Terms and Conditions

Occasionally a matter comes up which is unforeseen. In those cases, we discuss this with you, including potential solutions and any additional fees they might incur, before proceeding.    

All fees and disbursements mentioned below are exclusive of VAT. Any quotes we provide will always clearly show the VAT charges.  The following is an indication of our fee structure all subject to each client’s unique circumstances.

CONVEYANCING

Residential Sales

The costs of the sale of a freehold property start from £1,250.00, while the sale of a leasehold property, which involves more work, start from £1,475.00.  

Leasehold property sales usually require us to obtain sales information and management packs from the freeholder or managing agents, who make substantial charges for providing the information.  Please contact your managing agent for an estimate. 

To verify a client’s identity, we may use a verification system called Thirdfort, for which there will be a charge of £15.00.  

There is a £30.00 standard charge for any bank fees incurred, for example in sending money to a client’s account, or to a lender to redeem a mortgage.

Residential Purchases and Mortgages

The costs of the purchase of a freehold property start from £995.00, and leasehold properties, which usually involve more work, start from £1,220.00. For remortgaging we usually charge in the region of £1000.00, though we will provide you with a quote based on your specific circumstances.  

On average there is a cost of £250.00 to represent your lender on a purchase involving a mortgage. Some lenders also make a small charge to cover their administrative costs.  

If you are first-time buyers, and using a Help to Buy ISA, there will also be an additional fee of £50.00 to claim any bonus payment for your purchase.  

We make a £30.00 standard charge for any bank fees incurred, for example in sending money to the seller’s solicitors.  

To verify a client’s identity, we may use a verification system called Thirdfort, for which there will be a charge of £15.00. In addition, where we need to verify the source of funds there will be a fee of £10.00.  

We will charge disbursements in addition to our own fees – these cover items like searches, Land Registry charges and others which we must pay for on your behalf. All of these will be itemized in our quote and, later, in our billing. There may also be a need for indemnity insurance policies to deal with minor problems on the title, or missing documentation. These vary according to circumstances and, again, would be discussed with you fully beforehand, but can range from just a few pounds for a minor matter up to perhaps £200.00.  

If you have a mortgage, you will require searches, and these are usually in the region of £200.00 to £300.00 for the basic three searches (local, drainage and environmental).  

One of the larger disbursements is Stamp Duty Land Tax, payable on all residential property purchases over £125,000 and working on a sliding scale, according to the property price and whether a property is your only residence, or a second or subsequent property, at which point higher rates become applicable.  Please refer to the HMRC website for up-to-date information.  

First-time buyers are exempt from Stamp Duty Land Tax up to £300,000.00 and thereafter different rates apply. We will compute the appropriate figure for you in advance, so you will know exactly what you will be required to pay, but again refer to the HMRC website for up-to-date information.  

Additionally, on completion, there may also be charges for giving notice of your purchase (and a mortgage, if any) to freeholders and management companies. We cannot estimate this without seeing the specific information relating to your purchase.  

Land Registry fees are payable on purchases, as we apply to have your ownership of the property (and any mortgage) registered. These will be between £40.00 and £910.00, depending upon the property price, but please refer to the HMRC website for up-to-date information.  

Please note that the figures above are dependent upon there being no unforeseen problems, for example if the title of a property is defective and needs correcting, or critical documentation is unobtainable, or if the property is unregistered. If such is the complications occur there will be additional charges. 

What is included in our service and quoted fees?

• Opening the file and dealing with i.d.
• Issuing a client care letter and our Terms of Business
• Issuing Property Information Forms for completion by the client on a sale
• Personal attendance with client and discussing matters as and when they arise by telephone or e-mail
• Correspondence and telephone calls with legal firms, agents, brokers, lenders and management companies
• Making enquiries of other solicitors, and responding to any from other solicitors’ firms
• Preparation of a full and detailed report letter to the client on purchases
• Acquiring redemption figures from lenders on sales and redeeming any mortgage
• Representing the lender for a mortgage on a purchase
• Claiming Help to Buy bonuses where applicable
• Preparing a Statement of Account for the client
• Exchanging contracts and completing
• Filing a Stamp Duty Land Tax return on a purchase and paying the tax due (if any)
• Registration of a purchase with Land Registry, advising lenders where appropriate, and notifying freeholders/managing agents on a leasehold purchase
• Sending a copy of final registration documents to clients for purchases
• Holding deeds packages after completion of a purchase
• Holding files in our archives for a minimum of seven years
• Retrieval of archived files if required

How long does it take?

Straightforward residential conveyancing can take an average of 6 to 8 weeks for a sale, 8 to 10 weeks for a purchase and 4 weeks for a remortgage. This of course is dependent upon several factors, including the state of readiness of the rest of the chain, prompt issue of a mortgage offer, and there being no unforeseen difficulties arising.

ADMINISTRATION OF ESTATES

Grant of probate may not be needed for all estates. In cases when it is needed, varying levels of complexity can make it difficult to give an approximate figure, but if the deceased has left a correctly executed will, there are no missing beneficiaries or litigious claims, there is only one property involved and there is no Inheritance Tax payable then, depending on the size of the estate, the fees start at around £2,000.00. Every matter is dealt with on its own merits, and we would give you a quote based on your own specific case.  

In addition to our fees, disbursements on Probate cases would include the fees for the Probate Registry, which would be in a range from nil to £300.00 and there may be a fee for advertising for missing beneficiaries or creditors, though this is not needed in many cases. 

What is included in our service and quoted fees?

• Opening the file and dealing with i.d.
• Issuing a client care letter and our Terms of Business
• Personal attendance with client and discussing matters as and when they arise by telephone or e-mail
• Correspondence and telephone calls with legal firms, banks, building societies, beneficiaries, H. M. Revenue & Customs and H. M. Courts
• Advertising for creditors or beneficiaries, when appropriate
• Preparation of IHT forms and submission online
• Obtaining Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration (when the deceased has died without making a Will)
• Calling in all assets
• Preparation of accounts
• Payment of outstanding debts and distribution of monies
• Files will be held in our archives permanently

How long does it take?

Straightforward Probate cases can complete within four to six months, but this is dependent upon there being a correctly executed Will, and no difficulties arising, e.g. tracing beneficiaries. However if there are delays from any third parties, outside our control, unavoidable delays may occur.

Where more complex cases cause problems these will be discussed with clients and options set out to solve them; however these may incur extra charges. Any extra charge and the effect on timescales would also be fully discussed and agreed with clients before we proceeded.