We will always be pleased to give you a quotation which will be tailored to your specific requirements. Law and Lawyers offer a number of discounts, which you may be entitled to, please enquire at your local office.
Our prices cover all of the legal work and other administrative tasks required to complete your sale and/or purchase, 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.
We work on fixed fee basis and our fees typically range from £745 to £1,750 depending upon a number of factors including the complexity of the transaction and the location of the property.
We will always be pleased to give you a quotation which will be tailored to your specific requirements. Law and Lawyers offer a number of discounts, which you may be entitled to, please enquire at your local office.
We are not a “factory conveyancing firm” and if we are instructed, your transaction will be passed to one of our qualified solicitors, who has the relevant expertise to lead you through the process from start to finish and once of our directors will be supervising your matter.
We have over 10 years of experience in Conveyancing. You can be assured of high standard of quality at Law and Lawyers as we have been awarded the Law Society’s LEXCEL Accredited Quality mark for high standards of client care and practice management. Law and Lawyers are also CQS accredited. To gain this accreditation Law and Lawyers underwent rigorous assessment by the Law Society, which marks the firm out as meeting high standards in the residential conveyancing process.
Sale or Purchase – Freehold Properties
- Property Value £0-£500,000: From £845 to £1495 plus VAT at 20%
- Property Value £500,001 and over: from £995 to £2495 plus VAT at 20% (but you should contact us for a bespoke quotation.)
Sale or Purchase – Leasehold Properties
- Property Value £0 – £500,000: From £895 to £1695 plus VAT at 20%
- Property Value £500,001 and over: from £1095 to £2695 plus VAT at 20% (but you should contact us for a bespoke quotation.)
Remortgage
- Property Value £0-£500,000: From £595 to £895 plus VAT at 20%
- Property Value £500,001 and over: from £795 to £1495 plus VAT at 20% (but you should contact us for a bespoke quotation.)
Disbursements/Additional Items
Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as Land Registry fees or HMRC. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.
- Electronic Identification (per person): from £7.20
- Search Pack for a Purchase: from £255.80
- Electronic Funds Transfer fee (per transfer): £20
- Land Registry fees: from £20 – £910
- Bankruptcy Search (per person): £2
- Land registry search: £3
- Official Copy Documents for a Sale: £6-£24 on average
- Land Registry Fee: Please visit the Land Registry website
- Stamp Duty Land Tax – This will depend upon the purchase price of the property and whether you have an interest in any other land in the world. You can calculate your stamp duty liability by visiting HMRC’s website or if the property is located in Wales by using the Welsh Revenue Authority’s website.
Third Party Costs – Leasehold Properties
- Notice of Transfer fee – This fee if chargeable is set out in the lease. Often the fee is between £25- £200 per notice.*
- Notice of Charge fee (if the property is to be mortgaged) – This fee is set out in the lease. Often the fee is between £25- £200 per notice.*
- 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 £25- £200*
- Certificate of Compliance fee – To be confirmed upon receipt of the lease, as can range between £25- £200*
- Sales packs from a management company (if you are selling) can range from £100 – £450.
Additional Fees
- Acting for Lender – £145 to £495+ VAT at 20%
- Acting for Leasehold – £100 t0 £395 + VAT at 20%
- Acting for Newbuild – £100 to £250 + VAT at 20%
- Acting for Shared Ownership – £100 to £195 + VAT at 20%
- Right to Buy – £100 to £195 + VAT at 20%
- Auction Property – £100 to £195 + VAT at 20%
- Limited Company Purchase – £50 to 195 + VAT at 20%
- Help to Buy/Lifetime ISA – £75 + VAT at 20%
- Help to Buy Scheme – £100 to £150 + VAT at 20%
- Gifted Deposit – £75 to £150 + VAT at 20%
*These prices vary from property to property and can on occasion be significantly more than the ranges given above. More often than not, these costs are compulsory as your lender will require compliance. We will account to you when the information is supplied to us. You should also be aware that ground rent and service charges are likely to apply throughout your ownership of the property and will most likely increase during your period of ownership. We will confirm the ground rent and the anticipated service charge as soon as this we receive this information.
