Guide to fees (Freehold)

All properties will vary and our fees will reflect the particular requirements of your purchase. Due to this, we cannot provide you with an exact estimate of the cost until we have details of your property.

At the start of any transaction we will provide you with a cost estimate based on the information you provide us.  Our fees cover all of the work required to complete the purchase. Our fees cover all of the work required to complete the purchase, including dealing with the Land Registry and 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.

In the majority of property purchases we will be able to give to you specific details upfront of legal fees and the disbursements which you will incur.

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

For properties valued under £1,000,000 our typical legal fees involving a residential property purchase range from around £2400 (including VAT) for a simple transaction to £6000 (including VAT) for a generally larger and individual property (with its associated complexities). For properties valued over £1,000,000, our charges will stand at 0.5% of the property value (subject to agreement)

Disbursements

• We would suggest you budget £400 for search fees. The actual amount you incur will vary depending upon the property and the local authority area it is in.
• Land Registry fees range between £40 and £910 depending upon the type of transaction and the value. They are on a sliding scale.
• Stamp Duty Land Tax - The amount of SDLT depends on the purchase price. We will provide you with calculation of SDLT based on the information we obtain from you.
• The above figures are either inclusive of VAT or no VAT is payable. When we provide you with detailed costings we confirm the VAT payable.

Factors we take into account when setting our fees

The Factors are as follows

• The complexity of the property
• The price
• The time which it is anticipated will need to be devoted to the matter
• The number of titles included within the property
• Whether it is freehold or leasehold
• The urgency
• The qualification level and specialist knowledge of the adviser who needs to be allocated to the matter (see below for charge out rates) .

How long will my purchase take?

How long it will take from the offer being accepted until completion will depend on a number of factors. The average transaction takes between 8-12 weeks. It can be quicker or slower, depending on factors such as: the number of parties in the chain; the time it takes for finance to be arranged; title problems needing to be resolved; surveys revealing items of disrepair which require rectification; some parties in the chain not wanting to complete quickly. For example, if you are purchasing an empty freehold property with no mortgage required the purchase could complete in 4 to 6 weeks. However, if you are buying a property where there are a number of parties in the chain (and especially if issues arise which need to be resolved), this can take significantly longer - commonly 3 months plus. In such a situation, in order to protect your interests, additional charges may apply.

What are the stages in the process?

The precise stages involved in the purchase of a residential property vary according to the circumstances. However, below we have set out some common key stages on sales and purchases:

• Solicitors take instructions and give initial advice
• Buyers check that their finances are in place to fund purchase and contact their lender if an offer of finance is needed
• Buyers commission a survey of the property if required
• Contracts, copy title documents and preliminary enquiries are dealt with
• Searches are carried out (these will vary depending upon the nature of the property)
• Buyer's solicitors raise any necessary additional enquiries of seller's solicitor
• Mortgage offer is received (if relevant) and the lender provides instructions to buyer's solicitor
• Advice on is given by buyers solicitors on all documents and information received, usually in the form of a property report
• Contracts are signed in readiness for exchange
• The completion date is agreed (date on which the ownership of the property changes)
• Contracts are exchanged (the deal is now binding)
• The buyer's solicitor obtains all monies needed from lender and buyer
• The sale/purchase completes
• Buyer's solicitor deals with the payment of Stamp Duty Land Tax
• Buyer's solicitor deals with application for registration at Land Registry

Guide to fees (Leasehold)

All properties will vary and our fees will reflect the particular requirements of your Purchase. Due to this, we cannot provide you with an exact estimate of the cost until we have details of your property.

At the start of any transaction we will provide you with a cost estimate based on the information you provide us.  Our fees cover all of the work required to complete the purchase. Our fees cover all of the work required to complete the purchase, including dealing with the Land Registry and 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.

In the majority of property sales we will be able to give to you specific details upfront of legal fees and the disbursements which you will incur.

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

For properties valued under £1,000,000 our typical legal fees involving a residential property purchase range from around £2400 (including VAT) for a simple transaction to £6000 (including VAT) for a generally larger and individual property (with its associated complexities). For properties valued over £1,000,000, our charges will stand at 0.5% of the property value (subject to agreement)

Disbursements

• We would suggest you budget £400 for search fees. The actual amount you incur will vary depending upon the property and the local authority area it is in.
• Land Registry fees range between £40 and £910 depending upon the type of transaction and the value.
• Further administrative costs are incurred when buying leasehold properties including : Notice of Transfer fee – commonly in the region of £100 to £200; Notice of Charge fee (if the property is to be mortgaged) – commonly a similar amount; Deed of Covenant fee – commonly in the region of £250; Certificate of Compliance fee - commonly in the region of £200; you should also be aware that ground rent and service charge are likely to apply throughout your ownership of the property. Details of the ground rent and the anticipated service are provided as part of the property report.
• Stamp Duty Land Tax - The amount of SDLT depends on the purchase price. We will provide you with calculation of SDLT based on the information we obtain from you.
• The above figures are either inclusive of VAT or no VAT is payable. When we provide you with detailed costings we confirm the VAT payable.

Factors we take into account when setting our fees

The Factors are as follows

• The complexity of the property
• The price
• The time which it is anticipated will need to be devoted to the matter
• The number of titles included within the property
• Whether it is freehold or leasehold
• The urgency
• The qualification level and specialist knowledge of the adviser who needs to be allocated to the matter (see below for charge out rates) .

How long will my purchase take?

How long it will take from the offer being accepted until completion will depend on a number of factors. The average transaction takes between 8-12 weeks. It can be quicker or slower, depending on factors such as: the number of parties in the chain; the time it takes for finance to be arranged; title problems needing to be resolved; surveys revealing items of disrepair which require rectification; some parties in the chain not wanting to complete quickly. For example, if you are purchasing an empty freehold property with no mortgage required the purchase could complete in 4 to 6 weeks. However, if you are purchasing a property where there are a number of parties in the chain (and especially if issues arise which need to be resolved), this can take significantly longer - commonly 3 months plus. In such a situation, in order to protect your interests, additional charges may apply. 

What are the stages in the process?

The precise stages involved in the purchase of a residential property vary according to the circumstances. However, below we have set out some common key stages on sales and purchases:



• Solicitors take instructions and give initial advice
• Buyers check that their finances are in place to fund purchase and contact their lender if an offer of finance is needed
• Buyers commission a survey of the property if required
• Contracts, copy title documents and preliminary enquiries are dealt with
• Searches are carried out (these will vary depending upon the nature of the property)
• Buyers solicitors raise any necessary additional enquiries of seller's solicitor
• Mortgage offer is received (if relevant) and the lender provides instructions to buyer's solicitor
• Advice on is given by buyers solicitors on all documents and information received, usually in the form of a property report
• Contracts are signed in readiness for exchange
• The completion date is agreed (date on which the ownership of the property changes)
• Contracts are exchanged (the deal is now binding)
• The buyers solicitor obtains all monies needed from lender and buyer
• The sale/purchase completes
• Buyer's solicitor deals with the payment of Stamp Duty Land Tax
• Buyer's solicitor deals with application for registration at Land Registry
• As the property is leasehold the buyer's solicitor follows the notice and covenant procedures set out in the lease