include (but are not limited to):

• Where your mortgage lender instructs its own solicitor
• Where your lease purchase includes the purchase of a share of the freehold
• Where a lease extension is involved
• Where freeholder consent for any reason may be required
• Where it is considered there is a  defect in the property title
• Shared ownership transactions
• Missing or absentee landlords
• Where a transaction is required to be expedited
• Contract races
• Exclusivity agreements

Obviously all cases are different and we will try our best to inform you as soon as we become aware of any feature that might have an impact on the quoted fee.

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs (i.e. expenses), 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 following comprise the usual disbursements:

• Search fees – from £300.00 plus  VAT at 20% depending on the type and volume of searches required
• Stamp Duty Land Tax – this depends upon a variety of factors . A calculation is available through the HMRC website
• Land Registry fee – current fees are available through the Land Registry website
• Electronic money transfer fee £42.00 plus VAT at 20%
• Managing Agents pack on sale of leasehold – this can only be ascertained on receipt of documents but the average charge is approximately £300 plus VAT at 20%, but can vary significantly depending on the Managing Agent or Freeholder
• Notice and compliance fees on leasehold purchases – these can only be ascertained during the transaction but typically can range between £100 and 250.00 plus VAT at 20%

How long will my house sale or purchase take?

The average process takes between 14-16 weeks.

It can be quicker or longer, depending on the number of parties in the chain and whether mortgages are required. Some local authorities can longer than others to process searches.  

If you are buying a leasehold property that requires an extension of the lease, it may take significantly longer, between 3 to 4 months. In such a situation additional charges would apply.

Stages of the process

The precise stages involved in the purchase of a residential property 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
• Receive and advise on contract documents
• Carry out searches
• Obtain further planning documentation if required
• Make any necessary enquiries of seller’s solicitor
• Give you advice on all documents and information received
• Go through the conditions of the mortgage offer with you
• Send final Report to you with the contract for signature
• Agree the completion date (date from which you own the property) with the sellers’ solicitor
• Exchange contracts and notify you that this has happened
• Arrange for all monies needed to be received from the lender and you
• Complete purchase
• Deal with payment of Stamp Duty Land Tax
• Deal with application for registration at Land Registry

Our Team

Details of our property conveyancing team canbe found in our Meet the Team section on the website.

Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney and Estate Administration:

Wills 

Our charges start at £325.00 plus VAT at 20% for a single Will, please note that following our initial meeting with you we will confirm the price you will be charged – more complex Wills require additional consideration and drafting and can result in a higher charge. Our starting charge for joint Wills (Wills for a couple, made at the same time) is £550.00 plus vat at 20% but again the fee is subject to complexity.

Our fee includes an initial appointment to take your instructions, the drafting of your Will, and an appointment for you to sign your Will. 

Lasting Powers of  Attorney (LPA’s)

There are two LPA’s to choose from  – “Property and Financial Affairs” and “Health and Welfare Decisions”

For each LPA per person we charge £325 plus vat at 20%

If you do both LPA’s at the same time we charge £500 plus vat at 20%

There is a fee for register your LPA payable to the Office of the Public Guardian – currently this is £82.00 per LPA 

Our fees cover:

• Drawing up initial paperwork
• A face to face initial appointment where your instructions will be taken and any advice if needed will be given 
• The preparation of your LPA which will be sent to you for approval 
• Final appointment for you to sign your LPA 

We will provide you with one certified copy of your LPA once registered. If you require further copies there is a charge of £20.00 plus VAT at 20% per copy 

Estate Administration

Involves : Applying for the grant, collecting and distributing the assets

We anticipate that this work will typically take between 15-20 hours at an hourly rate of £300 plus vat at 20% per hour

The exact cost will depend on the individual circumstances of the matter. For example, if there is one beneficiary and no property, costs will be at the lower end of the range. If there are multiple beneficiaries, a property and multiple bank accounts, costs will be at the higher end. 

Disbursements (i.e. expenses), not  included in our fees:

• Probate application fee of £273.00 plus £1.50 for each additional Grant of Probate requested
• £7.00 to £10.00 Swearing of the oath (per executor)
• Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department searches (£2.00 per beneficiary) plus vat at 20%
• Approx £100 to post in The London Gazette – Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors.
• £450.00 to £500.00 Post in a Local Newspaper – This also helps to protect against unexpected claims.

Disbursements (i.e. expenses), are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees.We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

Potential additional costs

• If there is no will or the estate consists of any share holdings (stocks and bonds)there are likely to be additional costs. This will depend on the estate and how it is to be dealt with. We can give you a more accurate quote once we have more information.
• If any additional copies of the grant are required, they will cost £1.50 per copy.
• Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included.

How long will this take?

On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 4 to 6 months.

What is the process?

• We identify the legally appointed executors or administrators and beneficiaries
• We accurately identify the type of Probate application you will require
• We obtain the relevant documents required to make the application
• We complete the Probate Application and the relevant HMRC forms
• We arrange the payment of any Inheritance Tax
• We draft a legal oath for you to swear
• We submit the application to the Probate Court on your behalf
• We obtain the Probate and securely send two copies to you
• We collect and distribute all assets in the estate

Our  Team

Details of our team can be found on our Meet The Team Page

Information to follow