Pricing

We provide you with full information about the structure of our charges at the outset. We are happy to discuss these and give accurate estimates where possible.

RESIDENTIAL CONVEYANCING PRICING

PRICING INFORMATION FOR THE SALE OF A PROPERTY

The amount of VAT applicable to the fees and disbursements is the current rate of 20%

Value	Cost £	VAT £	Total £
Up to £285,000	850	170	1,020
Over £500,000	please call our residential conveyancing department for a bespoke quote

Disbursements

Value	Cost £	VAT £	Total £
File Archive Storage	25	5	30
Land Registry Documents	40	8	48
Pre-Completion Searches	10	2	12
Electronic Money Transfer Fee	50	10	60
AML Search (per person)	25	5	30

Leasehold Management Pack

Leasehold Information Pack obtained from the Managing Agent £150.00 – £350.00. These fees vary from property to property and can on occasion be significantly more than the ranges given above. We can give you an accurate figure once we have liaised with the leasehold management company and had sight of the specific documents for your property.

Potential costs payable to other organisations when selling a leasehold property.

Please note that these fees will vary on a case by case basis depending on the property’s management company.

	Cost	VAT	Total £
Notice of Transfer fee	40	8	48
Pre-Completion Searches	150	30	180

Mortgage Fee

If your property is mortgaged, we charge a fee for dealing with removing a legal charge from the title to the property of £300 (inc £50 VAT). This fee includes liaising with the mortgage lender to obtain a redemption statement in order to discharge the mortgage from the property.

Possible Additional Fees

Mortgage Arrangement Fee £350 + £70 VAT

Legal fee – Our fees cover all the correspondence, preparation of documents and liaising with various parties in the sale transaction, such as the client, estate agent, purchasers’ solicitors and local authority, which take place during the various stages of the process listed below.

Disbursements – are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as Land Registry fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

HM Land Registry copy documents £36 (inc £6 VAT). This cost covers requesting office copy entries for the property and any supporting documentation such as conveyances and transfers applicable to the title of the property. This fee includes our time in reviewing the documents.

Electronic money transfer fee £60 (inc £10 VAT) per transfer. A transfer will arise, for example, when completion has taken place, and the monies are to be sent to you on the same day. This fee includes our time in setting up and arranging the transfer with our Bank.

File archive storage £30 (inc £5 VAT). This is to cover the costs of retaining your file off site. This fee includes scheduling documents, liaising with our storage provider and is a one-off payment.

Our fee assumes that:

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.
the transaction is concluded in a timely manner and no unforeseen complications arise.
all parties to the transaction are co-operative and there is no unreasonable delay from third parties providing documentation.
no indemnity policies are required. Additional disbursements may apply if indemnity policies are required.

The price will depend on the complexities of the transaction. It is not possible to list all possible scenarios or unforeseen issues, but should they arise, we will inform you as soon as reasonably practical of any price increase.

Fee Earner Hourly Rates

Frank Smith (LLB Hons) Managing Partner – £300 per hour

Robert Davies-Boulton (LLB Hons) (ACILEx) – £175 per hour

Nora Ibrahim (LLB Hons) (Trainee Solicitor) – £175 per hour

Trainee solicitors and paralegals will be supervised by Frank Smith, Managing Partner.

Please click to read each fee earner’s profile.

How long will my house sale take?

How long it will take from your offer being accepted until you can sell your house will depend on a number of factors. The average process takes between 4-6 weeks.

It can be quicker or slower, depending on the parties in the chain. For example, if you are selling to a first-time buyer, with a mortgage, in principle, it could take 6-8 weeks.

Stages of the process

The precise stages involved in the sale of a freehold residential property vary according to the circumstances. However, below we have listed some key stages:

Take instructions and give you initial advice
Check if there is a mortgage that is to be redeemed and contact lender
Prepare contract documents
Send protocol documents, Property Information Form and Fittings and Contents Form to you for completing and then forwarding these to the purchaser’s solicitors.
Obtain planning documentation if required, together with any other documentation such as FENSA certificates, boiler installation certificates, timber treatment guarantees etc.
Reply to any necessary enquiries of purchaser’s solicitor
Give advice on all documents and information received
Send final contract to you for signature
Agree completion date (date from which the purchaser will own the property)
Exchange contracts and notify you that this has happened
Arrange for all monies to be received from lender and purchaser
Complete sale

We have taken all reasonable steps to ensure the price information set out on our website provides an accurate and realistic indication of the costs of obtaining certain legal advice today, but we may update the information at any time in the future. Whilst we hope this information is helpful as an initial guide, we will provide you with a specific fee proposal and a copy of our standard terms of business when you instruct us to undertake your legal work.

