The Sale and Purchase of Freehold Property – Pricing Information

Our Fees

Our fees cover all of the work required to complete the sale or purchase of your new home, including (as appropriate) 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 please note that this is self assessed so you should ensure the information given is accurate. We do recommend that you seek independent financial advice for complex SDLT as we are not specialist in the matter. Should you require mortgage finance to assist in your purchase, our fees also include acting on behalf of any lender provided that they are a UK Finance member, save for fees charged by Lender Marketing Services.

No two property transactions are the same and each client will have specific requirements. We therefore provide each client with an individual estimate giving full details of our fees and the other costs involved in a transaction. If there are any unforeseen difficulties we will let you know right away and explain any impact this may have on costs before incurring additional expense.

Our fees are based on the value of the property and the work likely to be involved and will be subject to Value Added Tax at the current rate. Our normal fee for a straightforward freehold sale or purchase with no unforeseen problems will range between £1240 plus VAT for a property valued at up to £250,000 to £2,660 plus VAT for a property valued at up to £1M. For properties valued at over £1M we have a minimum charge of £2,660 but the actual charge will depend on will depend on the property and specific circumstances of the transaction.

We have a minimum charge of £1,500 plus VAT for dealing with a purchase under the Help to Buy Scheme
In addition we will charge:-

  • £35.00 plus VAT for dealing with an electronic money transfer
  • £25.00 plus VAT for completing an SDLT return (purchase only)

Additional work may sometimes be charged by agreement with the client at an hourly rate and the fees chargeable by each of the residential conveyancing team can be seen here.

Payments to Others

There will usually be payments to others (sometimes called “disbursements”) such as search fees, LMS fees, fees payable to HM Land Registry, Stamp Duty Land Tax (payable on the purchase of a property) and Value Added Tax. We deal with payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

We do not make payments to others in respect of referral fees.

Stamp Duty 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 Website. There is currently no SDLT payable on a first time purchase up to a value of £300,000. The amount of SDLT payable otherwise will depend on the value of the property, whether or not it is a second property, whether you are a UK national and, if leasehold, depending on the ground rent.

Example Estimate

Based on the purchase of a property with registered title at a value of £300,000 our charges and disbursements would be:-

Our charges £1370.00
Search fees (can vary depending on the property) £300.00
HM Land Registry fees £150.00
HM Land Registry search £3.00 (plus VAT)
Land Charge Search (£2 per name) £2.00 (plus VAT)
Electronic money transfer fee £35.00
ID verification check £10 (each individual)* £10.00
Source of Funds check £2 (each individual)* £2.00
VAT payable £284.40
TOTAL £2156.40

*checks will need to be carried out on each purchaser as well as any person gifting money towards the purchase

Frequently Asked Questions

How long will my house purchase take?
We completely understand that you would like some idea of when you will be able to move into your new home and we will do whatever we can to complete the matter in accordance with your preferred timescale. However it is sometimes the case that matters arise which delay a transaction. We will do whatever we can to identify any such matters as early as possible in order that you may plan accordingly.
In our experience, most purchase transactions complete between 9 and 12 weeks from the date that we receive a contract from the seller’s conveyancers. Please note that third parties may cause delays to transactions.

What are the stages of the process when buying property?
The precise stages involved in the purchase of a residential property vary according to the circumstances. However, our service to you will normally include the following:-

  • 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
  • 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

Who will deal with my transaction?
Our conveyancing team is made up of Solicitors, Chartered Legal Executives and Paralegals who are experienced in dealing with property transactions and well qualified to help guide you guide you through what can be a very stressful process and provide you with the support you need from start to finish. We also have a team of Assistants to assist with non legal matters.

  • The Team can help you with a wide range of matters, including:-
  • Residential property sales and purchases
  • Re-mortgages
  • Shared & joint ownership
  • Matrimonial transfers
  • Probate sales
  • Residential property investments and lettings
  • New homes
  • Help to Buy loans and redemptions
  • Transfers of Equity
  • Equity Release mortgages

What if something goes wrong?
If there is a problem you should contact the person who is dealing with your matter as soon as possible with details of your concern. If it is not possible to resolve the matter quickly and informally we have a complaints handling procedure which you can read here.

Important Points to Remember When Comparing Charges

The fees estimated above assumes that: –

  1. the property that you are purchasing has a “good and marketable” title i.e. that the seller is entitled to sell the property to you, that the Property benefits from all rights necessary for its use and is not the subject of any onerous covenants, rights or charges in favour of any other party.
  2. the transaction is concluded in a timely manner and no unforeseen complication arise.
  3. all parties to the transaction are co-operative and there is no unreasonable delay from third parties providing documentation.
  4. no indemnity policies are required. Additional disbursements may apply if indemnity policies are required.
  5. SDLT is not included as this varies depending on the value of the property and other factors.