Conveyancing Price Transparency
1. Generally.
1.1 All matters are handled personally from start to finish by our partner Catrin Owen, who has 35 years’ conveyancing experience.
1.2 We do not pay referral fees to estate agents or any third parties.
1.3 Your legal fees will be comprised of our conveyancer’s fees (our fee for work done and time spent on your matter), plus Vat thereon at 20% and disbursements.
1.4 Our conveyancer’s fees cover all of our work and time required to complete your transaction, from initial enquiries to preparing and checking legal documents, dealing with pre-contract enquiries, exchanging contracts, handling legal completion and, where applicable, meeting all your lender’s requirements and registering your new legal title at the Land Registry.
1.5 Disbursements are sums payable to third parties on your behalf essential to proceed with and complete your transaction. We handle the payment on your behalf.
1.6 All fees assume that your transaction is routine and that;
1.6.1 No unforeseen issues arise including, for example, a defect in title which we are required to remedy or the preparation of additional documents ancillary to your main transaction.
1.6.2 Your transaction is concluded in a timely manner and no unforeseen complications arise.
1.6.3 All parties are co-operative and there is no unreasonable delay by the other side or any third parties.
1.6.4 No defective title indemnity insurance policy is required. This is unusual but not unheard of and we would advise further if and when the need arose.
1.6.5 The property is not a newly-built property being sold by the developer/builder.
1.6.6 The legal title to the property is registered at the Land Registry.
1.6.7 The legal title to the property is freehold, not leasehold.
1.6.8 There are no issues with missing or breached planning permissions or building regulations approvals.
1.6.9 You do not require a help-to-buy mortgage or the proceeds of a help-to-buy ISA.
1.6.10 The information provided here is indicative only. In all cases, we shall provide you with our client-care letter/Ts & Cs tailored to your individual circumstances, and the information provided here should be read accordingly.
2. Sale of freehold residential property.
2.1 Our conveyancer’s fees will depend on the value of the property being sold, as follows.
| Property value | Conveyancer’s fees |
| £0 -150k | £595 |
| £150- 200k | £695 |
| £200- 250k | £895 |
| £300-400K | £1,150 |
| £400-500K | £1,250 |
| £500-750K | £1,500 |
For properties worth in excess on £750k, please enquire.
2.2 VAT is payable at 20% on our above conveyancer’s fee.
2.3 Typical disbursements on a residential sale are as follows;
| Description | £ Amount |
| Land Registry office copy entries of your legal title | £6 |
| Energy Performance Certificate | £50-£150 |
| Telegraphic transfer fee (per transfer) | £36 |
| Credas Anti-money laundering/ identity checks- per person | £14.95 |
3. Purchase of a freehold residential property
3.1 Our conveyancer’s fees will depend on the value of the property being sold, as follows.
| Property value | Conveyancer’s fees |
| £0 -150k | £695 |
| £150- 200k | £795 |
| £200- 250k | £895 |
| £300-400K | £1,150 |
| £400-500K | £1,250 |
| £500-750K | £1,500 |
For properties worth in excess on £750k, please enquire.
3.2 Vat is payable at 20% on our above conveyancer’s fee.
3.3 Typical disbursements on a residential purchase are as follows.
| Description | £ Amount |
| Land Registry search fee per legal title | £3 |
| Bankruptcy search fee (per name searched) | £2 |
| Local authority search fees | £216.20 in Caerphilly (prices vary for other locations) |
| Coal Mining Search- if required | |
| Brine search or Flooding report- if required | Cost varies |
| Telegraphic transfer fee (per transfer) | £36 |
| Credas Anti-money laundering/ identity checks- per person | £14.95 |
| Land Registry fee to register legal title in your name | HM Land Registry fee generally based on the price of the property |
| Land Tax or Stamp Duty | You can calculate the amount payable by visiting the Welsh Revenue Authority’s website here or HMRC’s website depending on location. |
3.4 Our conveyancer’s fee includes dealing with the payment of Land Transaction Tax (Land Tax) if the property you wish to buy is in Wales, or Stamp Duty Land Tax (Stamp Duty) if the property is in England.
4. Sale or purchase of residential leaseholds.
4.1 Our conveyancer’s fees will depend on the value of the property being sold or purchased, as follows.
| Property value | Conveyancer’s fees |
| £0 -150k | £895 |
| £150- 200k | £995 |
| £200- 750k | £1,250 |
For properties worth in excess on £750k, please enquire.
