PEOPLE IN OUR FIRM

Pricing

Purchase of a freehold residential property

Our fees cover all of the 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 is in England, or Land Transaction Tax (Land Tax) if the property you wish to buy is in Wales.

Basis of Costs

Conveyancer's fees and disbursements

Legal fee  £1,500

Electronic money transfer fee £30 per transfer (VAT included)

VAT payable £300

Subtotal   £1,860

Disbursements

Search fees £250 (VAT included)

HM Land Registry fee scale £40 - £910 (no VAT)

       (For Land Registry fees go to -- https://www.gov.uk/guidance/hm-land-registry-registration-services-fees)

       Subtotal   £290 - £1,160

Estimated total (excluding Stamp Duty or Land Tax):  £2150 - £3,020

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.

Stamp Duty or Land Tax (on purchase)

This depends on the purchase price of your 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.

How long will my house purchase take?

How long it will take from your offer being accepted until you can move in to your house will depend on a number of factors. The average process takes between 4-6 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 10 weeks. However, if you are buying a leasehold property that requires an extension of the lease, this can take significantly longer, between 2 and 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 conditions of mortgage offer with you

Send final contract to you for signature

Agree completion date (date from which you 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 payment of Stamp Duty/Land Tax

Deal with application for registration at Land Registry

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Purchase of a leasehold residential property

Our fees cover all the 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 is in England, or Land Transaction Tax (Land Tax) if the property is in Wales.

Basis of Costs

Conveyancer's fees and disbursements

Legal fee £1,500 

Electronic money transfer fee £30 per transfer (VAT included)

VAT payable £300 

Subtotal   £1,860

Disbursements

Search fees £250

HM Land Registry fee scale £40 - £910 (no VAT)

       (For Land Registry fees go to -- https://www.gov.uk/guidance/hm-land-registry-registration-services-fees)

      Subtotal   £290 - £1,160

Estimated total (excluding Stamp Duty or Land Tax):  £2150 - £3,020

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as search fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process. 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 separately 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.

HM Land Registry fee scale £40 - £910 (no VAT)

Search fees: £250 (VAT included)

VAT on search fees 20% (inclusive)

Electronic money transfer fee: £30 each transfer (VAT included)

VAT 20% of legal fee

Anticipated Disbursements*

Notice of Transfer fee – This fee if chargeable is set out in the lease. Often the fee is between £100 - £250.

Notice of Charge fee (if the property is to be mortgaged) – This fee is set out in the lease. Often the fee is between £100 and £250.

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 £200 and £350.

Certificate of Compliance fee - To be confirmed upon receipt of the lease, as can range between £250 – £350.

*These fees 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 this we receive this information.

Stamp Duty Land Tax

This depends on the purchase price of your 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.

The precise stages involved in the purchase of a residential leasehold 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 conditions of mortgage offer

Send final contract to you for signature

Draft Transfer

Advise you on joint ownership

Obtain pre-completion searches

Agree completion date (date from which you 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 payment of Stamp Duty/Land Tax

Deal with application for registration at Land Registry

How long will my house purchase take?

How long it will take from your offer being accepted until you can move in to your house will depend on a number of factors. The average process takes between 4 - 6 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 10 weeks. However, if you are buying a leasehold property that requires an extension of the lease, this can take significantly longer, between 2 and 4 months. In such, a situation additional charges would apply.

* Our fee assumes that:

a.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

b.this is the assignment of an existing lease and is not the grant of a new lease

c.the transaction is concluded in a timely manner and no unforeseen complication arise

d.all parties to the transaction are co-operative and there is no unreasonable delay from third parties providing documentation

e.no indemnity policies are required. Additional disbursements may apply if indemnity policies are required.

If you wish to use an online quote calculator for residential conveyancing

Below is list of things you may wish to consider if you use an online quote calculator for conveyancing matters. You could, if you wish, build questions to find out the following information:

value of the property

first-time buyer

re-mortgage

freehold or leasehold

new build

first registration of title

whether a mortgage or not, or Islamic mortgage

in purchase cases, whether primary residence, buy to let or second/holiday home

multiple owners

shared ownership scheme

using a help to buy scheme, and whether it is an equity loan or ISA

purchase under right to buy

purchase at auction

property has been repossessed

Applying for a grant of probate or letters of administration, collecting and distributing the assets

We anticipate this will take between 15 and 60 hours work at £350 per hour. Total costs estimated at £5,250 - £21,500 (+VAT at 20%, ie £1,050 - £4,300).

