Our Fees: buying and selling residential property
How much do we charge?
You can find full details and examples of how we calculate our conveyancing charges below. It would not normally be necessary to undertake other work or incur additional costs other than those described.
However, for every new conveyancing enquiry, we will speak with you to understand your specific circumstances and the key details around your transaction. We'll then produce and send to you an individual quote, tailored specifically to these circumstances.
To request an exact quote tailored to your individual case please call us on 020 3146 6300 or just drop us an email hello@lauruslaw.co.uk. Alternatively, please feel free to reach a member of our property team direct, here.
Our charges are made up of:
- Our fees for the legal work;
- ‘Disbursements’ - disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to other people, such as Land Registry fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process; and
- For property purchases, Stamp Duty Land Tax (see below).
- Where VAT is referred to below please note that this will be charged at the applicable rate, which is currently 20%.
Our fees
Our fees depend upon the value of the property you are buying or selling and whether the property is a leasehold or freehold. Our fees are fully inclusive, so you do not have to worry about any hidden items such as bank transfer, or ID checking fees appearing on your bill at a later stage.
Property Value | Freehold Purchase Fee (excl VAT) | Leasehold Purchase Fee (excl VAT) | Freehold Sale Fee (excl VAT) | Leasehold Sale Fee (excl VAT) | 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Up to £550,000.00 | £1,900.00 | £1,950.00 | £1,800.00 | £1,900.00 | |
£550,000.01 - £650,000.00 | £2,050.00 | £2,250.00 | £1,950.00 | £2,050.00 | |
£650,000.01 - £750,000.00 | £2,200.00 | £2,400.00 | £2,100.00 | £2,200.00 | |
£750,000.01 - £850,000.00 | £2,350.00 | £2,550.00 | £2,250.00 | £2,350.00 | |
£850,000.01 - £1,000,000.00 | £2,500.00 | £2,700.00 | £2,400.00 | £2,500.00 | |
£1,000,000.01 - £1,250,000.00 | £2,650.00 | £2,850.00 | £2,550.00 | £2,650.00 | |
£1,250,000.01 - £1,500,000.00 | £2,800.00 | £3,000.00 | £2,700.00 | £2,800.00 | |
£1,500,000.01 - £2,000,000.00 | £2,950.00 | £3,150.00 | £2,850.00 | £2,950.00 | |
£2,000,000.01 - £3,000,000.00 | £3,450.00 | £3,650.00 | £3,350.00 | £3,450.00 | |
£3,000,000.01 - £4,000,000.00 | £4,550.00 | £4,750.00 | £4,450.00 | £4,550.00 | |
£4,000,000.01 - £5,000,000.00 | £6,650.00 | £6,850.00 | £6,550.00 | £6,650.00 | |
£5,000,000.01 and above | From £8,750.00 | From £8,950.00 | From £8,650.00 | From £8,750.00 |
Additional Expertise
If your transaction requires additional expertise, a fixed fee will be included in your quotation, for the specific legal work as outlined below.
Additional Expertise | Our Fee (excl VAT) | 1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Searches | £ 400.00 | ||||
Help to Buy | £ 250.00 | ||||
Shared Ownership |
£ 500.00 | ||||
New Build Purchase | £ 600.00 | ||||
Deed of Variation | £ 750.00 | ||||
License to Assign | £ 750.00 | ||||
Rent Deposit Deed | £ 750.00 |
Hourly Rates
Hourly rates are priced as follows:
Per Hour | 1 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Partner | £475.00 | ||||
Senior Associate | £325.00 - £375.00 | ||||
Solicitor and Associate |
£225.00 - £325.00 | ||||
Support Staff and Trainee | £130.00 - £190.00 |
If you are buying and selling a property then a charge would be made for both the sale and the purchase.
If you are simply re-mortgaging your property then we charge a fixed fee from £950.00 excluding VAT for a freehold and £1,200.00 excluding VAT for a leasehold.
Please note that VAT of 20% is also charged on all of our fees or legal work.
Disbursements
The ‘disbursements’ which you pay will depend upon whether you are buying or selling property or both, whether you are buying a freehold or leasehold property and the location and type of property concerned. Properties in certain locations for example need more searches and checks than others.
Normally all clients who are buying a ‘freehold’ property will need to pay the following disbursements:
- HM Land Registry fee from £135.00
- Land Registry Priority Search: £3.00
- Bankruptcy Search: £2.00 per client
- Bank Transfer Fee: £15.00 per transfer
- ID Verification Fee: £12.50 per client, or associated party such as an individual providing a gift.
- Source of Funds Check: £10 per client, or associated party providing funds towards the purchase.
When selling a property you will ordinarily need to pay the following disbursements:
- Land Registry Office Copy Entries and Title Plan: £3.00 per title number
- Bank Transfer Fee: £15.00 per transfer
- ID Verification Fee: £12.50 per client.
