Conveyancing Fees

How much does a solicitor charge for buying a house?

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Our fees and disbursements for buying a freehold property

Our fixed fees cover all of the work required when buying a freehold property, including dealing with registration at the Land Registry and dealing with the payment of Stamp Duty Land Tax if the property is in England, or Land Transaction Tax (Land Tax) if the property you wish to buy is in Wales.

Legal fee:

Our fees will depend on the value of the freehold property you are purchasing and will range from £950.00 to £2,850.00 plus VAT*

Search fees:

Land Registry Priority Search fee – £3.60

Bankruptcy Search fee (if obtaining a mortgage) – £2.40 per name

Search fees (includes Local Authority, drainage, environmental, Chancel, flood and planning searches) – £450.00 approximately

HM Land Registry fee:

This mandatory cost is set by the Land Registry and depends on the value of the freehold property you are purchasing. The fee will range from £20.00 to £910.00.

Electronic Money Transfer fee:

£18 plus VAT per payment.

VAT:

You will only pay VAT on our legal fees and the cost to make an electronic money transfer.

Referral fees

For some transactions, we do pay referral fees. The amount of any referral fee will be disclosed to you at the commencement of the transaction. To be clear, these referral fees are paid by us to third parties and not by you.

*Our fee assumes that:
Your property purchase is a standard transaction and that no unforeseen matters arise including for example (but not limited to) a defect in title which requires remedying prior to completion or the preparation of additional documents ancillary to the main transaction. The maximum fee shown is for a purchase price of a freehold property between £1,400,000.00 and £1,500,000.00. Please contact us for a quote if the purchase price is above £1,500,000.00

Our fees and disbursements when buying a leasehold property

Legal fees:

Our fees will depend on the value of the leasehold purchase and will range from £950.00 to £2,895.00 plus VAT*

Search fees:

Land Registry Priority Search fee – £3.60

Bankruptcy Search fee (if obtaining a mortgage) – £2.40 per name

Search fees (includes Local Authority, drainage, environmental, Chancel, flood and planning searches) – £450.00 approximately

HM Land Registry fee:

This mandatory cost is set by the Land Registry and depends on the value of the leasehold purchase. The fee will range from £20.00 to £910.00.

Electronic Money Transfer fee:

£18 plus VAT per payment.

VAT:

You will only pay VAT on our legal fees and the cost to make an electronic money transfer.

Referral fees:

For some transactions, we do pay referral fees. The amount of any referral fee will be disclosed to you at the commencement of the transaction. To be clear, these referral fees are paid by us to third parties and not by you.

What are disbursements in relation to buying a leasehold property?

These are costs related to your house purchase that are payable to third parties, such as Land Registry fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure there is no delay in your purchase.

When buying a leasehold property, you should be aware that there may be certain additional disbursements which will be out in the individual Lease relating to the property.

The additional disbursements which we anticipate may possibly apply are set out below. Your property lawyer will update you on additional disbursements fees that you may incur upon receipt and review of the Lease from the Seller’s lawyer.

  1. Notice of Transfer.
  2. Notice of Charge fee – This fee applies if the property is to be mortgaged.
  3. Deed of Covenant fee.
  4. Certificate of Compliance fee.

You should also be aware that 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 we receive this information.

*Our fee assumes that:

This is the standard transaction and no unforeseen matters arise including for example (but not limited to) a defect in title which requires remedying prior to completion or the preparation of additional documents ancillary to the main transaction. The maximum fee shown is for a purchase price of a leasehold property between £1,400,000.00 and £1,500,000.00. Please contact us for a quote if the purchase price is above £1,500,000.00

  1. This is the assignment of an existing Lease and is not the grant of a new Lease.
  2. The transaction is concluded in a timely manner and no unforeseen complication arise.
  3. All parties to the transaction are co-operative, and there is no unreasonable delay from third parties providing documentation.
  4. No indemnity policies are required. Additional disbursements may apply if indemnity policies are required.

Our legal fees for selling a house

Our fees will depend on the value when selling a property and whether its freehold or leasehold and will range from £950.00 to £2,225.00 plus VAT*

Sale disbursements:

VAT:
You will only pay VAT on our legal fees and the cost to make an electronic money transfer.

Referral fees:
For some transactions, we do pay referral fees. The amount of any referral fee will be disclosed to you at the commencement of the transaction. To be clear, these referral fees are paid by us to third parties and not by you.

What are disbursements related to selling a property?
These are costs related to your house or flat sale purchase that are payable to third parties, such as Land Registry fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure there is no delay in your sale.

We will redeem a mortgage registered against selling a property in completion of the sale. We will be able to provide you with a figure for the redemption amount once you have instructed us to act for you.

Please contact your estate agent to confirm the fees that you have agreed to pay them. Normally we will pay the estate agents fees out of the proceeds of sale on completion of the transaction.

