Our estimated fees cover all the work required for you to buy your new home including registering your names at HM Land Registry; registering any mortgage; dealing with the completion of your Inland Revenue Tax Return and paying your Stamp Duty Land Tax (Stamp Duty) if any (for England), Land Transaction Tax (Land Tax) if you buy in Wales.

The solicitor’s total charge is made up of three things, the conveyancer’s fee which is money which the solicitor’s firm is paid for doing the work, VAT on this fee, which is fixed by the government at 20% at present and a list of payments called disbursements.  This is money which you give to us but which we payout to buy information or for registration.   Disbursements include payments to the Local Authority, to the Land Registry, your Stamp Duty (if any).  Many firms pay referral fees to Estate Agents or others to get their work.  We do not need to do this because work is referred to us without us paying fees and clients come back to us and recommend us to their friends and family.  At the end of every file, we ask our clients for feedback on our services and in nearly every single case we are told that our services have been excellent.  Set out below are details of how the total charge adds up: –

Conveyancer’s Fees

Estimate of fees:

Land Registry Fee

This depends on the price of the property and the nature of the transaction.  The Land Registry fees can be found on the Land Registry website.  If you telephone us, we can tell you the fee for your particular transaction depending.

Stamp Duty/Land Tax

This depends upon the price and your circumstances for example, if it is the second property in some circumstances it may be the higher rate.  If you telephone us, we can advise you and you can look at the website of HMRC where there is an online calculator.

Note – Every case is different so please read section E extra factors for examples of circumstance that can lead to extra-legal work and extra fees.  Please call us to discuss your individual case and get an estimate tailored to your circumstances – 02381 120 076(Southampton) or 029393 873 627(Portsmouth).

Introduction

The fees are the same as those given for a freehold purchase plus an estimated additional £350.00 plus VAT for dealing with the extra work because the property is leasehold.  The additional work covers obtaining information and extra correspondence with the landlord and/or any management company, sorting out any consents or deeds of covenant or the transfer of share certificates and the registration of the transaction after completion with the landlord/management company.  If any problems arise (because leaseholds are generally more complicated than freeholds) eg there is a long lease and the landlord cannot be found, the lease has not been drafted properly, there are several restrictions in favour of different parties on the title deeds, we have difficulty getting rent/ground rent/service charge information, then we explain to you the problem and any likely increase in our fee to cover the extra work.  Sometimes the provisions of the lease do not match the provisions that the lender insist upon as part of your mortgage.  Leasehold work often involves third parties who have no interest in your transaction, e.g.: the management company or landlord so they are not always helpful and often charge for any information.  Their charges vary.

Fees

The fees, VAT and disbursements would be the same as a freehold purchase plus the following likely additional costs to you: –

• Additional disbursements to you £10
• Additional £350.00 plus VAT for the legal fees
• Additionally anticipated disbursements e.g.; the management company/landlord may charge for information; this varies
• Charge for Deed of Covenant – you may need to enter into the new covenant i.e. legal promise with the landlord/management company and this is set by the lease or the company, so it is variable.
• Notice to landlord/management company of the transfer into your name or a new mortgage – this fee is often set out in the lease and again is variable.
• You may be asked to pay ground rent/rent or service charge in advance particularly if you are the first person to take up the lease, we will find out for you how much the rent and service charge are and if they are likely to increase in the next few years and then report to you

Note – Every case is different so please read section E extra factors for examples of circumstance that can lead to extra-legal work and extra fees.  Please call us to discuss your individual case and get an estimate tailored to your circumstances – 02381 120 076(Southampton) or 029393 873 627(Portsmouth).

Introduction

Our fees cover all the work listed in the “process for selling” (C4) required to complete the sale of your home including redeeming one mortgage only and ensuring this is removed from the register at HM Land Registry.

The monies that you will pay to us will be broken down into a legal fee which the solicitors firm receives for the work, VAT at 20% on that fee and payments made to others on your behalf, for example, to pay your mortgage off.  Payments to third parties include disbursements, for example, we may do bankruptcy searches, index map or land charge search.  We may pay the Land Registry for official copies of your deeds.  These would usually amount to around £10.00.

Fees

Estimate of fees:

Auction Sales

An auction sale is a little bit different because you may pay for searches so that you provide information to all the potential buyers at the auction.  You may pay for a local search, a mining search and a drainage search and put these with the contract pack for any potential buyer to read.  We will include a clause in the contract that says that you will be refunded the fees for the searches by the buyer when a property sells. 

How long will my house sale take?

