Date: Wednesday 01 May 2024
Conveyancing 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.
Conveyancer's fees and disbursements
- Legal fee - see our conveyancing calculator for quote
- Search fees “basic search fees” - estimated at £262.80 which includes environmental, local authority and drainage searches – there may be additional searches dependant on the location of the property (coal mining search etc.)
- HM Land Registry fee - Please see www.gov.uk/guidance/hm-land-registry-registration-services-fees
- Electronic money transfer fee £30.00 plus VAT (£6.00)
- VAT payable 20%
Estimated total: Please see our online conveyancing calculator for estimated quotes.
*please note that properties in London and/or surrounding London Boroughs may be subject to additional charges due to the historic complexity in nature of such transactions in these areas.
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 here.
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 14-16 weeks.
It can be quicker or slower, depending on the parties in the chain. If you are buying a leasehold property that requires an extension of the lease, this can take significantly longer, between 3 and 6 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, these are the key stages:
- 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
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.
Conveyancer's fees and disbursements
- Legal fee - See our online conveyancing calculator for accurate pricing
Anticipated Disbursements*
- Notice of Transfer fee
- Notice of Charge fee
- Deed of Covenant fee
- Certificate of Compliance fee
*These fees vary from property to property. We can give you an accurate figure once we have received the relevant information from the seller's solicitor.
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.
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, these are the key stages:
- 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
*Our 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
this is the assignment of an existing lease and is not the grant of a new lease
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 disbursements may apply if indemnity policies are required.
November 2024
