Freehold sale or purchase fees
Expert support with transparent fees for buying or selling
Costs made clear
Our pricing depends on the price of the property and the complexity of the matter.
Our fees for a typical house purchase range from around £900 (inc. VAT) for a simple transaction to around £3,000 (inc. VAT) for a substantial historic building on unregistered land.
The cost will vary in cases with special complications such as:
- If the legal title is defective or part of the property is unregistered
- If we discover building regulations or planning permission has not been obtained
- If crucial documents we have previously requested from the client have not been provided
This is why it is important that we give you an individual cost estimate at the start of the transaction, taking into account the important features of your purchase. We will always advise you immediately about any complications and discuss the potential impact on prices before we incur any additional charges.
Our fees cover all of the work required to complete your purchase, including dealing with registration of your ownership at the Land Registry and dealing with payment of Stamp Duty Land Tax if the property is in England. We do not deal with purchases in Wales.
Other potential fees
Disbursements
Disbursements are fees we are required to pay out on your behalf to third parties and include the following:
- Search fee – approximately £228 depending on the local authority
- H M Land Registry fee – This is set by the Land Registry according to the purchase price. This can range from £20 to just over £1000. See Land Registry fee scale on their website for their latest pricing.
- Electronic money transfer fee – £35
- Value Added Tax (VAT) – we will add VAT to our charges at the rate which applies when the work is done. VAT is currently 20%, but note that the estimates above include VAT.
Stamp Duty Land Tax
This depends on the purchase price of the property, and the rate set by government.
| Purchase Price | Stamp Duty % | Additional Property Rate |
| £0 – £125,000 | 0% | 5% |
| £125,000 – £250,000 | 2% | 7% |
| £250,000 – £925,000 | 5% | 10% |
| £925,000 – £1,500,000 | 10% | 15% |
| £1,500,000+ | 12% | 17% |
Example:
If you’re buying your next house for £300,000, you’ll pay:
- Nothing on the portion up to £125,000
- 2% on the portion between £125,001 and £250,000 and
- 5% on the remaining £50,000
You can calculate the amount you will need to pay by using HMRC’s website.
How long will my house purchase take?
This is dependent on a number of factors but the average process takes between 14-18 weeks. It can be quicker or slower, depending on the other parties in the chain.
The chain can only move as fast as the slowest person in it. For example, if you’re a first time buyer purchasing a new build property which is ready to move into with a mortgage in principle, it could take six weeks.
However, if you are in a chain of transactions with a new build at the end of the chain which is not physically complete, this can take substantially longer.
When will I have to pay?
It’s common for conveyancing solicitors to ask for a payment on account: a deposit up-front, in other words.
However, we won’t charge you the full amount right away.
In general, we’ll ask for a payment on account of between £250 and £500 on a sale transaction and between £500 and £1,000 on a purchase transaction. The exact amount will depend on the circumstances – we’ll let you know once we’ve given you a quote.
When you're buying or selling a freehold property, we'll explain our conveyancing costs clearly.