We can start work once we have your ID and written instructions. We then estimate it usually takes 4 weeks or more for the buyers to be ready to start agreeing on dates (once their searches and enquires have been made).  We may ask you to sign before this in readiness.  Everyone has to wait for the last one in the chain to be ready.  Once the date is agreed and the contract made, completion can be one week later but often those in the chain want more time.  If you have a purchase as well as a sale you might want more time to get organised for your move.  If someone in the chain is buying or selling a leasehold property this can slow the whole chain.

Note – Every case is different so please read section E extra factors for examples of circumstance that can lead to extra-legal work and extra fees.  Please call us to discuss your individual case and get an estimate tailored to your circumstances – 02381 120 076(Southampton) or 029393 873 627(Portsmouth).

Introduction

The fees are the same as those given for a freehold sale plus an estimated additional £350.00 plus VAT for dealing with the extra work because the property is leasehold.  The additional work covers obtaining information and extra correspondence with the landlord and/or any management company, obtaining management company accounts, articles and memorandum for the company, sorting out any consents or deeds of covenant, the transfer of share certificates if you are to have a share in the management company and sorting out rent, service charge and apportionments on completion and dealing with any reserve the landlord or management company may have for future repairs.  Problems can arise (because leaseholds are generally more complicated than freeholds) for example, you have a long lease and the landlord cannot be found; the lease has not been drafted properly; there are several restrictions in favour of different parties on your deeds; we have difficulty getting information relating to rent/ground rent/service charges then we will explain to you the problem and any likely increase in our fee to cover the extra time.  Sometimes the provision of your lease will not match the provisions of the buyer’s lender.  Leasehold work often involves third parties who have no interest in your transaction, for example, the management company or the landlord, so they are not always helpful and often do charge for any information.  The charge varies.

Fees

The fees, VAT and disbursements would be the same as a freehold sale plus the following likely additional costs to you: –

1. Additional £350.00 plus VAT for the legal fees
2. Additionally anticipated disbursements, for example, the management company or landlord may charge for information – this varies
3. Charge for Deed of Covenant – you may need to pay the legal fees for this to be arranged for the new buyer
4. Any fees the landlord or management company charge for providing information

Note – Every case is different so please read section E extra factors for examples of circumstance that can lead to extra-legal work and extra fees.  Please call us to discuss your individual case and get an estimate tailored to your circumstances – 02381 120 076(Southampton) or 029393 873 627(Portsmouth).

For all sales and purchases there are all sorts of extra factors which can arise which can increase costs or cause delays.  This list is by no means exhaustive.  If such an unforeseen matter arises which requires remedying usually prior to making a binding contract then this will take your solicitor more time and there may be an additional charge for the extra work.  We will agree the additional charge with you on an individual basis.  In each case if there are joint buyers we will give advice regarding the different ways to hold the property, whether jointly, in shares or perhaps with a trust deed which gives details of who has paid what.
A basic trust deed would usually cost £75 plus VAT.

Example of extra factors which could increase costs because your solicitor will need to spend more time on your file than normal and which may cause delay.

1. Leasehold property, if the landlord or management company does not cooperate or is slow to cooperate
2. On a purchase, if the seller's solicitor fails to provide appropriate documentation 
3. If there is a problem with the title once this has been investigated, for example, a missing deed
4. If crucial information for example, on a new build is not provided 
5. If searches reveal issues, for example, a mining search may show that a claim was made in respect of the property you are buying or against a property nearby.  It might show a mine shaft at the property you want to buy or nearby.  You can buy extra searches to find out more information, for example, an interpretive report to give more information if a mine shaft could affect your house costs £143.20 and a buffer report from the Coal Board giving more information as regards the claim on or near your house costs £24.60 per claim.
6. If more than one parcel of land is involved 
7. If the title is unregistered because it has not changed hands recently, the title will be harder to check we usually add an extra £200 plus VAT for the extra work
8. If you are using money from the Help to Buy Scheme there is more paperwork for your solicitor to do and we usually charge £50 plus VAT for the extra work
9. If there is more than one normal mortgage registered on the deeds
10. If the property is shared ownership 
11. If your lender has particular requirements for example on a buy to let mortgage
12. If the names on your mortgage offer or your deeds do not match or do not match the details on your ID.
13. In every case where we receive money towards purchasing property, we have to have upfront proof as to where the funds come from.  We can be personally prosecuted if we are careless as regards money laundering and you will be asked at the beginning of the case to give us proof as to where any money has come from, the source of the funds, this can cause delays if you do not provide clear proof at the beginning
14. If you or the other party have more than one mortgage or any unusual entries on your title deeds