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.

We will handle the full process for you. This quote is for estates where:

There is a valid will

There is no more than one property

There are no more than 2 bank or building society accounts

There are no other intangible assets

There are 1 - 4 beneficiaries

There are no disputes between beneficiaries on division of assets. If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs

There is no inheritance tax payable and the executors do not need to submit a full account to HMRC

There are no claims made against the estate

Disbursements to add to this fee:

Probate application fee of £215 (no VAT)

£10 Swearing of the oath (per executor) (no VAT) 

Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department searches (£2 per beneficiary) (no VAT)

£400* (VAT included) Post in The London Gazette – Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors.

£350* (VAT included) Post in a Local Newspaper – This also helps to protect against unexpected claims.

* estimated

Disbursements 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 is likely to be additional costs that could range significantly depending 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 £10 (1 per asset usually)  (no VAT).

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 6 - 24 months. Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes 8 - 10 weeks. Collecting assets then follows, which can take between 8 - 20 weeks. Once this has been done, we can distribute the assets, which normally takes 4 - 8 weeks.

Application for leave to remain

Hourly rate: £350 (+VAT at 20%)

On average, this type of work takes between 8 - 12 hours to complete. This means that on average costs are between £2,800 and £4,200 (+VAT at 20%, ie £560 - £840).

The exact number of hours it will take depends on the circumstances in your case. Such as:

The amount of supporting evidence that we need to consider

Which language(s) you speak

Whether you are applying with other dependants

If you are able to provide sufficient evidence at our first meeting and clearly meet the applicable Immigration Rules, the cost is likely to be at the lower end of this range.

What services are included

The work will involve:

discussing your circumstances in detail and confirming whether this is the most appropriate application for you to make and what other options may be available to you;

giving you advice about the requirements of the Immigration Rules and whether you meet the criteria.

if you do not fulfil certain criteria, whether this can be overcome and how, which on average takes 2 hours;

considering the supporting evidence you have provided, which we anticipate will take 2 to 8 hours*;

where necessary, helping you obtain further evidence (such as medical records and bank statements), including taking statements of any witnesses;

preparing your application and submitting it on your behalf, which we anticipate will take 3 hours;

Attendance at a Home Office interview: if the Home Office ask you to attend an interview, we will give you clear advice (and discuss the possibility of us attending with you) at the appropriate time. This could be between 6 and 8 hours of work.

giving you advice about the outcome of the application and any further steps you need to take.

*the amount of hours depends on the number of documents, whether they need to be translated, whether anything is missing and how long it will take to obtain the missing documents Disbursements (not included in costs set out above):

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

Interpreters fees at £50 per hour (+VAT at 20%). This kind of application will normally require between 6 - 10 hours with an interpreter, depending on the complexity of your case.

Independent expert reports e.g. medical experts. These are not required in many cases: we will let you know as soon as possible if we consider an expert report is necessary.  Expert's fees usually includesVAT at 20%

If there is an interview and we do attend with you, there will be additional disbursements in respect of our mileage/travel expenses.

The costs quoted here do not include:

Any Home Office fees for making the application. You will pay this to the Home Office directly as part of the application process.  Home Office fees do not attract VAT.

Where the Home Office refuse your application, advice and assistance in relation to any appeal

How long will my application take?

We cannot guarantee how long the Home Office will take to process your application. Read the current processing times.

We will normally be able to submit this type of application within 3 weeks of you instructing us, but we will let you know at the earliest opportunity if it is likely to take longer than this.

Please note the anticipated number of hours and fees are an estimate based on the facts above. All applications are likely to vary and of course, we can give you a more accurate estimate once we have more information about your specific case.

Employment*

*Note: Our practice does not offer advice on contentious Employment cases.  We can, however, act to give independent legal advice to employees in Settlement Agreements in Employment cases.  In such cases, the employer usually offers to pay for the employee's legal costs for obtaining independent legal advice.  The amount employers offer to pay is normally included in the terms of the Settlement Agreement.  This amount is usually in the region of £400 -£500 (+ VAT at 20%)