If the property is a ‘leasehold’ property then the disbursements will be different and normally consist of:
- Notice of Transfer fee – This fee if chargeable is set out in the lease. Often the fee is between £50.00 - £200.00
- Notice of Charge fee (if the property is to be mortgaged) – This fee is set out in the lease. Often the fee is between £50.00 - £200.00
- 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 £50.00 - £200.00
- Certificate of Compliance fee - To be confirmed upon receipt of the lease, as can range between £50.00 - £200.00
- Leasehold Management Pack – This fee is chargeable when selling a leasehold property. Often it is between £150.00 - £600.00
Please note that where applicable, VAT of 20% is charged on disbursements.
Stamp Duty Land Tax.
If you are buying a property you will also need to pay stamp duty land tax. The amount which you need to pay to the government depends on the price of the 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).
Other costs to consider
If you have a mortgage on the property or have incurred an estate agent’s fee, we would also typically need to pay the money owed directly to your lender and agent as needed from the sale money we receive for you.
You should also be aware that if you are purchasing a leasehold property then 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 this we receive this information.
Examples of our charges
The table below is a typical example of what charges we would make to the client selling a freehold property for £500,000.00:
Our Legal Fee |
£ 1,750.00 | ||||
VAT |
£ 350.00 | ||||
Total Legal Fee, inc VAT | £ 2,100.00 |
Disbursements
As well as the costs and fees set out above, there may be certain disbursements - a fee payable to another party - that will also be charged. The disbursements that may be incurred are
Land Registry Official Copies |
£ 15.00 |
Sale and Purchase
Whereas the table below is a typical example of what charges we would make to a client selling a property for £500,000.00 and buying a new property for £750,000.00, both freehold:
Sale | 1 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Our Legal Fee |
£ 1,750.00 | ||||
VAT at 20% |
£ 350.00 | ||||
Total Legal Fee, inc VAT | £ 2,100.00 | ||||
Purchase | 1 | ||||
Our Legal Fee |
£ 1,950.00 | ||||
Searches Fee | £ 450.00 | ||||
VAT at 20% |
£ 480.00 | ||||
Total Legal Fee, inc VAT |
£ 2,880.00 |
Disbursements
As well as the costs and fees set out above, there may be certain disbursements - a fee payable to another party - that will also be charged. The disbursements that may be incurred are
Land Registry Official Copies |
£ 15.00 | ||||
Bankruptcy Search | £ 2.00 | ||||
Land Registry Fee | £ 270.00 | ||||
Land Registry Priority Search |
£ 3.00 |
How long will my house sale / purchase take?
After we have received your instructions, your completed questionnaire, payment, and the appropriate forms of identity, we will begin work on your behalf.
The average time for a conveyancing transaction from instruction to completion is about two months, or one month for a re-mortgage. However, the time an individual case takes to complete can vary greatly from this average, depending on the circumstances; largely the result of the readiness and willingness of all parties to proceed.
We will always do our best to be proactive at all times and at no stage in the process become the reason for delay.
Here are some examples of factors which can affect a conveyancing transaction time:
- Delays in completing the property information forms.
- Delays in responses or actions from third parties e.g. the other side’s solicitor
- Delays elsewhere in a chain of transactions
- Where the resolution or conclusion of a matter is dependent on probate or divorce proceedings
- Unforeseen factors e.g. demands of existing tenants in the property or obtaining planning and building regulation consents for works undertaken
The precise stages involved vary according to the circumstances. However typically in a property sale we need to do the following:
- Liaise with your estate agent and request the memorandum of sale
- Request your title deeds or obtain a duplicate of your legal title (if registered) from the Land Registry
- Prepare and issue a draft contract to the buyer’s solicitor
- Answer any standard enquiries raised by the buyer’s solicitor relating to the sale of the property
- Request a redemption statement from your lender(s)
- Keep you updated at regular intervals
- Prepare a completion statement and bill in accordance with your Terms and Conditions
- Complete the transaction and transfer the completion monies in accordance with the contract and completion statement.
In a property purchase we need to do the following:
- Investigate the title to the property, including carrying out title and local government searches, and reviewing replies given by the seller to pre-contract enquiries
- Summarise the information about the property in a report on title
- Agree a purchase contract with the seller, advise you on its provisions and arrange for you to sign it and pay the deposit
- Prepare and agree with the seller the document which will transfer ownership to you
- Advise you about your mortgage (if any) and arrange for you to sign the mortgage deed
- Complete the purchase for you and transfer funds by bank transfer to the seller’s solicitors
- Prepare your Stamp Duty Land Tax Return and arrange payment to HM Revenue & Customs
- Register your purchase and mortgage (if any) at the Land Registry
- Keep you updated at regular intervals.
If we are simply helping you to re-mortgage your property then we would generally speaking only need to:
- Take your instructions and give you initial advice
- Carry out searches on the property you are buying where appropriate
- Obtain further planning documentation if required
- Go through conditions of mortgage offer with you.
