Price and service notice – Administration of Estates

Legal costs

There are two main elements to the legal costs associated with winding up an uncontested deceased’s estate which will normally include obtaining a grant of probate or letters of administration, paying liabilities, reporting to HMRC on tax and distributing the estate:
• our charges;
• expenses we must pay out of your behalf

Our charges

Our hourly rates for estate administration are:

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
Fee earners with under 8 years’ experience	£230
Paralegals & Trainee Solicitors	£195
Support Staff	£110

Costs will depend on the size and complexity of the estate and whether Inheritance Tax is chargeable. On average a non-tax paying estate takes 10 to 15 hours to complete. This means that on average our charges will be £2,500 to £3,750 + VAT. On average a tax paying estate takes 20 to 50 hours to complete. This means that on average our charges will be £5,000 to £12,500. We will provide you with an engagement letter once instructed, with an estimate of our charges for your specific case. 

The exact number of hours it will take depends on the circumstances of your case, such as:

1. The number of client meetings, volume of correspondence and telephone calls
2. Is there a valid will;
3. The size and nature of the estate;
4. Whether there is a foreign element;
5. Taxation issues;
6. Number and location of beneficiaries;
7. Debts and liabilities;
8. Freehold/Leasehold Property considerations;
9. Trusts.

If there is a valid will, no inheritance tax to pay and the estate does not include any shareholdings, our charges are likely to be at the lower end of this range. Please note that additional amounts may be payable for our charges and/or expenses if for example there is no will, the assets or tax situation are complex or distribution of the estate is contested.

We reserve the right to increase the hourly rates if the work done is particularly complex or urgent, or the nature of your instructions require us to work outside normal office hours. If this happens, we will notify you in advance and agree an appropriate rate.

We will review our hourly rates on a periodic basis. This is usually done each January. We will give you advance notice of any change to our hourly rates.

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

Expenses

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:

Expense	Estimated amount	VAT chargeable
Probate fees	£273 if estate is over £5,000	no
Copies of Grant of Probate (each)	£1.50	no
Statutory notice in London Gazette & local paper	£300 approx.	yes
Law Systems Probate Plus	£100	yes

Likely timescale and key stages

Administration of estates usually take 6 to 9 months from receiving your instructions to distribution. This is on the basis that there is a valid will, there is no inheritance tax to pay and the estate does not include any shareholdings. If there are additional issues as detailed above the administration will take longer. We will advise you if and when this occurs.

Most matters of this nature involve the following key stages. This is subject to the complexities of the estate:

• Gathering information – 4 to 6 weeks;

• Preparation of papers for submission to the court 2 to 3 weeks;

• Dealing with post grant issues including transfer or sale of assets, collection of cash assets and payment of liabilities 12 to 26 weeks (longer if tax paying estate) ;

• Distribution to beneficiaries (after tax clearance if tax paying estate) 2 to 4 weeks.

The ‘Estimated total legal costs’ specifically do not include:

• the sale or transfer of any property forming part of the estate;

• providing tax advice or dealing with HMRC enquiries about inheritance tax;

• providing accountancy advice;

• providing advice on the validity of a will.

Lasting Powers of Attorney

Lasting Power of Attorney for Financial Decisions (LPAFD)

Lasting Power of Attorney for Health and Care Decisions (LPAHC)

The charge for the preparation and dealing with the execution and registration of Lasting Powers of Attorney is
as follows:

Single Adult either LPAFD or LPAHC – £575 + VAT + court fee £82

Single Adult LPAFD and LPAHC – £700 + VAT + court fees £164

A couple LPAFD and LPAHC – £900 + VAT + court fees £328

Wills

Single Adult – standard Will – from £375 + VAT

A couple – standard mirror Wills – from £500 + VAT

A couple – standard mirror Wills with trust provisions – from £700 + VAT

Arranging for the severance of a joint tenancy – from £75 + VAT

January 2024

Price and service notice – Residential Property

Our charges

We will provide you with a clear and accurate estimate of our charges in writing on application. 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 – £250,000	£1,025	£1,075	£1,200	£1,300
£250,001 – 300,000	£1,050	£1,150	£1,225	£1,325
£300,001 – 350,000	£1,150	£1,200	£1,250	£1,350
£350,001 – 400,000	£1,200	£1,250	£1,300	£1,450
£400,001 – 450,000	£1,250	£1,350	£1,325	£1,500
£450,001 – 500,000	£1,300	£1,400	£1,350	£1,500
£500,001 – 550,000	£1,350	£1,550	£1,400	£1,650
£550,001 – 600,000	£1,400	£1,600	£1,450	£1,750
£600,001 – 650,000	£1,450	£1,650	£1,500	£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)
	From £850	From £950	From £800	From £900

 

Re-Mortgage	Freehold (+VAT)	Leasehold (+VAT)
	From £750	From £825

 

Transfer of Equity & Re-Mortgage	Mortgage against property		No mortgage against property
	Freehold (+VAT)	Leasehold (+VAT)	Freehold (+VAT)	Leasehold (+VAT)
	POA but from £1,000	POA but from £1,100	POA but from £900	POA but from £1,000

 

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	£350 (subject to complexity)
Unregistered Property	£150
Transfer of Part	£125
Solar Panels/Septic Tank	£100
Statutory Declaration/Statement of Truth	£75
Bespoke Indemnity Policy	£75
Deed of Variation	£100
Separate representation for lender	£150 – £350 depending upon complexity
Purchase in the name of a limited company	£100 plus Companies House fees
Property subject to a tenancy	From £150
Gifted deposit – source of funds check	From £50

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. 

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
Fee earners with under 8 years’ experience	£230
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

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

Price and service notice – Family

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.

Our charges are based on the time we spend dealing with a matter unless a fixed fee or other funding arrangements are agreed.  Time spent will include meetings with you and, where appropriate and necessary, with others; any time spent travelling; drafting documents; considering papers, letters and emails received and preparing for meetings, and where appropriate, attending court on your behalf.  We also charge for drafting and sending letters and emails and making and receiving telephone calls. In addition to the time spent, we may take into account a number of factors, which include the complexity of the issues, the speed at which action must be taken, the expertise or specialist knowledge that the case requires and where appropriate the value of the property or subject matter involved. The value element reflects the importance of the transaction to you and the consequent responsibility falling on this Firm. 

The hourly rates are reviewed from time to time.  The current private client rates are set below: –

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
Fee earners with under 8 years’ experience	£230
Paralegals & Trainee Solicitors  Support Staff	£195 £110

 VAT at the current rate will be added

 

January 2024