Guide to our Conveyancing Fees

GUIDE TO OUR CONVEYANCING FEES

The following information provides guidance on our fees in dealing with house sales and purchases. Each matter is different in relation to price, whether it is a sale or purchase or linked transactions and freehold or leasehold (many older houses in Oldham are subject to long leases from the late 1800s). Our fees are based on the value of the property. A detailed personalised quotation of our fees can be obtained by calling us on 0161 626 5686 or emailing using the contact form.

Who will carry out the conveyancing work
Fiona Goode is Head of conveyancing, a qualified solicitor with nearly 40 years of experience in dealing with the buying and selling of property and the solicitor who will supervise your transaction. Saher Iftikhar will carry out most of the day to day work on your transaction. She joined the firm in November 2023 and has over 6 years conveyancing experience, dealing with all aspects of residential conveyancing including liaising with clients, drafting contracts, raising enquiries, exchanging contracts and completing your transaction and well as keeping both you, the estate agents and any mortgage company fully up to date with the progress on your transaction.

Basis of our charges
For the purchase and sale of residential property we charge a fixed fee which is based on the value of the property being sold or purchased. This fixed fee covers all the work required to complete the sale or purchase of your new home. The amount of the fixed fee will depend upon the sale or purchase price of the property. This fee includes acting on behalf of your mortgage company, provided we are on their panel and able to act for the mortgage company as well as yourself.

These fixed fees assume that:
This is a standard transaction and that no unforeseen matters arise including (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 transaction is concluded in a timely manner and no unforeseen complications arise
All parties to the transaction are co-operative and there is no unreasonable delay from third parties providing documentation
No indemnity policies are required. Additional disbursements may apply if indemnity policies are required.
For more information about possible additional work please see the section headed factors which are likely to increase the cost of our service.

A note on value added tax (VAT)
All the figures given below indicate where appropriate that VAT will be charged and the amount of VAT payable is shown. VAT is charged at 20% and all references to VAT whether on our legal charges or any disbursements (payments to third parties) has been calculated at this current rate of VAT at 20%

Our fixed legal fees for carrying out the legal work on a purchase range between £600 – £1,200 plus VAT (£600 plus £120 VAT and £1,200 plus £240 VAT) which amounts to £720-£1,440 including VAT. This does not include any disbursements which would be payable and we have set out full details of these below.

We charge an additional fixed fee if the property being purchased is a leasehold flat or flat in a converted house of £150 plus VAT of £30 making at total additional fixed fee of £180.

If the property you are purchasing is a new build property we would charge an additional fixed fee of £300 plus VAT of £60 making a total additional fixed fee of £360.

Our fixed legal fees for carrying out the above work on a sale range between £550 – £1,200 plus VAT (£550 plus £110 VAT and £1,200 plus £240 VAT) which amounts to £660-£1,440 including VAT. This does not include any disbursements which would be payable and we have set out full details of these and the work involved below.

We charge an additional fixed fee if the property being sold is a leasehold flat or flat in a converted house of £150 plus VAT of £30 making at total additional fixed fee of £180.

Additional costs
We charge an additional fixed fee if the property being purchased is a leasehold flat or flat in a converted house of £150 plus VAT of £30 making at total additional fixed fee of £180.

If the property you are purchasing is a new build property we would charge an additional fixed fee of £300 plus VAT of £60 making a total additional fixed fee of £360.

We charge an additional fixed fee if the property being sold is a leasehold flat or flat in a converted house of £150 plus VAT of £30 making at total additional fixed fee of £180.

Factors which are likely to increase the cost of our service include: –

The legal title is defective or part of the property is unregistered
If part of the property (sometimes part of the garden) does not actually belong to the seller
If building regulations or planning permissions have not been obtained
If crucial documents are not provided or are missing including copies of a lease, Fensa certificates, guarantees or consents to work
Additional disbursements may apply if indemnity policies are required
There are additional documents to prepare (for example a declaration of trust)
Unforeseen complications arise
Our fees assume all parties to the transaction are co-operative and there is no unreasonable delay from third parties providing documentation

This additional work is charged on a time basis at £150 plus VAT of £30 (£180 including VAT) per hour. We will provide full details before undertaking this additional work.

Purchase of a freehold residential property
Our legal fees cover all of the work (assuming there are no complicating factors) required to complete the purchase of your new home, including acting on behalf of any mortgage company who instruct us to represent them as well as yourself, including dealing with the 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. The amount of stamp duty which will be payable can be calculated using the government online calculator.