Stamp Duty Land Tax
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.
Freehold Sale
In what circumstances could the costs change?
We want to ensure you only pay for the service you receive, so, as an example, a simple house sale with one standard mortgage to redeem will cost less than a complex legal title involving more than one lender or a management company that we need to engage with.
Some factors which could typically increase the cost of the service you require are:
- if the legal title is defective;
- if the title is unregistered;
- if there is a management company that we need to engage with to obtain a deed of covenant or a consent to the sale;
- if we need to comply with a restriction on the title;
- if we discover that the correct consents have not been obtained for alteration works;
- if you have more than one mortgage secured against the property;
- if you are selling through an auction or have tight deadlines to meet;
- if documents or information are requested from you or any other party, which requires our work to be duplicated.
What we will do for you
We will let you have a breakdown of what our fees include, when we provide you with a quote. It may include some or all of the following matters:
- obtaining a redemption figure from your lender and checking with you that the figure is correct;
- obtaining office copy entries and any supporting documents from HM Land Registry which will enable us to prepare the contract to prove that you have the right to sell the property;
- preparing a bundle of contract documents to be sent to the buyer’s solicitor;
- answering any enquiries raised by the buyer’s solicitor and agreeing any amendments to the contract;
- approving the transfer deed;
- exchanging contracts;
- preparing a completion statement for your approval;
- on completion, receiving the sale proceeds from the buyer’s solicitors, repaying your mortgage, paying the estate agents and our fees and then accounting to you for the net sale proceeds.
Are there any exclusions?
It is important to note that the information above relates to residential conveyancing for individuals who are selling their own property. If any of the circumstances below apply, it is likely to involve additional work, or you may require advice from another department within the practice:
- if you are selling a tenanted property;
- if you are acting in your capacity as director of a company and/or require the discharge of any company mortgages at Companies House;
- if the property you are selling is to be transferred out of an existing title and documents need to be drafted or negotiated;
- if you are selling the property as an executor or acting as an attorney under a lasting power of attorney.
Overview of the conveyancing process
As members of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme we follow the Law Society Conveyancing Protocol which is designed to make the conveyancing process as straightforward and efficient as possible.
The steps involved in the sale of your property will include the following:
- If the title to your property is unregistered, we will ask you to supply your title deeds. It is likely however that your property will be registered, and if it is, we can obtain title documents from HM Land Registry electronically.
- Once you have instructed us to proceed, we will send to you a short questionnaire and the relevant protocol forms (property information form, and a fittings and contents form) for completion.
- Once we have received your completed paperwork, along with the memorandum of sale from the selling agents (or details of the buyer’s solicitors from you if it is a private sale), we will prepare the contract pack for the buyer’s solicitors.
- As soon as your buyer is in a position to proceed (that is once they have concluded their financial arrangements and completed survey and enquiries, and all relevant searches), we shall discuss with you and agree with your buyer’s solicitor a suitable completion date for your sale. If you have a related purchase, we will also need to agree this date with your seller’s solicitor.
- Once contracts have been exchanged there is a legally binding agreement between you and your buyer for the sale and purchase of your property and you have to complete on the date agreed in the contract.
- On the completion date we will notify you once the sale proceeds are received and advise your estate agent if the sale was negotiated by them and pay their account. We will also pay off any mortgage which you have secured on your property, and either return the net proceeds to you or apply those funds to your related purchase.
Leasehold sale
In what circumstances could the costs change?
We want to ensure you only pay for the service you receive, so, as an example, a simple flat sale with one standard mortgage to redeem will cost less than selling a property with a complex leasehold title, involving more than one lender and a management company that we need to engage with. It is also important to appreciate that on the sale of a leasehold property, we will be required to obtain a Leasehold Information Pack, the cost of which differs considerably between different managing agents. Should you pay your ground rent and service charge to different companies, then there will be two Leasehold Information Packs to acquire and this means that there will be two differing charges. It is important that you budget accordingly and be aware that there are costs that we do not know but will be payable.