Typical sale timescales and key stages
The timing of your conveyance will depend on a number of factors but, on average, a residential property sale takes 4 to 8 weeks. If you are in a chain, the timing of your transaction is likely to need to coincide with the other parties in that chain.

Selling a house process

Key stages of the sale process are typically:

  • Receive your instructions, identification and other necessary details
  • Prepare and send sale documentation pack for buyer’s solicitor
  • Apply and supply assignment/management pack (leaseholds only)
  • Initial contact with lender (if redemption of mortgage is involved)
  • Respond to enquiries by buyer’s solicitor
  • Finalise contract for signature & confirm the completion date
  • Exchange contracts
  • Complete sale, redeem mortgage(s) and transfer proceeds of sale as necessary

*Our fee assumes that:
Your property sale is a standard transaction and that no unforeseen matters arise including for example (but not limited to) a defect in title which requires remedying prior to completion or the preparation of additional documents ancillary to the main transaction. The maximum fee shown is for a sale price of a leasehold property between £1,400,000.00 and £1,500,000.00. Please contact us for a quote if the purchase price is above £1,500,000.00

Remortgage solicitor fees

Our remortgage solicitor fees for the remortgage of a property are £995.00 plus VAT*

Search fees:

Land Registry Priority Search fee – £3.60
Bankruptcy Search fee – £2.40 per name
Search fees (includes Local Authority, drainage, environmental, Chancel, flood and planning searches) – £450.00 approximately. Note however that some lenders will accept no search indemnity insurance which is considerably cheaper and quicker to obtain. Once we have instructions from you to act in the remortgage, we will check whether it is possible to obtain search indemnity insurance.

HM Land Registry fee:

This mandatory cost is set by the Land Registry and depends on the value of the property you are re-mortgaging. The fee will range from £20.00 to £910.00.

Electronic Money Transfer fee:

£18 plus VAT per payment.

HM Land Registry Official Copies of the title:

£3.00 per copy

Landlord’s registration fee for notice of mortgage (leaseholds only):

£100 + VAT where applicable

These disbursements can vary widely and we will notify you of the charge as soon as possible during the course of your remortgage.

VAT:

You will only pay VAT on our legal fees and the cost to make an electronic money transfer.

Referral fees:

For some transactions, we do pay referral fees. The amount of any referral fee will be disclosed to you at the commencement of the transaction. To be clear, these referral fees are paid by us to third parties and not by you.

*Our remortgage solicitor fee assumes that:
Your re-mortgage is a standard transaction and no unforeseen matters arise including for example (but not limited to) a defect in title which requires remedying prior to completion or the preparation of additional documents ancillary to the main transaction. The maximum fee shown is for the value of a freehold property between £1,400,000.00 and £1,500,000.00. Please contact us for a quote if the purchase price is above £1,500,000.00

  • I've recently used Osbornes for my home purchase and an equity transfer. Rachael was fantastic all the way through, keeping me informed and up to speed as to the purchase progress.

    Nicky I, Google Review

  • We hope not to move again for a long time, but when we do we will choose Osbornes for the conveyancing. Thank you.

    Mike B, Trustpilot

  • Buying and selling a house can often be a challenging process, but communication and service I received from Osbornes was second to none. I would recommend them without hesitation - 5 stars

    Michelle B, Trustpilot

  • I have used Osbornes a few times and I’m really happy with the service provided. They provide a very professional, polite and efficient service and I would highly recommend them.

    Sam, Trustpilot

  • Osbornes team was great with the sale of our property, everything went smoothly and very responsive

    Rachel, Trustpilot

  • Osbornes are really thorough, professional & friendly. They were aware of the need for haste in my sale & they did everything they could to achieve the results of completing before the end of the SDLT holiday.

    Laurence H, Trustpilot

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    What are disbursements?

    These are costs related to your house purchase that are payable to third parties, such as Land Registry fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure there is no delay in your purchase.

    When buying a leasehold property, you should be aware that there may be certain additional disbursements which will be out in the individual Lease relating to the property.

    The additional disbursements which we anticipate may possibly apply are set out below. Your property lawyer will update you on additional disbursements fees that you may incur upon receipt and review of the Lease from the Seller’s lawyer.

    1. Notice of Transfer.
    2. Notice of Charge fee – This fee applies if the property is to be mortgaged.
    3. Deed of Covenant fee.
    4. Certificate of Compliance fee.

    You should also be aware that 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 we receive this information.

    Will I have to pay Stamp Duty and Land Tax?

    The rate of Stamp Duty or Land Tax that you will pay will depend on the purchase price of your property, and your property lawyer will advise you of what this is. There is also a tax relief if you are a first time buyer and again, your property lawyer will provide you with full information.

    You can calculate the amount of stamp duty you will need to pay using the HMRC calculator

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