Purchase of a Residential Property.

Purchase of a Residential Property Service Pricing Information.

Our fees cover all of the work required to complete the purchase of your new property including submitting search requests, reporting to you on those searches, reporting to you on the contract, title and standard conveyancing forms, dealing with 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, dealing with registration at the Land Registry and reporting to you. If the property is to be used for business purposes, please ask for an estimate of the costs involved.

Legal Fees Assumptions

Our legal fees assume that:

Any specific transaction is a standard transaction and that no unforeseen matters arise including for example (but not limited to) a defect in title which requires remedying prior to completion or the preparation of additional documents ancillary to the main transaction
If leasehold, this is the assignment of an existing lease and is not the grant of a new lease
The transaction is concluded in a timely manner and no unforeseen complication arise
All parties to the transaction are co-operative and there is no unreasonable delay from third parties providing documentation
You take the advice of other professionals if this proves advisable or necessary

Conveyancer’s Fees and Disbursements

The fees are likely to be in the range of £725 to £5,000 plus VAT (£870 to £6,000 with VAT). However, there may be circumstances where your matter is more complex and we will discuss with you if our costs will be higher.

Bank transfer administration fee: £30 plus VAT (£36 with VAT)

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.

These are Likely to Include:

Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) (payable on value and more information can be found at https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/calculate-stamp-duty-land-tax/#/intro). In the case of SDLT and LTT there are some exemptions, some allowances and some surcharges and it may be that additional advice needs to be sourced to properly advise
Land Transaction Tax (LTT) if the property is in Wales at https://beta.gov.wales/land-transaction-tax-calculator
Search fees. These for the average property are around £250 to £333.33 plus VAT (£300 – £400 with VAT). The average given would be for a search of the local authority registers, the land charges registers of the local authority, a water and drainage search, and an environmental search. It may be that other searches are required as some are area dependent and there are some optional searches that you may wish to purchase
HM Land Registry fees: see https://www.gov.uk/guidance/hm-land-registry-registration-services-fees#scale-1-fees. We use the portal where possible
HM Land Registry and Land Charges Registry search fees: £7 plus VAT (£8.40 with VAT)

What is not Included:

If the property is Leasehold then there will be an additional charge equivalent to 20% of the base fee plus VAT. You should also be aware that ground rent and service charges are likely to apply throughout your ownership of the property. We will confirm the ground rent and the anticipated service charge as soon as we receive this information
If you are using a Help to Buy scheme then there will be an additional charge of £200 plus VAT (£240 with VAT)
If you are using a Help to Buy Isa then there will be an additional charge of £50 plus VAT (£60 with VAT)
If an indemnity policy is required and it is a bespoke policy there will be an additional charge of £50 plus VAT (£60 with VAT) per policy, there would be no additional legal fees in the case of a Chancel Indemnity Policy being required. Plus the cost of the indemnity policy. It is impossible to give an estimate of these premiums as they vary from a few pounds to several hundred pounds. If possible we will get the seller to pay
If you require a Declaration of Trust then there will be an additional charge of at least £150 plus VAT (£180 with VAT)
If a Deed of Covenant (on a freehold purchase) is required then there will be an additional charge of £150 plus VAT (£180 with VAT)
If the Seller’s title is unregistered (in whole or in part) then there will be an additional charge of £150 plus VAT (£180 with VAT), and there will be higher HM Land Registry fees to pay
If a fee is payable for a notice to a Landlord or management company, there will usually be a fee payable to the other party and this varies from between a few pounds to over £200 and may incur VAT (which could take the total payable to over £240)
If the property you are buying is a new-build property there will be additional fees of £200 plus vat ( £240 with VAT)
If you are receiving a gifted deposit or contribution towards the price from someone who is not a mortgage lender there will be additional fees of at least £100 plus VAT (£120 with VAT)
If the property you are buying is going to be a transfer of part of registered or unregistered Title there will be an additional fee of £200 plus VAT (£240 with VAT)
If on a leasehold purchase there is a Headlease Title that also needs investigation there will be an additional fee of £150 plus VAT (£180 with VAT) and if for any reason a Deed Of Variation is required then a fee of £200 – £400 plus VAT (£240 – £480 with VAT) will be

How long will my house purchase take?

How long it will take from your offer being accepted until you can move in to your house will depend on a number of factors, most of which will be outside our control. The average process takes between six – 12 weeks.

It can be quicker or slower, depending on the parties in the chain. For example, if you are a first time buyer, purchasing a second hand property that is empty, but you require a mortgage, it could take eight weeks. If there is a chain of transactions however, it will take as long as the slowest transaction in the chain.

If you are buying a leasehold property that requires an extension of the lease, this can take significantly longer, between three and four months. In such a situation additional charges may apply.

Stages of the Process

The precise stages involved in the purchase of a residential property vary according to the circumstances. However, below is an example of what is typically involved:

Take your instructions and give you initial advice
Check finances are in place to fund purchase and carry out ID and Anti-Money Laundering checks
Contact lender’s solicitors if they are separately represented. This would be rare as we are Conveyancing Quality Scheme accredited and so are on the panels of most lenders
Receive and advise on contract documents
Carry out searches
Make any necessary enquiries of seller’s solicitor and draft transfer
Give you advice on all documents and information received
Receiving and checking any mortgage offer and documentation
Advise on joint ownership if appropriate
Send final contract to you for signature or attending you to sign
Agree completion date (date from which you own the property)
Account to you
Exchange contracts and notify you that this has happened
Arrange for all monies needed to be received from lender and you
Complete purchase
Deal with payment of SDLT or LTT
Serve any required notices
Deal with application for registration at Land Registry
Report on completion of registration

The Team

Find out more about the individuals who may be working on your case via the links below. Their profiles will include information as to their experience and qualifications.

Abigail Huband associate legal executive (FCILEX)
Chloe Thomas, legal support assistant
Deena Jones, legal secretary
Ellie Tierney, legal support assistant
Emma Jones, senior associate solicitor and team leader
Emma Lewis, chartered legal executive
Florence Proctor, legal support assistant
Gemma Williams, solicitor
Heloise Jones, residential conveyancing support
Janette Johnston, senior conveyancing assistant
Jennifer Wood, legal assistant
Karen Bell, senior conveyancing assistant
Kaylee Evans, legal assistant
Liz Ashford, legal assistant
Nicola Simmons, legal assistant
Praveen Chaudhari, partner and head of property
Saffia Keegan, solicitor
Shelley Hyde-Catton, legal support assistant
Stephanie Gore, legal support assistant

Our Property Solicitors work to the highest standards and know the local marketplace inside out.

For more information about our services in your area follow the links below.

Conveyancing Solicitors in Telford
Conveyancing Solicitors in Shrewsbury
Conveyancing Solicitors in Bromyard
Conveyancing Solicitors in Conwy
Conveyancing Solicitors in Hereford
Conveyancing Solicitors in Ludlow
Conveyancing Solicitors in Oswestry

There is no commitment or charge for our initial assessment, so please contact a member of the team or complete our online enquiry form on the right-hand side of this page.

Accreditations