Our fixed legal fees for all the work (assuming there are no complicating factors indicated above) are based upon the value of the property being purchased and the fees will vary depending upon the price of the property. Our legal fees for carrying out the above work on a purchase range between £600 – £1,200 plus VAT (£600 plus £120 VAT and £1,200 plus £240 VAT) which amounts to £720-£1,440 including VAT.

On our average purchase price of £190,000 our average cost for our legal work is £700 plus VAT (£700 plus £140 VAT totalling £840). In addition disbursements would be payable.

If the property is a leasehold house then our fees will include notifying the landlord or their agents of your purchase, (although not their fees which are set out separately below).

If you are purchasing a new build property, we will charge an additional £300 plus £60 VAT (£360 including VAT) to cover the additional legal work required.

EXAMPLE:
Based on our average purchase price of £190,000 our fixed conveyancing fees and disbursements for the purchase of a freehold house for £190,000 (not a new build) would be:

Conveyancer’s fees
Our Legal fees £700.00
VAT on our legal fees £140.00

Our fees for electronic
Money transfer £30.00
VAT on money transfer £6.00
Sub total: £876.00

Disbursements
Search fees: £161.66* if in Oldham – other areas may vary
VAT on search fees: £32.34
Pre-completion searches: £7.00
VAT on searches: £1.40
Land registry fee :£100.00
Sub total: £302.40

ESTIMATED TOTAL (including VAT): £1,178.40 (excluding Stamp Duty or Land Tax – see below)

Disbursements on a purchase
Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, including land registry fees and stamp duty. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

Search fees
Search fees are disbursements you will need to pay and include a local authority search (to check on any planning permissions, charges affecting the property, liability in relation to roadways, conservation areas or tree preservation orders), a mining search to see if there are any past or future coal mining works or mine shafts which may affect the property, an environmental search (looking at the past uses of the land to check for risk contamination) and a water authority and drainage search (which looks at the details of the mains water supply and drainage).

These fees are payable in addition to our legal fees. Local authority, mining, environmental and water searches in the Oldham MBC area currently cost £194 including VAT (being £161.66 plus VAT of £32.34) but maybe more if your lender does not accept personal searches of the local authority or if you are buying in a different local authority area.

We also will carry out a land registry search shortly before completion of your purchase and bankruptcy searches on behalf of your mortgage provider. These are normally £7 plus VAT of £1.40 (£8.40 including VAT).

Land registration fees
The amount of the land registry fee depends upon the purchase price. No VAT is payable on the registration fee. You can calculate the amount you need to pay by using the Land Registry Calculator. https://fee-calculator.landregistry.gov.uk/

Stamp duty or Land Tax (on purchase)
This depends on the purchase price, whether you are first time buyers or own more than one property. You can calculate the amount you will need to pay by using the HMRC calculator on the HMRC’s website https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/calculate-stamp-duty-land-tax/#!/intro or if the property is located in Wales by using the Welsh Revenue Authority’s website https://www.gov.wales/land-transaction-tax-calculator

On our average purchase price of £190,000 for a residential property there would not be any stamp duty payable provided following the purchase you will only own one property and the purchase is in England.

The grand total legal fees and disbursements would be £1,178.40 (plus stamp duty if applicable to your transaction)

The price shown includes us acting for you in the following key stages in the purchase of residential property
The key stages include:

Take your instructions and give you initial advice
Check finances are in place to fund the purchase and contact lender’s solicitors if needed
Carry out initial AML (anti-money laundering) checks including seeing your passport and / or driving licence and completing an online AML check.
Receive and advise on contract documents
Carry out searches
Obtain further planning documents if required
Make any necessary enquiries of the seller’s solicitor
Give you advice on all documents and information received
Go through conditions of mortgage offer with you
Arrange to see you to go through the contract and supporting documents
Arrange for you to sign the contract
Draft transfer
Advise you on joint ownership
Obtain pre-completion searches
Agree completion date (this is the date from which you own the property and receive the keys and the purchase price is paid to the seller’s solicitor)
Exchange contracts and notify you that this has happened
Arrange for all monies needed to be received from lender and you
Complete the purchase
Deal with the submission of the stamp duty return and payment of Stamp Duty / Land Tax
Deal with application for registration at Land Registry

Purchase of a Leasehold residential property
If you are buying a leasehold house we charge the same fees as for a freehold house although there may be additional disbursements, including the Landlords notice of transfer or charge fee, which will be payable by you.

