Price and service notice – Residential Property

December 2022

Our charges

We will provide you with a clear and accurate estimate of our charges in writing on application.

We aim to provide complete transparency in respect of the fees we charge.

Please note that an increase may be applied if the number of client meetings, volume of correspondence and telephone calls are excessive.

As a guide only our range of charges for the sale and purchase of standard properties which are registered at the Land Registry, are not listed buildings, have no apparent complex issues and which reflect the risk to the firm, are as follows:

 

Sale/Purchase price		Freehold (+VAT)					Leasehold (+VAT)
		Sale			Purchase		Sale			Purchase
£0 – 150,000		£900			£950		£1,050			£1,100
£150,001 – 200,000		£950			£1,025		£1,100			£1,150
£200,001 – 250,000		£1,000			£1,050		£1,150			£1,200
£250,001 – 300,000		£1,025			£1,100		£1,200			£1,225
£300,001 – 350,000		£1,100			£1,125		£1,225			£1,250
£350,001 – 400,000		£1,150			£1,200		£1,250			£1,350
£400,001 – 450,000		£1,200			£1,275		£1,275			£1,400
£450,001 – 500,000		£1,250			£1,400		£1,300			£1,500
£500,001 – 550,000		£1,350			£1,550		£1,350			£1,650
£550,001 – 600,000		£1,400			£1,600		£1,425			£1,750
£600,001 – 650,000		£1,450			£1,650		£1,450			£1,850
£650,001 – 700,000		£1,500			£1,700		£1,550			£1,950
£700,000 +		POA. Generally 0.25%					POA. Generally 0.3%
Transfer of Equity	Mortgage against property					No mortgage against property
	Freehold (+VAT)			Leasehold (+VAT)		Freehold (+VAT)			Leasehold (+VAT)
	£750			£850		£650			£750
Re- Mortgage			Freehold (+VAT)					Leasehold (+VAT)
	£650					£725
Transfer of Equity & ReMortgage	Mortgage against property					No mortgage against property
	Freehold (+VAT)			Leasehold (+VAT)		Freehold (+VAT)			Leasehold (+VAT)
	POA but from £950			POA but from £1,100		POA but from £800			POA but from £900

 

Additional Charges (plus VAT)
New Build	£300
HTB Equity Loan or Shared Ownership	£500
HTB ISA (per ISA)	£50
HTB Redemption only (no further borrowing)	£525
HTB Redemption (with sale/re-mortgage)	£350
Freehold with Management Company	£100
Declaration of Trust	£250 – 350 depending on complexity
Unregistered Property	£150
Transfer of Part	£125
Solar Panels/Septic Tank	£75
Statutory Declaration/Statement of Truth	£75
Bespoke Indemnity Policy	£75
Deed of Variation	£100

 

If a matter or transaction does not reach a conclusion, we reserve the right to charge for the work done, using our normal charging basis as follows:

Fee Earner	Hourly Rate
Solicitor-Advocate (Advocacy & Preparation therefor)	£250 – 270
Partner (Member)   Senior Solicitors with over 15 years’ experience	£250 £250
Solicitors, members of CILEX and other fee earners with over 8 years’ experience	£240
Solicitors and members of CILEX    Other fee earners with over 4 years’ experience	£230 £220
Paralegals & Trainee Solicitors	£195
Support Staff	£110

 

 This applies even where an estimate has been agreed for the whole matter.

Our charges do not include VAT, which we will add to your bill at the prevailing rate.

Expenses

Even where we have provided an estimate of our charges, we would usually expect to incur certain expenses on your behalf which we will also add to your bill. The amount of expenses can vary and the following is an estimate only:

Sale
Expense	Estimated amount	VAT chargeable
Land Registry fees	£3 – £20	no
Freeholder/Management Company fee	£350+	yes
Indemnity Insurance premium for such things as defective title, missing building regulation documents	Premium will depend on risk

 

Purchase
Expense	Estimated amount	VAT Chargeable
Search pack	£300 approx.	yes
Land Registry and Bankruptcy searches	£10 approx.	no
Land Registration fee	This varies according to value – see the land Registry’s online calculator at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fees-hm-land-registry-guides
Stamp Duty Land Tax	This varies according to value and status – see https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/stamp-duty-land-tax-calculator-service-availability-and-issues/stamp-duty-land-tax-calculator-service-availability-and-issues
Notification of transfer to 3rd party	£50 – £250	yes
Deed of Covenant or certificate of compliance	£150 – £350	yes

 

Additional costs

The ‘Estimated total legal costs’ shown above assumes that the property to be sold is registered at the Land Registry with no unusual related issues. Additional amounts may be payable for our charges and/or expenses and some examples are as follows:

Issue	Cost
Dealing with unregistered land	From £150 + VAT calculated on our hourly rate
Arranging Indemnity Insurance	£75 + VAT for each policy
Purchase in the name of a limited company	From £100 + VAT + Companies House fees
Help to Buy – additional documentation	From £350 + VAT
Property subject to a tenancy	From £150 + VAT
Property with solar panels	From £250 + VAT
Lender with separate solicitor or dealing with more than one lender	From £100 + VAT
Use of Help to Buy ISA	From £75 + VAT
Declaration of Trust to reflect contribution of each party	From £250 + VAT
Gifted deposit – source of funds check	From £50 + VAT

Likely timescale and key stages

Completion of property transactions are often dependent on matters beyond our control. For example, a purchase may depend on the issue of a mortgage offer from a lender or the seller’s related purchase. You will be advised of any likely delay by us, your mortgage broker or estate agent. 

Our Terms and Conditions set out details of our complaints procedure.