Residential Conveyancing
Buying a house is one of the most expensive purchases which you will make and it is important that you choose the right firm of solicitors to assist you.
There are a number of factors which you should consider in making that choice, including the speed of the service, accessibility, expertise, experience and price. You can email us or call us on 01425 471424 and we will be only too happy to talk you through the process and give you the total price of acting for you. We are happy to work for you on a fixed fee.
Our fees and disbursements
Please find below a list of our fees and disbursements for looking after your sale, purchase, or re-mortgage of your residential house or flat. We have also given a brief explanation of the work we will undertake for you.
Who will carry out the work?
Your matter will be looked after by one of our lawyers in our residential conveyancing department. Their contact details will be provided upon instruction in our client care letter, but you can also get their details from our “Meet the Team” page. Our client care letter will also include confirmation of the hourly charging rate for that lawyer, which will apply to any work outside the scope of the fixed fees outlined.
How long will the transaction take?
How long it will take from the offer being accepted until you can move will depend on a number of factors. The average process takes between 10 and 14 weeks.
We will always act efficiently and effectively for you; however, the process may be quicker or slower depending on other parties in the chain. For example:
- If you or your buyer require a mortgage it is likely to take longer than if you or your buyer does not require a mortgage.
- Typically, a transaction involving the sale of a flat or a house where a management manage the communal areas may take longer as we will need to obtain a management pack.
What will it cost and what is included?
Sale of a property
The following fees are for a standard matter for a direct instruction.
| Price Range | Legal Fees | VAT | Total inclusive of VAT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to £150,000.00 | £900.00 | £180.00 | £1,080.00 |
| £150,001 – £250,000 | £925.00 | £185.00 | £1,110.00 |
| £250,001 – £350,000 | £950.00 | £190.00 | £1,140.00 |
| £350,001 – £450,000 | £975.00 | £195.00 | £1,170.00 |
| £450,001 – £550,000 | £1,000.00 | £200.00 | £1,200.00 |
| £550,001 – £650,000 | £1,050.00 | £210.00 | £1,260.00 |
| £650,001 – £750,000 | £1,100.00 | £220.00 | £1,320.00 |
| £750,001 – £850,000 | £1,150.00 | £230.00 | £1,380.00 |
| £950,001 – £1,000,000 | £1,250.00 | £250.00 | £1,500.00 |
| Over £1,000,000 | Please get in contact |
£1M - £3M – our charges will range between 0.1 and 0.2% of the value of the property being sold or purchased, whether leasehold or freehold.
You will also be charged VAT at 20%
In addition to our basic legal fees the following supplements will be added where appropriate.
| Supplements | Legal Fees | VAT | Total inclusive of VAT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mortgage (per mortgage / legal charge) | £100.00 | £20.00 | £120.00 |
| Freehold Management Company | £100.00 | £20.00 | £120.00 |
| Bank Charge & Administration Fee (per payment) | £30.00 | £6.00 | £36.00 |
| Deed of Variation | £250.00 | £50.00 | £300.00 |
| Indemnity Policy Administration Fee | £75.00 | £15.00 | £90.00 |
| Help to Buy Mortgage | £150.00 | £30.00 | £180.00 |
| Leasehold | £100.00 | £20.00 | £120.00 |
£1M - £3M – our charges will range between 0.1 and 0.2% of the value of the property being sold or purchased, whether leasehold or freehold.
You will also be charged VAT at 20%
In addition to the above legal fees there will be disbursements payable to Third Parties. In a sale transaction these are likely to be to H M Land Registry. Each document costs £3.00 and as such on a freehold sale the average cost is £9.00 and on a leasehold sale it is £15.00. If there is a management company and/or landlord then a fee will be payable to them to obtain their replies to form LPE1 or FME1 or any similar document. The fees can vary but they range from £90.00 to £600.00 exclusive of vat.
The following are included in our standard instructions:
- obtaining a copy of your up to date title from H M Land Registry.