- Send final documents to you for signature
- Apply for mortgage advance.
- Redeem any previous mortgages
- Deal with application for registration at the Land Registry.
Who will be dealing with my matter?
Your conveyancing transaction will be handled by a trusted member of our experienced property team. We have a number of qualified lawyers in the team as well as experienced paralegals specialised in this area of law. Once we know who will be handling your case for you we will introduce you to them and provide you with full details of their background and qualifications. Full details of the experience and qualifications of our team are available on our website including the types of work normally undertaken.
Our Fees: probate matters
How much do we charge?
You can find full details of how we calculate our probate charges below.
Our overall fees vary depending upon how complex your case is and what you would like us to do. For a free quote specifically tailored to your circumstances please email 020 3146 6300 or just drop us an email hello@lauruslaw.co.uk. We would be more than happy to discuss your case.
Alternatively, you can read more about our legacy team here.
Our charges are made up of:
- Our fees for the legal work;
- ‘Disbursements’ - disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to other people, such as probate application fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.
- Where VAT is referred to below please note that this will be charged at the applicable rate, which is currently 20%.
Standard probate work includes applying for a ‘Grant of Probate’ and Collecting and Distributing Assets in a ‘simple’ matter.
This is the most common type of probate work which we deal with, namely where someone has passed away leaving a Will which is not disputed (see below for more details on what we mean by a ‘simple’ matter). Our fees for this work will either be agreed with you as a fixed sum at the start of our work together or based on how much time it takes to deal with your case. Our standard hourly rates are as follows
Partner | £325.00 + VAT | ||||
Solicitor | £270.00 + VAT | ||||
Senior Paralegal | £180.00 + VAT | ||||
Paralegal | £150.00 + VAT |
Our fees
Normally this work takes between 14 and 24 hours work at £150 – £325 per hour (plus VAT at 20%). Total costs therefore tend to be in the region of £3,500 – £10,000 (plus VAT at 20%).
The total costs will depend upon how straight forward or complicated the case is. For example, if someone has died leaving only one beneficiary in an undisputed will and no property, then costs would be at the lower end of the range because it will be simple to administer. If there are multiple beneficiaries, a property and multiple bank accounts however, costs will be at the higher end even if the will is still not disputed.
As detailed above, please remember that VAT of 20% is charged on all of our fees or legal work.
All of the costs detailed above are for simple estates where there is:
- A valid will
- The will and probate is not disputed/contested
- No more than one property
- No more than 5 bank or building society accounts
- No other intangible assets
- Less than 5 beneficiaries
- No disputes between beneficiaries on division of assets. If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs
- No inheritance tax payable and the executors do not need to submit a full account to HMRC
- No claims made against the estate
We would still be delighted to work with you in more complicated matters but would need to give you a quotation for the work tailored to your individual circumstances. Please contact us on 020 3146 6300 or at hello@lauruslaw.co.uk to learn more.
Disbursements
Disbursements are payments that we make to third parties on your behalf. These are separate payments for which the estate is liable in addition to our costs as described above.
Probate application fee |
£273 plus £1.50 per copy of Grant of Representation | ||||
Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department Searches | £2.00 per beneficiary | ||||
Post in The London Gazette |
£200 | ||||
Post in a Local Newspaper | £200 |
Other costs to consider
If you would like to receive additional copies of the grant of probate we are happy to arrange this at a cost of £2 per beneficiary.
Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included.
Remember also that if this is not a ‘simple’ matter (see the factors listed above) then costs would vary so do get in touch for a more accurate quote.
How long will this take?
Generally speaking, ‘simple’ estate matters such as these can normally be dealt with within 10 – 14 months. This is broken down into the following stages, with rough time estimates for each stage as follows:
- Obtaining the grant of probate: 8-10 weeks;
- Collecting assets: 8-12 weeks;
- Statutory notice period: 2 months;
- Distributing the assets: 3-4 weeks.
Key stages of your case
The precise stages involved vary according to the circumstances. The guidance on our fees above covers all of the work in relation to the following key stages a ‘simple’ probate process:
- Identify the executors and beneficiaries
- Check the type of Probate application you will require
- Obtain the relevant documents required to make the application
- Complete the Probate Application and the relevant HMRC forms
- Make the application for probate
- Obtain the Probate and distribute copies as necessary
- Collect and distribute all assets in the estate
It would not normally be necessary to undertake other work or incur costs other than those described above. However, we would be very happy to provide you with a more tailored quote for all stages of your particular case once we know about your specific circumstances.
Who will be dealing with my matter?
Your probate matter will be handled by a trusted member of our experienced legacy team. We have a number of qualified lawyers in the team as well as experienced paralegals specialised in this area of law. Once we know who will be handling your case for you, we will introduce you to them and provide you with full details of their background and qualifications. Full details of the experience and qualifications of our team are available on our website including the types of work normally undertaken.
Regardless of who is working on your case the matter will be supervised by one of our partners.