On the purchase of a leasehold house the additional anticipated disbursements* may include:

Notice of transfer fee – this fee if chargeable is set out in the lease. Often the fee is between £0 and £250 (VAT at 20% may be charged by the landlord)
Notice of Charge fee (if the property is to be mortgaged) – this fee if chargeable is set out in the lease. Often the fee is between £0 and £250 (VAT at 20% may be charged by the landlord)
Deed of covenant fee. This fee is provided by the management company for the property (normally when you are buying a flat) and can be difficult to estimate, but often it is between £250 and £300 (VAT at 20% may be charged by the landlord).
Certificate of compliance fee. This will be confirmed upon receipt of the lease and information from the managing agents or landlord but can range between £180 – £300 (VAT at 20% may be charged by the landlord)

*These fees vary from property to property and can on occasion be significantly more than the ranges given above. We can give you an accurate figure once we have sight of your specific documents

Based on the purchase of a leasehold house for £190,000 the grand total of legal fees and disbursements will be £1,778.40

Purchase of a leasehold flat
Our fees cover all the work required to compete the purchase of your new home, including acting on behalf of any mortgage company who instruct us to represent them as well as yourself, 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 is in Wales.

Our legal fees for all the work (assuming there are no complicating factors indicated above) are based upon the value of the property being purchased and the fees will vary depending upon the price of the property. Our legal fees for carrying out the above work on a purchase of a leasehold flat range between £750 – £1,350 plus VAT (£750 plus £150 VAT and £1,350 plus £270 VAT) which amounts to £900-£1,620 including VAT.

On our average purchase price of £190,000 our average cost for our legal work to buy a leasehold flat is £850 plus VAT (£850 plus £170 VAT totalling £1,020). In addition disbursements would be payable.

EXAMPLE:
Based on our average purchase price of £190,000 our conveyancing fees and disbursements for the purchase of a leasehold flat for £190,000 (not a new build) would be:

Conveyancer’s fees
Our Legal fees: £850.00
VAT on our legal fees: £170.00

Our fees for electronic
Money transfer: £30.00
VAT on money transfer: £6.00
Sub total: £1,056.00

Disbursements
Search fees: £161.66 * if in Oldham – other areas may vary
VAT on search fees: £32.34
Pre-completion searches: £7.00
VAT on searches: £1.40
Land registry fee: £100.00
Sub total: £302.40

ESTIMATED TOTAL (including VAT): £1,358.40 (excluding Stamp Duty or Land Tax – see below)
(excluding some disbursements see below)

Disbursements
Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as search fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process. There are certain disbursements which will be set out in the individual lease relating to the Property. The disbursements which we anticipate will apply are set out separately below. This list is not exhaustive and other disbursements may apply depending on the term of the lease. We will update you on the specific fees upon receipt and review of the lease from the seller’s solicitors.

We have included search fees and land registration fees above.

Other additional anticipated disbursements* may include:

Notice of transfer fee – this fee if chargeable is set out in the lease. Often the fee is between £0 and £250 (VAT at 20% may be charged by the landlord)
Notice of Charge fee (if the property is to be mortgaged) – this fee if chargeable is set out in the lease. Often the fee is between £0 and £250 (VAT at 20% may be charged by the landlord)
Deed of covenant fee. This fee is provided by the management company for the property (normally when you are buying a flat) and can be difficult to estimate, but often it is between £250 and £300 (VAT at 20% may be charged by the landlord) .
Certificate of compliance fee. This will be confirmed upon receipt of the lease and information from the managing agents or landlord but can range between £180 – £300 (VAT at 20% may be charged by the landlord)

*These fees vary from property to property and can on occasion be significantly more than the ranges given above. We can give you an accurate figure once we have sight of your specific documents.

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.

Stamp duty may be payable. This depends on the purchase price, whether you are first time buyers or own more than one property. You can calculate the amount you will need to pay by using the HMRC calculator on the HMRC’s website https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/calculate-stamp-duty-land-tax/#!/intro or if the property is located in Wales by using the Welsh Revenue Authority’s website https://www.gov.wales/land-transaction-tax-calculator

Based on the purchase of a leasehold flat for £190,000 shown in the example above the grand total is £2,558.40.

