Residential Property Costs
Our legal fees and disbursements cover the work involved in completing the conveyancing transaction*, including registering your purchase.
Our fees are based on the price or valuation of the property being bought or sold and the fees scales are displayed below.
Sales, Purchases and Right to Buy:
Up to Total VAT Fee
£100,000 £570 £95 £475
£200,000 £594 £99 £495
£250,000 £660 £110 £550
£350,000 £714 £119 £595
£450,000 £780 £130 £650
£550,000 £834 £139 £695
£650,000 £930 £155 £775
Over £650,000 £954 £159 £795
Over £750,000 Ask FE for quote
Additional Fees Total VAT Fee
Stamp Duty Land Tax Form £96 £16 £80
ISA Help to Buy Scheme £60 £10 £50
Government Help to Buy Scheme £180 £30 £150
Purchasing under Auction Terms £180 £30 £150
Purchasing through a company / business with mortgage £300 £50 £250
Shared Ownership £120 £20 £100
Gifted deposits £60 £10 £50
Purchase Leasehold property £120 £20 £100
Extend an existing lease £360 £60 £300
Witnessing mortgage consent form or ID1 £60 £10 £50
Advice for personal guarantee or collateral security for bank or lender £240 £40 £200
Related Conveyancing Fees: Total VAT Fee
Review auction pack £420 £70 £350
Redeem Help to Buy £180 £30 £150
Transfer of Equity £480 £80 £400
Re-mortgage £510 £85 £425
Transfer of Equity & Re-mortgage £570 £95 £475
Deed of Trust if purchasing property & we are acting in purchase £180 £30 £150
Deed of Trust if not purchasing a property £216 £36 £180
Lifetime Trust / Settlement £360 £60 £300
DISBURSEMENTS
Disbursements are further costs which are incidental to the conveyancing transaction, payable to third parties such as Land Registry fees or searches. We have listed the most common and frequently used disbursements, however further disbursements may apply depending on the terms of a lease or where the property is located e.g. differing management fees.
Please note, we do not charge VAT on third party disbursements. Where VAT is applicable, we will indicate below.
HM Land Registry fees
HM Land Registry fees for registration vary with the value of the property or the consideration provided. Their fees differ with the type of application being made and how it is made. Our firm utilises the HM Land Registry portal and submits registration documents online.
Fees to register the whole of a registered title refers to a registered title where the buyer will acquire the boundary edged in red on the title plan. Part of a registered title will usually relate to a new build property where a buyer will acquire a part of the original title. It is ‘carved out’ of the original title plan to attract a separate fee. There are also properties in the UK that remain unregistered. Where a freeholder intends on registering their property for the first time, the Land Registry offer a reduced voluntary registration fee for doing so. Those fees that are outlined below are not subject to VAT.
Purchase Price Voluntary Registration Part of a title Whole of title Post
0 to £80,000 £45 £20 £45
£80,001 to £100,000 £95 £40 £95
£100,001 to £200,000 £230 £100 £230
£200,001 to £500,000 £200 £330 £150 £330
£500,001 to £1,000,000 £400 £665 £295 £665
£1,000,001 and over £680 £1105 £500 £1105
Pre-Completion Searches
An OS1 (official search of the whole of the land) or OS2 (official search of part of the land in the title) priority search is undertaken prior to exchange which should provide a certificate containing a statement that there have been no adverse entries since office copies were sent to us. It provides a period of priority to change the register and also prevents an application by a third party.
A bankruptcy search is required in purchasers were a lender is providing mortgage funds to determine whether the borrower is bankrupt or on the verge of bankruptcy.
OS1 Priority Search £3
Bankruptcy Search (per person) £2
Electronic Money Transfer fee
The charge levied by the practice to transfer the purchase monies and is subject to VAT.
Electronic Money Transfer Fee £40
Searches
These costs are not fixed. Each search provider will charge a fee for their service and each local authority, water authority (etc.) will have their own fee scale. The current costs of searches on a residential purchase relate to purchases within North East England. We will advise on further costs at the outset of the transaction.
Further investigative searches may be undertaken depending on the results of the previous searches. For example, there may be a mine shaft within the boundary of the property causing potential ground movement. If you were obtaining mortgage funds, the lender may request an interpretive report to be conducted at the property. We will advise you on the implications of similar results and the cost consequences as soon as we become aware.
Basic Package £123
(Local search, water and drainage search and coal search)
Additional Searches:
Environmental Search £61.20
Chancel Search £24.00
Radon Report £12.00
Flood Report £30.00
** Prices as of 23rd February 2021
Online Identification Fee (per person) £10.00
Office Copy Register and Plan* £6.00
*For leasehold properties, additional documents will cost £3 each.
Lawyer Checker Fee
A fee paid to check the existence and authenticity of the bank account to which the purchase monies have been requested to be sent, to mitigate against online fraud.
Stamp Duty Land Tax or Land Transaction 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.
Leasehold Property
Purchasing leasehold property may add some further disbursements which will depend on occasion and the prices may vary. However, we will inform you as soon as we become aware of a disbursement and the related cost.
For example, the following disbursements are common in leasehold property:
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- Certificate of compliance fee
- Notice of Transfer
- Notice of Charge (if you are mortgaging the property)
- Deed of Covenant fee
- License to Assign
*The work involved assumes that a transaction is:
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- A straightforward, standard transaction;
- Free from any matters which may not have been foreseen at the outset of the transaction, for example; rectifying a title defect or enhanced due diligence regarding source of funds;
- Without any unnecessary delays from the purchaser or vendor, including any third parties to the transaction.
If you would like make an enquiry on the above services, please complete our online enquiry service by using our contact form below to receive a bespoke estimate of services.