Residential Conveyancing – Pricing
We take care of the legal side of moving home and aim to make the process of buying or selling a property as smooth as possible for our clients, by providing exceptional service in our Residential Conveyancing Department.
Our Residential Conveyancing Solicitors have years of knowledge and experience not only in the local area but also nationally. All of our lawyers are experts and one of our team will be happy to contact you if you wish to receive a quotation tailored to your individual needs.
We always provide, at the outset, comprehensive information on fees and expenses based upon your individual circumstances and the type and complexity of the matter in hand. We advise immediately of any complications and discuss the impact of this upon the fees and expenses quoted but this is rare.
If, when the transaction gets under way, there are unusual circumstances, which necessitate work over and above what we would expect to see in such a transaction, we may have to charge an additional fee. In this situation we will advise you as soon as possible of the likely “additional fee”.
No completion, no conveyancing fee
Only in exceptional circumstances, will we charge you if the transaction falls through before exchange of contracts. This applies to a maximum of two transactions. Any out of pocket expenses, which we have incurred on your behalf will be payable.
Our legal fees
Our firm’s fees range from £474.00 inclusive of VAT when acting on your behalf in the Remortgage of a Freehold Property where the amount of Mortgage being taken by you is low, to £3,600.00 inclusive of VAT when acting for you in the purchase of a Leasehold Apartment valued at several million pounds. Our fees are based upon the purchase/sale price on a tapered scale taking into account the complexity of the title to the property and the inherent risks on advising upon it. We charge on a fixed fee basis for the majority of our residential conveyancing work and that fee is provided to you at the point of instruction if not before. Our fees are kept under review during the course of your matter and you are advised of any changes that would mean you having to pay more. These fees are payable immediately before completion.
What are the typical expenses?
Typical expenses include Land Registry documentation in relation to your current property. These are charged by Land Registry at £3 per document and on average, those selling a Freehold Property will require two documents. Those selling a Leasehold Property will require at least four. In relation to the purchase of a Property, you may have to pay Stamp Duty Land Tax in England or Land Transaction Tax in Wales. This can be calculated using the Government’s website. For more complex transactions, we will advise on the impact of Tax or direct you to seek advice from an appropriately qualified accountant. You should expect, on a purchase, to pay Land Registry fees based upon the Purchase Price to register you as the new owner. There will be a fee to register your new Mortgage, if you are Remortgaging. We apply for searches online which are available to you at the price we pay to the search provider. These range from around £50 to around £300. Our fees to send funds electronically on your behalf using the CHAPS system are £42 inclusive of VAT per payment.
In the case of leasehold property freeholder/managing agents charge fees to register the change of ownership. They vary hugely in each case. In the case of selling/Remortgaging a Leasehold property or a Freehold Property whereby you contribute to an Estate Maintenance Charge, you may have fees to pay to the Management Company/Landlord for replies to enquiries and standard information.
Find out more about the hourly rates of those involved and the way we charge for our work by viewing our terms of business.
What are the likely timescales?
It is difficult to be precise on timescales. It usually takes some 8 to 10 weeks to achieve an exchange of contracts from receiving instruction/draft contract papers and usually completion (moving date) is between 1 and 4 weeks thereafter to suit the parties.
Who will deal with your matter?
The daily conduct of your file will be handled by one of our experienced Conveyancers. The overall supervision of your transaction will be dealt with by a Partner or Senior Solicitor and full details will be provided to you from instruction. If at any time you become dissatisfied with the service you have been given you should contact our complaints Partner who will then follow our standard complaints procedure.
Are their any hidden charges?
We understand you may wish to obtain additional quotes. Our Conveyancing Fee includes acting on your behalf in respect of any mortgage, preparing Stamp Duty Land Tax return, the administration and putting in place of title based indemnity insurance (if needed) and identifying you in respect of money laundering regulations.
We understand some firms charge additional fees to you for agreeing to complete within a short space of exchange of contracts and completion, we do not make any extra charges for that.
Should you wish to contact us for a tailored quotation, we will be pleased to discuss your individual needs with you and to provide a quotation ahead of your instruction.
How can we help you?
Call us today on 01323 644222 to get the specialist help you need.