Purchase of a freehold residential property

Our fees cover all of the work* required to complete the purchase of your new 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 Tax) if the property you wish to buy is in Wales.

Conveyancer’s fees and disbursements

Legal fee £1250 plus 250.00 VAT
Search fees £300
HM Land Registry fee’s £220
Electronic money transfer fee £15.00
Lawyer Checker Fees: 12.00
Subtotal £2047

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.

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..

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. 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 to 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 property vary according to the circumstances. However, below we have suggested some key stages that you may wish to include:

Take your instructions and give you initial advice
Check finances are in place to fund purchase and contact lender’s solicitors if needed
Receive and advise on contract documents
Carry out searches
Obtain further planning documentation if required
Make any necessary enquiries of seller’s solicitor
Give you 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

Purchase of a leasehold residential property

Our fees cover all the work* required to complete the purchase of your new 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 Tax) if the property is in Wales.

Conveyancer’s fees and disbursements

Legal fee £1250 plus 250.00 VAT
Search fees £300
HM Land Registry fee’s £220
Electronic money transfer fee £15.00
Lawyer Checker Fees: 12.00
Subtotal £2047

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 lease relating to the Property. The disbursements which we anticipate will apply apart from those mentioned above are set out separately below. This list is not exhaustive and other disbursements may apply depending on the term of the lease. We will update you on the specific fees upon receipt and review of the lease from the seller’s solicitors.

Anticipated Disbursements*

Notice of Transfer fee – This fee if chargeable is set out in the lease. Often the fee is between £30 to £150.
Notice of Charge fee (if the property is to be mortgaged) – This fee is set out in the lease. Often the fee is between £30 to £150.
Deed of Covenant fee – This fee is provided by the management company for the property and can be difficult to estimate. Often it is between £30 and £150 .
Certificate of Compliance fee – To be confirmed upon receipt of the lease, as can range between £50 to £150.

*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 sight of your specific documents.

You should also be aware that ground rent and service charge are likely to apply throughout your ownership of the property. We will confirm the ground rent and the anticipated service charge as soon as this we receive this information.

Stamp Duty Land Tax

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 instructions and give you initial advice
Check finances are in place to fund purchase and contact lender’s solicitors if needed
Receive and advise on contract documents
Carry out searches
Obtain further planning documentation if required
Make any necessary enquiries of seller’s solicitor
Give you advice on all documents and information received
Go through conditions of mortgage offer
Send final contract to you for signature
Draft Transfer
Advise you on joint ownership
Obtain pre-completion searches
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

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. 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 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.

* 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
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
no indemnity policies are required. Additional disbursements may apply if indemnity policies are required.

If you wish to use an online quote calculator for residential conveyancing

Below is list of things you may wish to consider if you use an online quote calculator for conveyancing matters. You could, if you wish, build questions to find out the following information:

value of the property
first-time buyer
re-mortgage
freehold or leasehold
new build
first registration of title
whether a mortgage or not, or Islamic mortgage
in purchase cases, whether primary residence, buy to let or second/holiday home
multiple owners
shared ownership scheme
using a help to buy scheme, and whether it is an equity loan or ISA
purchase under right to buy
purchase at auction
property has been repossessed

NB: This list is not intended to be exhaustive. The important point is that the information you request should generate the total cost. Please note that any disbursements (save for SDLT/LTT) should be included in the total cost quoted to consumers.

Immigration: Application for leave to remain including:-

student and work experience visas
visit visas (for tourism, or visiting friends / family)
spouse and partners applications, including fiancé(e)s or proposed civil partners
applications for work, business or study under the Points-Based System;
dependent relative and family reunion applications
ancestry visas
other categories, such as applications on the basis of long residence

Hourly rate: £100

On average, this type of work takes between 5-6 hours to complete. This means that on average costs are between £500 and £600. All figures include VAT unless specifically stated.

The exact number of hours it will take depends on the circumstances in your case. Such as:

The amount of supporting evidence that we need to consider
Which language(s) you speak
Whether you are applying with other dependants

If you are able to provide sufficient evidence at our first meeting and clearly meet the applicable Immigration Rules, the cost is likely to be at the lower end of this range.

What services are included

The work will involve:

discussing your circumstances in detail and confirming whether this is the most appropriate application for you to make and what other options may be available to you;
giving you advice about the requirements of the Immigration Rules and whether you meet the criteria.
if you do not fulfil certain criteria, whether this can be overcome and how, which on average takes 1 hour;
considering the supporting evidence you have provided, which we anticipate will take 1 hour*;
where necessary, helping you obtain further evidence (such as medical records and bank statements), including taking statements of any witnesses;
preparing your application and submitting it on your behalf, which we anticipate will take 2 hours;
Attendance at a Home Office interview: if the Home Office ask you to attend an interview, we will give you clear advice (and discuss the possibility of us attending with you) at the appropriate time. This could be between 30mins to 1 hours of work.
giving you advice about the outcome of the application and any further steps you need to take.