4.2 Vat is payable at 20% on our above conveyancer’s fee.
4.3 In addition to the disbursements indicated above in typical freehold sales and purchases (paragraphs 2.3 and 3.3 refer respectively) the following disbursements may arise in the case of the sale and/or purchase of leaseholds. This list is not exhaustive and other disbursements may apply depending on the term of the lease. We shall advise on the specific fees upon receipt and review of the lease and details from your freeholder and/ or management company.
| Description | £ Amount |
| Freehold management pack. Payable to Freeholder for providing the relevant information required to sell the property. | Typically, £250-300. |
| Management Company pack. Payable to Management Company for providing the relevant information required to sell the property. | Typically, £250-300 |
| Deed of Covenant fee. Payable to Freeholder and/or Management Company if they require a Deed of covenant prepared by themselves. | Typically, £100-150. |
| Licence to Assign fee. Payable to Freeholder and/or Management Company if the Lease requires a licence to assign the lease to your buyer. | Typically, £100-150. |
| Notice of Transfer fee. If this fee if chargeable per the lease the price may be determined by the Freeholder and/or Management Company. | Typically, £50-150. |
| Notice of Charge fee (if the property is to be mortgaged). If this fee if chargeable per the lease the price may be determined by the Freeholder and/or Management Company. | Typically, £50-150. |
| Certificate of Compliance fee. If this fee if chargeable per the lease the price may be determined by the Freeholder and/or Management Company. | Typically, £50-250. |
4.4 We shall ensure that all and any ground rent and/or service charges are paid up to date on completion. We shall attend to any apportionment of payment of any ground rent and/or service charges.
4.5 The above fee indication assumes that we are dealing with the assignment of an existing lease and is not the grant of a new lease.
Probate Price Transparency
Our Service
We deal with every aspect of estate administration from start to finish. We offer a free initial consultation. This provides an opportunity to understand the estate so that we may tailor our service to suit you.
When you instruct us, a typical estate administration involves the following in order.
- Conduct anti-money laundering and ID checks on executors and beneficiaries.
- Value the Estate and prepare draft Estate Account.
- Place statutory notice in London Gazette (protects executors against unexpected claims from creditors).
- Determine whether inheritance tax (IHT) payable. If so, prepare and submit IHT return to HMRC. Obtain HMRC’s approval of IHT submission. Discharge agreed IHT.
- Apply for and obtain either Grant of Probate (Will) or Letters of Administration (no Will).
- Send certified copies of the Grant to financial institutions and collect in estate monies. Complete the sale or transfer of any land or property. Pay debts and fixed money gifts to beneficiaries. Check on any moneys due to or from the DWP.
- Finalise Estate Account. Arrange for executors to approve and sign off.
- Obtain residuary beneficiaries’ agreement to approved Estate Account and distribute balance to residuary beneficiaries.
Our Fee
Aside from the free initial consultation, our fee depends on the amount of time expended on your case, based on our hourly rate of £200 plus Vat.
At the outset, we provide our best estimate of likely eventual overall costs based on the information available.
The eventual cost depends on the circumstances of the case. Relatively straightforward administrations tend to cost £1-£2,000 plus VAT, disbursements and any conveyancing (sale or transfer of any land or property) fees.
Certain features may tend to increase the eventual cost, but we would alert you at the outset so there should be no surprises. Those features include;
- IHT to pay.
- Several shareholdings or bank accounts.
- More than one property, or property with unregistered legal title.
- Multiple and/or foreign-based beneficiaries.
- Dispute or disagreement between executors or beneficiaries.
- Estate includes business, shares in private limited company or agricultural assets.
- DWP Recovery From Estates department inquiry into benefits entitlement/recoupment.
Disbursements
These are essential fixed sums which we must pay on your behalf to third parties. The main ones are the probate court fee of £273 (plus £1.50 for additional sealed copy Grants) and about £90 for the London Gazette statutory notice. Please note that conveyancing work attracts separate disbursements too.
How long will it take?
Obtaining the Grant can take anything from 2-6 months, as now explained.
Applications on our solicitors’ dedicated online probate portal (MyHMCTS) for Grants where there is a Will, or in applications by surviving spouses in cases of intestacy (i.e. no Will), tend to be turned around by the central Probate Registry in Harlow within say 4 weeks although service standards can be variable.
Most intestacy applications (i.e. no Will) must be submitted in paper format to the Newcastle Probate Registry. The Newcastle Probate Registry allows itself 4 four months to turn around applications and, regrettably, most are taking this long.
It takes longer to submit applications for Grants in cases where valuing the estate (or any particular asset) is not straightforward or IHT is payable or HMRC approval is required before the Grant is issued.
Once the Grant is issued, collecting in savings and investments usually takes about 2-6 weeks.
The executors may not legally sell or transfer any houses or land unless and until the Grant is issued. However, they may market property and find a buyer. So, even before the Grant is issued we may begin conveyancing work in readiness for anticipated completion the moment the Grant is issued. So we do everything to save time wherever possible.
Once savings and investments have been collected in, property has been sold and debts and legacies have been paid, we prepare the final Estate Account for approval and signature by the executors.
To avoid any issues, the residuary beneficiaries (those entitled to balance of the estate) are invited to agree the approved Estate Account. Once agreed, they are paid out.
Considering the above, and assuming there are no unforeseen difficulties, it may take anything from 4-12 months to complete an estate administration.