Some factors which could typically increase the cost of the service you require are:
- if the legal title is defective, the lease needs to be extended or a deed of variation is required;
- if this is the assignment of an existing lease and is not the grant of a new lease;
- if the title is unregistered;
- if there is an intermediary leasehold title;
- if there is a management company that we need to engage with to obtain a pre-sale pack or to obtain a consent to the sale;
- if there is a freeholder with whom we need to engage in order to obtain a pre-sale pack or obtain consent to the sale;
- if we need to comply with a restriction on the title;
- if we discover that the correct consents have not been obtained for alteration works;
- if you have more than one mortgage secured against the property;
- if you are selling through an auction or have tight deadlines to meet;
- if documents or information are requested from you or any other party, which requires our work to be duplicated.
What we will do for you
We will let you have a breakdown of our fees. It may include some or all of the following matters:
- obtaining a redemption figure from your lender and checking with you that the figure is correct;
- obtaining office copy entries and any supporting documents from HM Land Registry which will enable us to prepare the contract to prove that you have the right to sell the property;
- requesting and reviewing the information supplied by the freeholder and/or managing agent (the pre-sale pack/Leasehold Information Pack);
- preparing a bundle of contract documents to be sent to the buyer’s solicitor;
- answering any enquiries raised by the buyer’s solicitor and agreeing any amendments to the contract;
- approving the transfer deed;
- exchanging contracts;
- preparing a completion statement for your approval, including the calculation of any apportionments of ground rent and service charges;
- on completion, receiving the sale proceeds from the buyer’s solicitors, repaying your mortgage, paying the estate agents and our fees and then accounting to you for the net sale proceeds.
In what circumstances will the above matters not apply to me?
It is important to note that the information above relates to residential conveyancing for individuals who are selling their own property. If any of the circumstances below apply, it is likely to involve additional work or you may require advice from another department within the practice:
- if you are selling a tenanted property;
- if you are acting in your capacity as director of a company and/or require the discharge of any company mortgages at Companies House;
- if the property you are selling is to be transferred out of an existing title and documents need to be drafted or negotiated;
- if you are selling the property as an executor or acting as an attorney under a lasting power of attorney.
Overview of the conveyancing process
As members of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme we follow the Law Society Conveyancing Protocol which is designed to make the conveyancing process as straightforward and efficient as possible.
The steps involved in the sale of your property will include the following:
- If the title to your property is unregistered, we will ask you to supply your title deeds. It is likely however that your property will be registered, and if it is, we can obtain title documents from HM Land Registry electronically.
- Once you have instructed us to proceed, we will send to you a short questionnaire and the relevant protocol forms (property information form, fittings and contents form and a leasehold information form) for completion.
- Once we have received your completed paperwork, along with the memorandum of sale from the selling agents (or details of the buyer’s solicitors from you if it is a private sale) and requested, paid for and received the Leasehold Information Pack from the managing agents and/or freeholder, we will prepare the contract pack for the buyer’s solicitors.
- As soon as your buyer is in a position to proceed (that is once they have concluded their financial arrangements and completed survey and enquiries and searches), we shall discuss with you and agree with your buyer’s solicitor a suitable completion date for your sale. We will obtain up-to-date figures from the managing agents and/or freeholders to enable us to calculate apportionments and prepare a completion statement showing the amount due from the buyer’s solicitor. If you have a related purchase, we will agree this date with your seller’s solicitor.
- Once contracts have been exchanged, there is a legally binding agreement between you and your buyer for the sale and purchase of your property.
- On the completion date, we will notify you when we have received the sale proceeds and advise your estate agent if the sale was negotiated by them and pay their account. We will also pay off any mortgage which you have secured on your property, and either return the net proceeds to you or apply those funds to your related purchase.
Freehold purchase
In what circumstances may the costs change?
We want to ensure you only pay for the service you receive, so, as an example, a simple freehold purchase with standard funding arrangements will cost less than a complex freehold purchase involving a lender who requires us to undertake additional work on its behalf.