PRICING INFORMATION FOR THE PURCHASE OF A PROPERTY

The amount of VAT applicable to the fees and disbursements above is the current rate of 20%

Value	Cost £	VAT £	Total £
Up to £285,000	1,000	200	1,200
£285,001 – £500,000	1,400	280	1,680
Over £500,000	please call our residential conveyancing department for a bespoke quote

Disbursements

	Cost £	VAT £	Total £
Bankruptcy Search Fee (per person)	2	–	2
SDLT Arrangement Fee	100	20	120
Search Fees	400	80	480
SIM	4	–	4
File Archive Storage	25	5	30
Land Registry Documents	30	6	36
Pre-Completion Searches	10	2	12
Electronic Money Transfer Fee	60	10	60
Postage Charges	10	2	12
AML Search (per person)	25	5	30

Leasehold Properties

For all leasehold transactions, in addition to the fee stated above, we will levy an additional fee of £400 (inc £50 VAT) to cater for considering the terms of the lease to ensure they are suitable for the property you are buying.

Possible Additional Fees

Mortgage Arrangement Fee £350 + £70 VAT

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as Land Registry fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

Our fees cover all the correspondence, preparation of documents and liaising with various parties in the purchase transaction, such as our client, estate agent, sellers’ solicitors, local authority and search provider, dealing with registration at 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 Tax) if the property is in Wales.

Mortgage fee – if you are buying with a mortgage, we charge a fee for registering a legal charge on the title to the property of £470 (inc £70 VAT). This fee includes our time for preparing and arranging for the mortgage deed to be signed, liaising with the mortgagee and registration of the mortgage at Land Registry.

Search fees £480 (inc £80 VAT). We request a local authority search, environmental report, water and drainage report and coal mining report. Should there be a requirement for any additional searches, the relevant price will be discussed with you beforehand. This fee includes our time in arranging the searches and reviewing the results upon receipt.

Electronic money transfer fee £60 (inc £10 VAT) per transfer. A transfer will arise, for example, when completion has taken place, and the monies are to be sent to the sellers’ solicitors. This fee includes our time in setting up and arranging the transfer with our Bank.

Pre-completion searches £12 (inc £2 VAT). This search ensures that no adverse entries have been placed on to the title register since copy entries of the register have been requested. This needs to be undertaken to ensure that you will not purchase the property subject to any overriding interests. This fee includes our time in setting up the search and reviewing the results.

Bankruptcy search £2 per search. These are required by the lender where a mortgage is being taken out.

File archive storage £30 (inc £5 VAT). This is to cover the costs of retaining your file off site. This fee includes scheduling documents and liaising with our storage provider and is a one-off payment.

Our fee assumes that:

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
the transaction is concluded in a timely manner and no unforeseen complications arise
all parties to the transaction are co-operative and there is no unreasonable delay from third parties providing documentation
no indemnity policies are required. Additional disbursements may apply if indemnity policies are required.

Please note that there may be issues that arise that will increase the above costs such as:-

Liaising with the mortgage lender to respond to enquiries they raise in order to satisfy themselves that they are lending against a good marketable title. The length of time this takes depends on the lender concerned. However, all work will be charged on an hourly basis according to the relevant fee earner working on the matter.
Owning the property as tenants in common in unequal shares may mean preparing a Declaration of Trust to reflect this ownership at a cost of £300 (inc £50 VAT).

Fee Earner Hourly Rates

Frank Smith (LLB Hons) Managing Partner – £300 per hour

Robert Davies-Boulton (LLB Hons) (ACILEx) – £150 per hour

Nora Ibrahim (LLB Hons) (Trainee Solicitor) – £150 per hour

Trainee solicitors and paralegals will be supervised by Frank Smith, Managing Partner.

Please click to read each fee earner’s profile.

Stamp Duty or Land Tax (on purchase)

This depends on the purchase price of your property. 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 here.

Land Registry registration fees

Once a purchase has completed, the title register needs to be updated to reflect the new owner. The Land Registry charge a fee for this which will depend on the purchase price of the property but you can refer to the HM Land Registry’s website for a list setting out the range https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/land-registry

How long will my house purchase take?

How long it will take from your offer being accepted until you can move into your new 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. For example, if you are a first-time buyer, purchasing a new build property with a mortgage, in principle, it could take 6-8 weeks. 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.