*the amount of hours depends on the number of documents, whether they need to be translated, whether anything is missing and how long it will take to obtain the missing documents Disbursements (not included in costs set out above):

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

Interpreters fees at £15 per hour. This kind of application will normally require between 2-3 hours with an interpreter, depending on the complexity of your case.
Independent expert reports e.g. medical experts. These are not required in many cases: we will let you know as soon as possible if we consider an expert report is necessary.
If there is an interview and we do attend with you, there will be additional disbursements in respect of our mileage/travel expenses.

The costs quoted here do not include:

Any Home Office fees for making the application. You will pay this to the Home Office directly as part of the application process.
Where the Home Office refuse your application, advice and assistance in relation to any appeal

How long will my application take?

We cannot guarantee how long the Home Office will take to process your application. Read the current processing times.

We will normally be able to submit this type of application within 1 to 2week of you instructing us, but we will let you know at the earliest opportunity if it is likely to take longer than this.

Please note the anticipated number of hours and fees are an estimate based on the facts above. All applications are likely to vary and of course, we can give you a more accurate estimate once we have more information about your specific case.

Immigration: Application for leave to remain under EEA rules

Hourly rate: £100

On average, this type of work takes between 4-5 hours to complete. This means that on average costs are between £400 and £500. All figures include VAT unless specifically stated.

The exact number of hours it will take depends on the circumstances in your case. Such as:

The amount of supporting evidence that we need to consider
Which language(s) you speak
Whether you are applying with other dependants

If you are able to provide sufficient evidence at our first meeting and clearly meet the applicable Immigration Rules, the cost is likely to be at the lower end of this range.

What services are included

The work will involve:

discussing your circumstances in detail and confirming whether this is the most appropriate application for you to make and what other options may be available to you;
giving you advice about the requirements of the EEA rules and how they apply in the context of your application and whether you meet the criteria.
if you do not fulfil certain criteria, whether this can be overcome and how, which on average takes 1 hour;
considering the supporting evidence you have provided, which we anticipate will take 1 hour*;
where necessary, helping you obtain further evidence (such as medical records and bank statements), including taking statements of any witnesses;
preparing your application and submitting it on your behalf, which we anticipate will take 1 hours;
Attendance at a Home Office interview: if the Home Office ask you to attend an interview, we will give you clear advice (and discuss the possibility of us attending with you) at the appropriate time. This could be between 30mins to 1 hours of work.
giving you advice about the outcome of the application and any further steps you need to take.

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

Interpreters fees at £15 per hour. This kind of application will normally require between 2-3 hours with an interpreter, depending on the complexity of your case.
Independent expert reports e.g. medical experts. These are not required in many cases: we will let you know as soon as possible if we consider an expert report is necessary.
If there is an interview and we do attend with you, there will be additional disbursements in respect of our mileage/travel expenses.

The costs quoted here do not include:

Any Home Office fees for making the application. You will pay this to the Home Office directly as part of the application process.
Where the Home Office refuse your application, advice and assistance in relation to any appeal

How long will my application take?

We cannot guarantee how long the Home Office will take to process your application. Read the current processing times.

We will normally be able to submit this type of application within 1 to 2 week of you instructing us, but we will let you know at the earliest opportunity if it is likely to take longer than this.

Immigration: Application for naturalisation or registration under British Nationality Act 1981

Hourly rate: £100

On average, this type of work takes between 4-5 hours to complete. This means that on average costs are between £400 and £500. All figures include VAT unless specifically stated.

The exact number of hours it will take depends on the circumstances in your case. Such as:

The amount of supporting evidence that we need to consider
Whether there are any issues which may effect your entitlement to make a successful application

If you are able to provide sufficient evidence at our first meeting and clearly meet the applicable Immigration Rules, the cost is likely to be at the lower end of this range.

What services are included

The work will involve:

discussing your circumstances in detail and confirming whether this is the most appropriate application for you to make and what other options may be available to you;
giving you advice about the requirements of the British Nationality Act and whether you meet the criteria.
if you do not fulfil certain criteria, whether this can be overcome and how, which on average takes 30mins;
considering the supporting evidence you have provided, which we anticipate will take 30mins*;
where necessary, helping you obtain further evidence (such as medical records and bank statements), including taking statements of any witnesses;
preparing your application and submitting it on your behalf, which we anticipate will take 2 hours;
Attendance at a Home Office interview: if the Home Office ask you to attend an interview, we will give you clear advice (and discuss the possibility of us attending with you) at the appropriate time. This could be between 30mins to 1 hours of work.
giving you advice about the outcome of the application and any further steps you need to take.

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

Interpreters fees at £15 per hour. This kind of application will normally require between 2-3 hours with an interpreter, depending on the complexity of your case.
Independent expert reports e.g. medical experts. These are not required in many cases: we will let you know as soon as possible if we consider an expert report is necessary.
If there is an interview and we do attend with you, there will be additional disbursements in respect of our mileage/travel expenses.

The costs quoted here do not include:

Any Home Office fees for making the application. You will pay this to the Home Office directly as part of the application process.
Where the Home Office refuse your application, advice and assistance in relation to any appeal

How long will my application take?

We cannot guarantee how long the Home Office will take to process your application. Read the current processing times.

We will normally be able to submit this type of application within 1 to 2 week of you instructing us, but we will let you know at the earliest opportunity if it is likely to take longer than this.