- arranging for you to complete the standard protocol documentation
- arranging, if appropriate, for the management company and/or freeholder to provide their replies to form LPE1 or FME1 or any similar document
- drafting and submitting a contract pack to your buyers legal representative
- assisting you with enquiries raised by the buyers legal representative and then sending your replies
- arranging for you to sign the contract once approved by the buyers legal representative
- approving and then arranging for you to sign the transfer documentation prepared by the buyers legal representative
- exchanging contracts on your behalf once in receipt of your instructions to do so
- completing the transaction on your behalf
- redeeming any existing mortgage and / or legal charges secured against the property
Purchase of a property
The following fees are for a standard matter for a direct instruction.
| Price Range | Legal Fees | VAT | Total inclusive of VAT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to £150,000.00 | £975.00 | £195.00 | £1,170.00 |
| £150,001 – £250,000 | £1,000.00 | £200.00 | £1,200.00 |
| £250,001 – £350,000 | £1,025.00 | £205.00 | £1,230.00 |
| £350,001 – £450,000 | £1,050.00 | £210.00 | £1,260.00 |
| £450,001 – £550,000 | £1,075.00 | £215.00 | £1,290.00 |
| £550,001 – £650,000 | £1,125.00 | £225.00 | £1,350.00 |
| £650,001 – £750,000 | £1,175.00 | £235.00 | £1,410.00 |
| £750,001 – £850,000 | £1,225.00 | £245.00 | £1,470.00 |
| £950,001 – £1,000,000 | £1,325.00 | £265.00 | £1,590.00 |
| Over £1,000,000 | Please get in contact |
£1M - £3M – our charges will range between 0.1 and 0.2% of the value of the property being sold or purchased, whether leasehold or freehold.
You will also be charged VAT at 20%
In addition to our basic legal fees the following supplements will be added where appropriate.
| Supplements | Legal Fees | VAT | Total inclusive of VAT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leasehold | £150.00 | £30.00 | £180.00 |
| Mortgage | £150.00 | £30.00 | £180.00 |
| Freehold Management Company | £150.00 | £30.00 | £180.00 |
| Stamp Duty Land Tax | £75.00 | £15.00 | £90.00 |
| Bank Charge & Administration Fee (per payment) | £30.00 | £6.00 | £36.00 |
| Deed of Variation | £450.00 | £90.00 | £540.00 |
| New Build | £150.00 | £30.00 | £180.00 |
| Indemnity Policy Administration Fee | £75.00 | £15.00 | £90.00 |
| Declaration of Trust from | £250.00 | £50.00 | £300.00 |
| Help to Buy Mortgage | £150.00 | £30.00 | £180.00 |
£1M - £3M – our charges will range between 0.1 and 0.2% of the value of the property being sold or purchased, whether leasehold or freehold.
You will also be charged VAT at 20%
In addition to the above legal fees there will be disbursements payable to Third Parties. In a purchase transaction these are likely to be to H M Land Registry, Search Agent, and HMRC. It is difficult to give an exact cost in relation to the amount payable to our Search Agent to prepare a local search, drainage search, environmental search and chance repair indemnity policy as each Local Authority and drainage company charge different amounts, however, on average the complete search pack costs £350.00 (inclusive of VAT). We will need to submit pre-completion searches to H M Land Registry which costs £3.00 per title and £2.00 per person. If there is a management company and/or landlord then a fee will be payable to them to on completion. The fees can vary but they range from £90.00 to £600.00 exclusive of vat. An application fee to H M Land Registry will also be payable and more information on their fees can be found here. It will be a Scale 1 payment.
The following are included in our standard instructions:
- reviewing your source of funds
- upon receipt of the sale contract from the sellers legal representative review the same and approve it on your behalf
- submitting searches on your behalf
- advising you on the contract papers including the protocol documentation, title documentation, searches and any other documentation produced
- raising enquires on your behalf
- reviewing the instructions sent by your mortgage company, if appropriate, and ensuring that all mortgage conditions have been complied with.
- arranging for you to sign all the required documentation
- preparing the SDLT return and arranging for you to approve the same (please note that we do not offer SDLT advise)
- exchanging contracts on your behalf once in receipt of your instructions to do so
- completing the transaction on your behalf
- submitting your SDLT return on your behalf and paying the same, if appropriate.
- Submitting an application to H M Land Registry on your behalf.