Stages of the process

The precise stages involved in the purchase of a residential freehold property vary according to the circumstances. However, below we have listed some key stages:

Take instructions and give you initial advice
Check finances are in place to fund purchase and contact lender
Receive and advise on contract documents
Carry out searches
Obtain further planning documentation if required
Make any necessary enquiries of seller’s solicitor
Give advice on all documents and information received
Go through conditions of mortgage offer with you
Send final contract to you for signature
Agree completion date (date from which you own the property)
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 Stamp Duty/Land Tax
Deal with application for registration at Land Registry

ESTATE ADMINISTRATION PRICING

The cost of administering an Estate can vary greatly but usually this is comparable with the size of the Estate. However, this can also be dependent on the complexity of the assets involved, for example if there are multiple shareholdings or assets overseas, there is going to be more work involved than if there is just one property in joint names and a small number of bank accounts.

Our fees to obtain a Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration only:

In some cases, the personal representatives only need us to obtain the Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration. The cost for this will depend on the type of HMRC return or account needed.

The amount of VAT applicable to the fees and disbursements above is the current rate of 20%.

For the simpler IHT205 Return or where no return is required the cost is £2,000 + £400 VAT which does not include any disbursements.

For the more complex IHT400 Account the cost is £2,500 + £500 VAT which does not include any disbursements.

These fees are based on the personal representative providing us with the required information to complete the forms relevant to the Estate which we would then submit to the probate registry to obtain the Grant of Probate or Grant of Administration. The personal representatives could then deal with the collecting and distribution of assets to the beneficiaries.

We can also assist with the gathering of the Estate information and the ongoing administration of the Estate to whatever degree the personal representative requires. This additional time will be charged at the relevant fee earners hourly rate at the time.

Fee Earner Hourly Rates

Natalie Smith (Solicitor) – £300+£60 VAT per hour

Sue Senkbeil (Solicitor) – £300 + 60 VAT per hour

Michelle Bysouth ( Legal Assistant) – £270 + £54 per hour

Trainee Solicitor – £150+£30 VAT per hour

Full Estate administration:

We offer a free no obligation initial meeting with personal representatives at which we can give a bespoke quote based on specific information about the Estate. In our experience this is usually a maximum of 2% of the value of the Estate plus disbursements. This will be confirmed at the initial meeting.

The general fees quoted are for Estates where:

There is a valid will
There is no more than one property
There are no more than 10 bank or building society accounts
There are no other intangible assets
There are 1-5 beneficiaries
There are no disputes between beneficiaries on division of assets. If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs
There are no claims made against the Estate

Estimated timescale

On average, the full administration of an Estate takes 6-12 months to be completed. Typically, the application for the Grant of probate can be submitted within 4-10 weeks from initial instructions, but the Grant being received is dependent on the probate registry’s turnaround and at the current time is around 16 weeks from submission. Collecting assets then follows, which can take between 2-12 weeks depending on the type of assets involved. Once this has been done and any tax returns have been filed and paid by the Estate, we can distribute the assets.

Potential Probate disbursements

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees. We handle the payment of disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

Swearing oaths and statutory declarations: There is a statutory charge of £5 for the oath and £2 for any extra document that has to be certified.

Probate Fee: In addition to the sworn oath, there is a fee charged by the Probate Registry of £273 plus £1.50 per sealed copy of the Grant.

Personal Representative’s Advertisement: It is advisable for the personal representatives to place an advert in the local press and the London Gazette so that any creditors of the deceased come forward within two months of the notice. This usually costs between £160 (+ £32 VAT) and £200 (+ £40 VAT).

Bankruptcy only Land charges search: £2 per beneficiary

Electronic money Transfer Fee: £60 (inc £10 VAT) A transfer will arise when a Grant has been obtained and we distribute assets of the Estate. This fee includes our time in setting up and arranging the transfer with our Bank.

File archive Storage Fee: £30 (inc £5 VAT) This is to cover the costs of retaining your file off site. This fee includes scheduling documents and liaising with our storage provider and is a one-off payment.

Probate accounting Set up Fee: £120 (inc £20 VAT)

Land Registry documents: £36 (inc £6 VAT) This covers requesting office copy entries for the property and any supporting documentation such as conveyances and transfers applicable to the title of the property. This fee includes our time in reviewing and reporting on the documents.

Potential additional costs

If there is no will or the Estate consists of any share holdings (stocks and bonds) there is likely to be additional costs that could range significantly depending on the Estate and how it is to be dealt with. We can give you a more accurate quote once we have more information.

Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the Estate is not included.

Dealing with a Deed of Variation

Dealing with a resulting trust

Inheritance Tax if relevant to the Estate

Income Tax up to the date of death and for the administration period.