Some factors which could typically increase the cost of the service you require are:
- if the legal title is defective;
- if the title is unregistered;
- if there is a management company that we need to engage with to ensure compliance with any regulations which may apply;
- if we need to obtain a certificate of compliance for a restriction on the title;
- if the property is subject to a rent charge;
- if we discover that the correct consents have not been obtained for alteration works;
- if you are obtaining financial contributions from third parties;
- if you are purchasing using a complex funding arrangement;
- if you have the benefit of a Help to Buy ISA or Lifetime ISA;
- if you are purchasing through an auction or from a lender under a power of sale, with tight deadlines to meet;
- if documents or information are requested from you or any other party, which requires our work to be duplicated;
- if the property is a new build or is being transferred out of an existing title.
What we will do for you
We will let you have a breakdown of what our fees include, when we provide you with a quote. It may include some or all of the following matters:
- approving the contract and, if required, negotiating amendments;
- reviewing the legal title to the property;
- undertaking searches and raising enquiries;
- reviewing your funding arrangements;
- reporting to you on our investigations;
- acting on behalf of, and reporting to your lender;
- accounting to you with a completion statement and requesting monies from you;
- exchanging contracts and undertaking pre-completion searches;
- completing the purchase for you, paying the purchase price and any monies agreed for any items to the seller’s solicitors;
- submitting your stamp duty land tax return to HM Revenue and Customs (or where the property is in Wales, submitting your land transaction tax return to the Welsh Revenue Authority) and paying any duty owed;
- registering your ownership of the property with HM Land Registry;
- sending copy documents to you following registration together with any other documents which you may need when you come to sell the property.
In what circumstances will the above matters not apply to me?
It is important to note that the information above relates to residential conveyancing for individuals who are buying a property to live in. If any of the circumstances below apply, it is likely to involve additional work, or you may require advice from another department within the practice:
- if you are purchasing the property as an investment;
- if you are purchasing in the name of your limited company or a partnership;
- if the property you are buying is to be transferred out of an existing title and documents need to be drafted.
Overview of the conveyancing process
As members of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme we follow the Law Society Conveyancing Protocol which is designed to make the conveyancing process as straightforward and efficient as possible.
The steps involved in the purchase of your property will include the following:
- Once we have received a memorandum of sale from the selling agent, or details of the transaction from you if your matter is a private sale, we will ask you to complete a short questionnaire, provide evidence of identity and your funding arrangements, including evidence as to the deposit, and to put us in funds to enable us to commence searches.
- The seller’s solicitors will supply us with a contract pack, including title deeds to the property, a plan, protocol forms (a property information form, and a fittings and contents form), a contract and the energy performance certificate.
- We will check title to the property, order searches, approve the contract and draft a transfer deed. We will also raise any relevant enquiries with the seller’s solicitors so that we can report to you thoroughly.
- We would recommend you have a survey carried out, as we are unable to advise you on matters such as the physical structure of the building. If you are getting a mortgage, your lender will also carry out a valuation of the property, but please remember that the valuation is only for the benefit of the lender and you should not rely on the valuation. You should let us have a copy of your survey and mortgage valuation.
- Once we have received your mortgage offer, searches and replies to enquiries, we will provide you with a written report on the property for you to consider.
OR
- We will report to you on the legal title to the property, the mortgage offer and results of searches as and when we receive them rather than sending one lengthy report.
- We will also send you a contract and transfer deed to sign, or you can attend the office to sign them and discuss any questions you may have.
- If we are also instructed in your sale, we will ensure that the two transactions can exchange simultaneously, and supply you with completion statements setting out the costs and disbursements incurred in relation to each matter.
- As soon as all parties are in a position to proceed, we will exchange contracts. This is the point at which the agreement is binding, and you cannot pull out of the transaction without incurring penalties. At the point of exchange you should book your removals and put your buildings insurance in place, as this is when the risk in the new property will pass to you.
- We will order your mortgage advance, or ask you to put us in funds for any balance required to complete.
- On the completion date, funds will be transferred between solicitors and once completion has taken place, we will notify you and the selling agents so that keys can be released to you.