The price shown includes us acting for you in the following key stages in the purchase of leasehold residential property:
The key stages include:

Take your instructions and give you initial advice
Check finances are in place to fund the purchase and contact lender’s solicitors if needed
Carry out initial AML (anti-money laundering) checks including seeing your passport and / or driving licence and completing an online AML check.
Receive and advise on contract documents
Carry out searches
Obtain further planning documents if required
Make any necessary enquiries of the seller’s solicitor
If leasehold obtain information in relation to the lease, service charge and payment of the ground rent and advise you of any additional fees that will be payable.
Give you advice on all documents and information received
Go through conditions of mortgage offer with you
Arrange to see you to go through the contract and supporting documents
Arrange for you to sign the contract
Draft transfer
Advise you on joint ownership
Obtain pre-completion searches
Agree completion date (this is the date from which you own the property and receive the keys and the purchase price is paid to the seller’s solicitor)
Exchange contracts and notify you that this has happened
Arrange for all monies needed to be received from lender and you
Complete the purchase
Deal with the submission of the stamp duty return and payment of Stamp Duty / Land Tax
Deal with application for registration at Land Registry
Serve notice of transfer and mortgage on the landlord if leasehold property.

Sale of freehold or leasehold residential property
Our legal fees cover all the work (assuming there are no complicating factors) required to complete the sale of your house, including drafting the contract, liaising with you to answer the preliminary enquiries, dealing with exchange of contracts and completion including redemption of any mortgage or legal charges secured against the property.

If you sell a leasehold flat, or converted flat, we will charge an additional fixed fee of £150 plus VAT of £30 making a total of £180 (including VAT) to cover the additional enquiries which we will need to make of the managing agents and landlord, whose fees will also be payable in addition to our fees.

Our fixed legal fees for all the work (assuming there are no complicating factors indicated above) are based upon the value of the property being sold and the fees will vary depending upon the price of the property. Our fixed legal fees for carrying out the above work on a sale range between £550 – £1,200 plus VAT (£550 plus £110 VAT and £1,200 plus £240 VAT) which amounts to £660-£1,440 including VAT.

On our average sale price of £190,000 our average cost for our legal work is £650 plus VAT (£650 plus £130 VAT totalling £780). In addition disbursements would be payable.

EXAMPLE:
Based on our average sale price of £190,000 our conveyancing fees and disbursements for the sale of a freehold house for £190,000 would be:

Conveyancer’s fees
Our Legal fees: £650.00
VAT on our legal fees: £130.00

Our fees for electronic
Money transfer: £30.00
VAT on money transfer: £6.00
Sub total: £816.00

Disbursements
Copies: £6.00
VAT on office copies :£1.20

ESTIMATED TOTAL: £823.20
The main disbursements on a sale are land registry office copy fees. The fee for one copy of the land register and plan is £6 plus VAT of £1.20 (£7.20 including VAT). Additional documents, for example copy lease or transfer held by the land registry cost £3 plus VAT of £0.60 (£3.60 including VAT) each. If the property is leasehold we will need to obtain office copies of any superior title and the freehold title as well as copy leases.

Fensa certificate (for replacement windows) cost £25 including vat (£20.84 plus VAT of £4.16) if you have not retained these.

Indemnity insurance may be requested by the buyer to cover missing documents or lack building regulation approval. Details will be provided should these be required as they depend upon the risk being insured against and the value of the property.

If you sell a leasehold property you will be responsible for obtaining a leasehold resale pack from the landlord and/or management company which provides necessary information for the buyer. The charges for this are fixed by the landlord and/or management company but you should budget for £250 – £500 (excluding VAT and some landlords will charge VAT which would be £50-£100) giving an estimated cost of £300-£600 including VAT for each pack required, and in some transactions you may need a separate pack from the landlord and management company.

Including the above disbursements the estimated grand total of our costs on the sale of a freehold house may be £824.

The estimated grand total of your costs on the sale of a leasehold flat may be £1,604 – £2,204 depending on the fees charged by the management company and/or landlord.

The price shown above includes us acting for you in the following key stages involved in the sale of residential property

The key stages include:
Take your instructions and give you initial advice
Carry out initial AML (anti-money laundering) checks including seeing your passport and / or driving licence and completing an online AML check.
Send you property information form and fittings and contents form to complete to provide information to the buyer about the property. If you hold the title deeds these should be supplied to us at this stage.
Draft the contract documents
Reply to any necessary enquiries raised by the buyer’s solicitor
If leasehold obtain information in relation to the lease, service charge and payment of the ground rent and advise you of any additional fees that will be payable.
Arrange for you to sign the contract and transfer deed
Agree completion date (this is the date when you need to move out of the property and we will receive the sale money from the buyer’s solicitor)
Obtain up to date redemption figure from your mortgage company
Exchange contracts and notify you that this has happened
Complete the sale and arrange for the keys to be released to the buyer
Notify you of completion and forward to you the balance of the sale proceeds after repaying any mortgage secured against the property and paying estate agents and legal fees
The transfer deed and any other title deeds are sent to the buyers solicitor.