Remortgage of a property
The following fees are for a standard matter for a direct instruction.
| Remortgage Range | Legal Fees | VAT | Total inclusive of VAT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to £150,000.00 | £495.00 | £180.00 | £1,080.00 |
| £150,001 – £400,000 | £570.00 | £185.00 | £1,110.00 |
| £400,001 – £750,000 | £645.00 | £190.00 | £1,140.00 |
| £750,001 – £1,000,000 | £720.00 | £195.00 | £1,170.00 |
| Over £1,000,000 | Please get in contact |
£1M - £3M – our charges will range between 0.1 and 0.2% of the value of the property being sold or purchased, whether leasehold or freehold.
You will also be charged VAT at 20%
In addition to our basic legal fees the following supplements will be added where appropriate.
| Supplements | Legal Fees | VAT | Total inclusive of VAT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leasehold | £150.00 | £30.00 | £180.00 |
| Mortgage | £150.00 | £30.00 | £180.00 |
| Freehold Management Company | £150.00 | £30.00 | £180.00 |
| Bank Charge & Administration Fee (per payment) | £30.00 | £6.00 | £36.00 |
| Indemnity Policy Administration Fee | £75.00 | £15.00 | £90.00 |
| Help to Buy Mortgage | £150.00 | £30.00 | £180.00 |
£1M - £3M – our charges will range between 0.1 and 0.2% of the value of the property being sold or purchased, whether leasehold or freehold.
You will also be charged VAT at 20%
In addition to the above legal fees there will be disbursements payable to Third Parties. In a remortgage transaction these are likely to be to H M Land Registry and Search Agent. At H M Land registry each document costs £3.00 and as such on a freehold sale the average cost is £9.00 and on a leasehold sale it is £15.00. It is difficult to give an exact cost in relation to the amount payable to our Search Agent (if applicable as searches may not always be necessary) to prepare a local search, drainage search, environmental search and chance repair indemnity policy as each Local Authority and drainage company charge different amounts, however, on average the complete search pack costs £350.00 (inclusive of VAT). We will need to submit pre-completion searches to H M Land Registry which costs £3.00 per title and £2.00 per person. If there is a management company and/or landlord then a fee will be payable to them to on completion. The fees can vary but they range from £90.00 to £600.00 exclusive of vat. An application fee to H M Land Registry will also be payable and more information on their fees can be found here. It will be a Scale 2 payment.
The following are included in our standard instructions:
- submitting searches on your mortgage company’s behalf if applicable
- reviewing the title
- reviewing the instructions sent by your mortgage company, if appropriate, and ensuring that all mortgage conditions have been complied with.
- arranging for you to sign all the required documentation
- completing the transaction on your behalf including if appropriate redeeming your existing mortgage and any other financial charges
- Applying to H M Land Registry on your behalf.
Please note that our fixed fees do not apply to the following transactions:
- land only
- unregistered title
- mixed use
- overage
- purchase of land with benefit of planning permission
- land with complicated easements
- land with more than one title or land with possessory title
It is likely that if your transaction involves any of these then an additional fee may be payable.
Disbursements are costs related to your matter payable to third parties, such as search fees or fees payable to H M Land Registry. We will at the commencement of your instruction collect funds on account so that we may settle these on your behalf. It should be noted we will not know what all the disbursements will be, and the list shown is not exhaustive. There may be others which will apply depending on the transaction and other information provided during the transaction. We will let you know in advance of any unknown disbursements are to be paid prior to the cost being incurred.
Your matter will be dealt with by either Sean Reeves, Solicitor and Head of our Residential Property Team. Victoria Kirby, Partner and Solicitor. Helen Bean, Associate Conveyancing Executive or Jamie Poole, Associate Conveyancing Executive. The Team are supported by Paralegals and Conveyancing Assistants, Sarah Cooper, Nancy Hacker, Timara Reynolds, Amanda Charles, Audrey Condino, Angie Weekes, Virginia Ranger, Lucy Johnson and Jovhanna Olive.
Letchers Solicitors are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Ringwood: SRA ID 53897
The information on this website should not be construed as legal advice does not constitute legal advice and is provided for general information purposes only.