- Post completion we will submit your stamp duty land tax return to HM Revenue and Customs (or where the property is in Wales, submit your land transaction return to the Welsh Revenue Authority) and pay any duty owed. We will also register you as owner with HM Land Registry and supply you with evidence once HM Land Registry has completed our application.
Leasehold purchase
In what circumstances may the costs change?
We want to ensure you only pay for the service you receive, so, as an example, a simple flat purchase with standard funding arrangements will cost less than a complex leasehold title involving a lender who requires us to undertake additional work on their behalf.
Some factors which could typically increase the cost of the service you require are:
- if the legal title is defective, the lease needs to be extended or a deed of variation is required;
- if the title is unregistered;
- if there is an intermediary leasehold title;
- if there is a management company that we need to engage with to ensure compliance with any regulations which may apply;
- if we need to obtain a certificate of compliance for a restriction on the title or you are required to enter into a deed of covenant;
- if we discover that the correct consents have not been obtained for alteration works;
- if you are obtaining financial contributions from third parties;
- if you are purchasing using a complex funding arrangement;
- if you are having the benefit of a Help to Buy ISA or Lifetime ISA;
- if you are purchasing through an auction or from a lender under a power of sale, with tight deadlines to meet;
- if documents or information are requested from you or any other party, which requires our work to be duplicated;
- if the property is a new build or is being transferred out of an existing title.
What we will do for you
We will let you have a breakdown of what our fees include, when we provide you with a quote. It may include some or all of the following matters:
- approving the contract and if required, negotiating amendments;
- reviewing the legal title to the property, including the lease and freehold title;
- reviewing the information supplied by the freeholder or managing agent (the ‘pre-sale pack’);
- undertaking searches and raising enquiries;
- reviewing your funding arrangements;
- reporting to you on our investigations;
- acting on behalf of, and reporting to your lender;
- exchanging contracts and undertaking pre-completion searches;
- accounting to you with a completion statement;
- completing the purchase for you, paying the purchase price to the seller’s solicitors;
- serving any required notices required under your lease;
- making an application to the management company for a new share certificate (if applicable);
- obtaining a certificate of compliance from the freeholder/managing agents for HM Land Registry purposes;
- submitting your stamp duty land tax return to HM Revenue and Customs (or where the property is in Wales, submitting your land transaction tax return to the Welsh Revenue Authority) and paying any duty owed;
- registering your ownership of the property with HM Land Registry.
In what circumstances will the above matters not apply to me?
It is important to note that the information above relates to residential conveyancing for individuals who are buying a property to live in. If any of the circumstances below apply, it is likely to involve additional work, or you may require advice from another department within the practice:
- if you are purchasing the property as an investment;
- if you are acting in your capacity as director of a company;
- if the property you are buying is to be transferred out of an existing title and documents need to be drafted or negotiated.
Overview of the conveyancing process
As members of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme we follow the Law Society Conveyancing Protocol which is designed to make the conveyancing process as straightforward and efficient as possible.
The steps involved in the purchase of your property will include the following:
- Once we have received a memorandum of sale from the selling agent, or details of the transaction from you if your matter is a private sale, we will ask you to complete a short questionnaire and to put us in funds to enable us to commence searches.
- The seller’s solicitors will supply us with a contract pack, including title deeds to the property, a plan, a copy of the freehold and leasehold title together with a copy of the lease, protocol forms (a property information form, a fittings and contents list and a leasehold information form), a contract and the energy performance certificate.
- We will check title to the property, order searches, approve the contract and draft a transfer deed. We will also raise any relevant enquiries with the seller’s solicitors so that we can report to you thoroughly; it may be that some of these enquiries have to be forwarded to the managing agents/freeholders and this will be done by the seller’s solicitor.
- We would recommend you have a survey carried out, as we are unable to advise you on matters such as the physical structure of the building. If you are getting a mortgage, your lender will also carry out a valuation of the property. Please remember that the valuation is only for the benefit of the lender. You should let us have a copy of your survey and mortgage valuation.
