We pride ourselves on providing a personal service from a dedicated team of Conveyancing staff. Your file will be the responsibility of a Lawyer with whom you will have personal contact.
Residential Conveyancing
Irrespective of whether it is a mansion or a bedsit; freehold or leasehold your home is, in most cases, the most important and valuable asset that you will ever own. As with all our services we pride ourselves on providing an honest and approachable service. Each individual transaction will vary and for that reason we provide a full conveyancing service that can be catered to your needs. Whilst some details of our service are provided here we strongly recommend you contact any of our team to discuss your requirements.
Commercial Conveyancing
Whether you are buying, selling, leasing as a landlord or tenant you need to be fully aware of the legal commitments you are entering into. We offer a full range of advice on commercial transactions from lock up shops to large Hotels. Please contact Mr John Darby or Jonathan Parker to discuss your particular transaction in more detail.
Remortgaging & Equity Release
As panel members with every major Mortgage Lender in England & Wales we can help you through the legal aspects of either a remortgage or equity release. As with all our Conveyancing work we offer our service for a competitive fixed fee.
How long will it take?
Every transaction is unique and there are many external factors outside of our control. Your transaction, irrespective of whether it is a remortgage or a purchase, or a Sale or an Equity Release will involve many individuals and organisations such as Agents, Banks, Mortgage Companies, Surveyors, Search Companies and so on. Ensuring that all these individuals and organisations are ready at the same time is the key to a swift transaction. Naturally though this organisation takes time. A typical sale or purchase (with little or no chain) will take on average 10-12 weeks. Some are quicker and others longer. Remortgages and Equity Releases are nearer to 6-8 weeks (depending on the need for searches and surveys).
Costs
With any transaction we understand that you will be working to budgets. We will outline our fees at the outset of your matter in the form of written quotation. We never ask for our fees to be paid in advance. Most transactions incur out of pocket expenses (disbursements) such as search fees which we will ask you to provide in advance.
Our written quotation will be specific to your transaction and personal circumstances. Factors that may influence the price we quote include the value of the Property, where you are buying, who is buying, whether you require a mortgage to assist your purchase or are repaying a mortgage when you sell.
Due to the individual nature of your transaction our written quotation will detail our fees together with an estimate of the out of pocket expenses we are likely incur on your behalf. You will receive this quotation prior to any work being commenced.
The following table shows a range of our typical fees based on the Property sale/purchase price. Where your quote fits within the following ranges will depend on the individual complexities of your transaction.
Our price when quoted to you in writing covers all of our fees to complete your transaction. There are NO hidden fees or extras (such as acting for a Mortgage Company or multiple Clients). The below is a guide for taking a transaction from negotiation to completion. On occasion there may be disbursements that become payable (such as an Indemnity Policy or Service Charge on a Leasehold property) that we would be unaware of at the outset of a matter. In that circumstance we would always advise you of the extra disbursement in advance of incurring that expense.
Our fees on Residential Sales or Purchases
|
£0-200,000 |
£1,250+vat @ 20% Freehold - our minimum charge |
|
£1,500+vat @ 20% Leasehold - our minimum charge |
|
|
£200,000-£300,000 |
£1,250 - £1,750+vat @ 20% |
|
£300,000-£500,000 |
£1,750 - £2,250+vat @ 20% |
|
£500,000-£750,000 |
£2,250 - £2,750+vat @ 20% |
|
£750,000-£1,000,000 |
£2,750 - £3,250+vat @ 20% |
|
£1,000,000-£1,500,000 |
£3,250 - £4,000+vat @ 20% |
|
£1,500,000 - £2,000,000 |
£4,000 - £5,500+vat @ 20% |
|
£2,000,000 - £3,000,000 |
£5,500 - £7,500+vat @ 20% |
|
£3,000,000 - £4,000,000 |
£7,500 - £10,000+vat @ 20% |
|
£4,000,000 + |
Price on Application starting at £10,000+vat @20% |
Our fixed fees on other types of transactions involving residential properties
|
Remortgages |
£495+vat @ 20% |
|
Transfer of Equity |
£450+vat @ 20% |
|
Equity Release |
£500+vat @ 20% |
In addition to the fees in the above table which are our fees for completing the legal work on your behalf the following typical disbursements (out of pocket expenses) may be incurred during your transaction:
Disbursements (including VAT where applicable) on a typical sale:
|
Land Registry copies |
£6 (freehold) £12 (leasehold) |
|
Estate Agents |
As negotiated by you with your Agent |
Disbursements (including VAT where applicable) on a typical purchase or remortgage:
|
Land Registry Fee |
Dependant on your purchase price (£45 - £1,105) |
|
Stamp Duty |
Dependant on price and personal circumstances |
|
Search fees |
£200-350 (dependant on where you are buying) |
|
Bankruptcy Search |
£2 per person |
|
Land Registry Search |
£3 |
Proof of your identity, residential address and source of funds
Prior to our undertaking any transactional work we are under a legal duty to verify your identity and your residential address before we can proceed with your instructions. In order to address this legal duty we utilise the services of a third party verification company for which the following charges will be applicable.
£45.00 (including VAT) per instructing client
Bank Transfer fees
During the course of your transaction we may have to send money electronically to 3rd parties. Normal examples include sending the purchase monies to the Seller’s Solicitor; paying off your mortgage; or sending the net proceeds of sale to you. Each electronic transfer costs £42 which represents the following per transaction
|
Our Bank’s Transfer Fee |
£17 |
|
Our fee for arranging the transfer |
£30 (£25+vat @ 20%) |
What is not included in our fees?
The above fee scales are to conduct the conveyancing for the transaction listed. If matters arise that need extra work then we would advise you in advance. Typical examples include:
Rectifying your Title - errors at the Land Registry that need to be resolved, or a Deed of Variation for a Defective Lease, would be extra and be quoted on a fixed fee based on the nature of the work involved.
Lease Extensions - the preparation and completion of an extension of time on a Lease would attract an extra fixed fee which would be quoted on the basis of the work required
Resolving disputes - with a neighbour or Landlord would be extra service and charged at £200+vat @ 20% (£240) per hour
What if my transaction doesn’t complete?
On occasion property transactions do not proceed to completion. This may be because you have a change of mind, or factors outside of your control, or problems with the property. On these rare occasions we charge abortive costs at a reduced fixed rate on the following basis:
|
Key Stage |
Typical timescale in weeks: |
Our fees in £ |
Likely disbursements in £ incurred by each stage |
|
File opened |
Week 1 |
No charge |
None anticipated |
|
Contract issued/received |
Week 2/3 |
£150 (inc VAT @ 20%) |
Sale - £6 Office Copies Purchase – none anticipated |
|
Enquiries answered / enquiries raised |
Weeks 4-7 |
£400 (inc VAT @ 20%) |
Sale - £6 Office Copies Purchase - £300 Search fees (estimated) |
|
Point of exchange On a sale – all enquiries answered On a purchase – Report to Client |
Weeks 8-10 |
£600 (inc VAT @ 20%) |
Sale - £6 Office Copies Purchase - £300 Search fees (estimated) |
|
Between Exchange and Completion |
Weeks 11-14 |
Full quoted price |
Sale - £6 Office Copies Purchase - £300 Search fees (estimated) |
Please contact either Jonathan Parker, Tracy Mashford, Hilary Amesbury or Margaret Halliwell for a free no obligation quote.
