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A Guide to our Residential Conveyancing Fees - Freehold Sale or Purchase

It is not possible to give an exact costs figure without first understanding your specific transaction, personal circumstances and your precise requirements. This cost guide is only an indication of the likely approximate cost of the transaction. For a detailed costs for your exact transaction please contact us. 

*These fees vary from property to property and can on occasion be significantly more than the range given below. We can give you an accurate figure once we have sight of your specific documents. The cost set out below is intended to give you an approximate idea of the legal costs involved in a basic house purchase.  Therefore, we show you the minimum legal costs fees. We are unable to give you a range as it depends on the value of the property.

  • Our Purchase Legal Fee from £950.00 plus £190.00 (VAT of 20%) total £1140.00*
  • Our Sale Legal Fee from £850.00 plus £170.00 (VAT of 20%) total £1020.00* (for the sale of a property up to £350,000)
  • File Opening Fee £22.00 plus £4.40 (VAT of 20%) total £26.40per person
  • Electronic money transfer fee £15 plus £3.00 (VAT of 20%) total £18.00

Our fees cover all the work* required (based on a swift straight forward matter) to complete the purchase and sale of your home, including dealing with registration at the Land Registry and dealing with the payment of Stamp Duty Land Tax (Stamp Duty) if the property is in England, or Land Transaction Tax (Land Transaction Tax) if the property is in Wales, if applicable. There are separate fees payable to the Land Registry and Stamp Duty Land Tax (Stamp Duty) and where possible we show this in our disbursements.

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as search fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process. There are certain disbursements which will be set out in the individual deeds relating to the Property. The disbursements which we anticipate will apply are set out separately below. This list is not exhaustive, and other disbursements may apply depending on the circumstances. We will update you on the specific fees as soon as we are aware of any.

Purchase Disbursements

DescriptionCost £VAT at 20%Total
Search Fees from*450.0090.00540.00
HM Land Registry Fee from* 20.00n/a 20.00
Companies House Fee*  15.00n/a  15.00
Priority search    7.001.40    8.40
Bankruptcy search    6.001.20    7.20
Index Map Search    8.001.60    9.60
    

Sale Disbursements

DescriptionCost £VAT at 20%Total
Land Registry documents (per document) *  7.001.40  8.40

Supplemental Fees (if applicable)

DescriptionCost* £VAT at 20%Total* £
Source of funds check from*250.00  50.00300.00
Cash purchase supplement350.00  70.00420.00
Buy-To-Let supplement from*350.00  70.00420.00
Acting for a company*450.00  90.00540.00
Unregistered title from*550.00110.00660.00
Indemnity policy fee (per policy) *  80.00  16.00  96.00
Joint Ownership supplement  80.00  19.00  96.00
Declaration of trust from*450.00  90.00540.00
New build supplement from*550.00  110.00660.00
Dealing with restrictions on title from* (per restriction)150.00  30.00180.00
Drafting AST from*450.00  90.00540.00
Tenanted property supplement (per unit) from*350.00  70.00420.00
Statement of Truth/ Statutory Declaration from* (each)150.00  30.00180.00
Gifted deposit supplement from* (per gift)250.00  50.00300.00
Rent Authority Letter from*150.00  30.00180.00
Companies House registration from*150.00  30.00180.00
Dealing with Retention from*150.00  30.00180.00
Auction supplement from*350.00  70.00420.00
Stock Transfer Form from*150.00  30.00180.00
Deed of Covenant from*150.00  30.00180.00
Notice of Transfer/Charge (each)150.00  30.00180.00
Probate, POA, LPA supplement150.00  30.00180.00
Acting for lender350.00  70.00420.00
Deed of variation, rectification or substitution450.00  90.00540.00
Help to buy ISA or lifetime ISA150.00  30.00180.00
Adverse possession550.00110.00660.00
Amendment of title register150.00  30.00180.00
Appointment of a trustee150.00  30.00180.00
Rent authority letter150.00  30.00180.00
Stock transfer form150.00  30.00180.00
Retention150.00  30.00180.00
Dealing with third party solicitors350.00  70.00420.00
Deed of easement750.00150.00900.00
Dealing with freehold management company250.00  50.00300.00
Dealing with help to buy redemption250.00  50.00300.00
Licence to Assign750.00150.00900.00
Licence to Occupy750.00150.00900.00
Occupier consent150.00  30.00180.00
Reporting on solar panel leases250.00  50.00300.00
Transfer of part supplement350.00  70.00420.00
Upgrading title150.00  30.00180.00
Enhanced customer due diligence350.00  70.00420.00
Urgent/ expedited work required450.00  90.00540.00

Stamp Duty Land Tax or Land Transaction Tax

This depends on the purchase price of your property and your personal circumstances. You can calculate the amount you will need to pay by using HMRC's website or if the property is located in Wales by using the Welsh Revenue Authority's website.

Stages of the process

The precise stages involved in the purchase of a residential leasehold property vary according to the circumstances. However, below we have suggested some key stages that you may wish to include:

  • Take your details and give you initial advice
  • Initial Client ID check
  • Formal Engagement letter and confirmation of your instructions
  • Check finances are in place to fund purchase and contact lender's solicitors if needed
  • Advise you on joint ownership
  • Receive and advise on contract documents
  • Review and advice on title documents
  • Draft Transfer deed
  • Carry out property searches
  • Obtain further planning documentation if required
  • Make any necessary enquiries of seller's solicitor
  • Give you advice on all documents and information received
  • Send final contract, transfer deed, SDLT return etc to you for signature
  • Obtain pre-completion searches
  • Agree completion date (date from which you receive the keys and own the property)
  • Exchange contracts and notify you that this has happened (date from which you legally commit to contract and accept risk for the property)
  • Arrange for all monies needed to be received from you for completion
  • Complete purchase/sale
  • Redeem all charges on the title (if any, on a sale)
  • Deal with submission and, if required, payment of Stamp Duty/Land Transaction Tax
  • Deal with application for registration at Land Registry

How long will my house purchase or sale take?

How long it will take from the offer being accepted until you can move into your house will depend on a number of factors. The average process takes between 6-8 weeks. It can be quicker or slower, depending on the parties in the chain. However, if you are buying a leasehold property that requires an extension of the lease, this can take significantly longer, between 3 and 6 months. In such a situation additional charges would apply.

* Our fee assumes that:

  1. this 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
  2. the transaction is concluded in a timely manner, and no unforeseen complication or delays arise
  3. all parties to the transaction are co-operative and there is no unreasonable delay from third parties providing documentation
  4. no indemnity policies are required. Additional disbursements may apply if indemnity policies are required.

The experience and qualifications of our Team

Here a link to our Property Team page which will detail the experience and qualifications of our team

Offices & geographic areas

We have offices in London, Birmingham, Cambridge, Oxford (all by appointment only), Leicester and our administrative office is in Market Harborough, Leicestershire.

All correspondence and post should be sent to our Administrative office in Market Harborough and we shall not be liable in the event that correspondence is sent elsewhere.

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Contact us on 0800 567 7595 or alternatively on the various office telephone numbers as follows: All correspondence and post should be sent to our Administrative office in Market Harborough and we shall not be liable in the event that correspondence is sent elsewhere.

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Summerfield Browne Solicitors

10 Peacock Lane
Leicester
Leicestershire
LE1 5PX
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Summerfield Browne Solicitors is the trading name of Summerfield Browne Limited a private limited company registered in England and Wales under number 07937576 with registered address at 10 Peacock Lane, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE1 5PX. Summerfield Browne Limited is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority - SRA number: 598802. A list of directors is open to inspection at the registered address.
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