- Once we have received your mortgage offer, searches and replies to enquiries, and the Leasehold Information Pack, we will provide you with a written report on the property for you to consider. We will also send you a contract and transfer deed to sign, or you can attend the office to sign them and discuss any questions you may have.
- If we are also instructed in your sale, we will ensure that the two transactions can exchange simultaneously, and supply you with completion statements setting out the costs and disbursements incurred in relation to each matter.
- As soon as all parties are in a position to proceed, we will exchange contracts. This is the point at which the agreement is binding, and you cannot pull out of the transaction without incurring penalties. At the point of exchange you should book your removals and put your buildings insurance in place, as this is when the risk in the new property will pass to you.
- We will order your mortgage advance, or ask you to put us in funds for any balance required to complete.
- On the completion date, funds will be transferred between solicitors and once completion has taken place, we will notify you and the selling agents so that keys can be released to you.
- On completion, we will serve notice on the freeholder and/or managing agents to advise them that you are the new owner of the property so that they may update their records.
- Post completion we will submit your stamp duty land tax return to HM Revenue and Customs (or where the property is in Wales, submit your land transaction tax return to the Welsh Revenue Authority) and pay any duty owed. We will also register you as owner with HM Land Registry and supply you with evidence once HM Land Registry has completed our application, and send you copies of the title together with all documents which you may need when you come to sell the property.
Mortgages and remortgages
In what circumstances may the costs change?
We want to ensure you only pay for the service you receive, so, as an example, a straightforward transaction involving a freehold property and a standard mortgage will cost less than a complex leasehold property being mortgaged to a lender who requires us to undertake much more detailed reporting on its behalf.
Some factors which could typically increase the cost of the service you require are:
- if the legal title is defective;
- if the title is unregistered;
- if there is a management company that we need to engage with to ensure compliance with any regulations which may apply;
- if we need to obtain a certificate of compliance for a restriction on the title;
- if the property is subject to a rent or estate charge;
- if we discover that the correct consents have not been obtained for alteration works;
- if you are redeeming a Help to Buy loan;
- if your mortgage lender asks us to comply with additional requirements other than submitting a standard certificate of title on completion;
- if documents or information are requested from you or any other party, which requires our work to be duplicated;
- if you are mortgaging only part of your property.
What we will do for you
We will let you have a breakdown of what our fees include, when we provide you with a quote. It may include some or all of the following matters:
- acting on behalf of you and your lender;
- reviewing the legal title to the property;
- undertaking searches and raising enquiries of the managing agent and/or freeholder if the property is leasehold, or freehold but served by a management company;
- reviewing your mortgage offer and reporting to you on any special conditions;
- attending on you to sign the legal charge (mortgage deed) and ensuring that you are comfortable with the nature and effect of entering into the mortgage;
- reporting to your lender on its standard form of certificate of title;
- undertaking pre-completion searches at HM Land Registry;
- accounting to you with a completion statement;
- redeeming your existing mortgage;
- registering the new mortgage with HM Land Registry.
In what circumstances will the above matters not apply to me?
It is important to note that the information above relates to residential conveyancing for individuals who are mortgaging their own property. If any of the circumstances below apply, it is likely to involve additional work, or you may require advice from another department within the practice:
- if you require a transfer of equity as part of the transaction;
- if the property is a ‘buy to let’; or
- if you own the property in a limited company or a partnership.
Overview of the conveyancing process
If you are at the end of your fixed rate with your current lender and wish to switch to a more favourable rate with a different lender, or decide to extract some equity from your property, you may decide to remortgage.
You should take advice from a suitably qualified adviser before proceeding, to ensure the product you choose meets your individual needs.
Once we have received your new mortgage offer, we will investigate title to your property to ensure that it complies with your new lender’s requirements. We may need to carry out searches and investigations and if you already have a mortgage secured against your property, we will make contact with the current lender to obtain a redemption figure.
On the day of completion, we will obtain the advance from your new lender, pay off your existing lender and deal with registration formalities at HM Land Registry to secure the new charge against your property.