How long will my house sale or purchase take?
How long it will take from your offer being accepted until you can move into your house, or complete your sale, will depend upon a number of factors. The average process takes between 10-16 weeks.

It can be quicker or slower, depending on the parties in the chain. For example, if you are a first-time buyer, purchasing an empty property with a mortgage in principle, it will take less time than a transaction which is part of a chain. Generally, the longer the chain, the longer a transaction will take. We can only proceed to complete as quickly as the slowest party in the chain, as everyone’s transaction will be dependent upon the other transactions.

If you are buying a leasehold property that requires an extension of the lease, this can take significantly longer, between 3-5 months. In such a situation additional charges would apply.

The main causes for a delay in the transaction include: –

A party fails to promptly instruct their conveyancer
A party is slow in providing the necessary ID evidence required by their conveyancer
There is a delay in applying for a mortgage by the buyer
A mortgage company may require further reports and surveys before issuing their offer
A party may go on holiday or be working away
The landlord or management company delays in issuing their replies to the enquiries.

Mortgages and Re-mortgages
We do not charge an additional fee for acting on behalf of a mortgage company when we are also acting for you on the purchase. Our fees for acting for both you and the mortgage company are set out above under the details for the purchase of a freehold house or leasehold flat.

Our fixed fee on a re-mortgage alone (without a linked transfer) would be £380 plus VAT of £76 making a total of £456 including VAT and includes redeeming by bank transfer one mortgage but excluding the search fees and registration fees, which depend on the amount of the mortgage advance.

If there is more than one mortgage to redeem we charge an additional £30 plus VAT of £6 making a total of £36 for each additional mortgage we redeem.

On a re-mortgage with a new mortgage lender we will need to carry out searches including local authority search, mining search, drainage and water search and environmental search. If the property is in Oldham MBC these will be £161.66 plus VAT of £32.34 totalling £194 including VAT (but maybe more if your lender does not accept personal searches of the local authority).

There is a land registry search and bankruptcy search prior to completion. These cost £7 plus VAT of £1.40 making a total of £8.40 including VAT.

Conveyancer’s fees
Our Legal fees: £380.00
VAT on our legal fees: £76.00
Subtotal: £456

Disbursements
Search fees £161.66 * if in Oldham – other areas may vary
VAT on search fees £32.34
Pre-completion searches £7.00
VAT on searches £1.40
Subtotal: £202.40

Estimated total (excluding Land registration fee) £658.40

There will be a land registry registration fee (which is not subject to VAT) which will depend upon the amount of your re-mortgage. More information on the amount of land registration fees can be found at https://fee-calculator.landregistry.gov.uk/

The price shown includes us acting for you in the following key stages in the remortgage of a residential property:
The key stages include:

Take your instructions and give you initial advice
Carry out initial AML (anti-money laundering) checks including seeing your passport and / or driving licence and completing an online AML check.
Receive the new mortgage offer
Carry out searches
Go through conditions of mortgage offer with you
Arrange for you to sign the mortgage
Complete the remortgage
Pay off your original mortgage and account to you for any balance due to you from the remortgage
Deal with application for registration at Land Registry

Stages involved in the purchase of residential property
The precise stages involved in the purchase of a residential freehold or leasehold property vary according to the circumstances. However the key stages include:

Take your instructions and give you initial advice
Check finances are in place to fund the purchase and contact lender’s solicitors if needed
Carry out initial AML (anti-money laundering) checks including seeing your passport and / or driving licence and completing an online AML check.
Receive and advise on contract documents
Carry out searches
Obtain further planning documents if required
Make any necessary enquiries of the seller’s solicitor
If leasehold obtain information in relation to the lease, service charge and payment of the ground rent and advise you of any additional fees that will be payable.
Give you advice on all documents and information received
Go through conditions of mortgage offer with you
Arrange to see you to go through the contract and supporting documents
Arrange for you to sign the contract
Draft transfer
Advise you on joint ownership
Obtain pre-completion searches
Agree completion date (this is the date from which you own the property and receive the keys and the purchase price is paid to the seller’s solicitor)
Exchange contracts and notify you that this has happened
Arrange for all monies needed to be received from lender and you
Complete the purchase
Deal with the submission of the stamp duty return and payment of Stamp Duty / Land Tax
Deal with application for registration at Land Registry
Serve notice of transfer and mortgage on the landlord if leasehold property.

Stages involved in the sale of residential property
The precise stages involved in the sale of a residential freehold or leasehold property vary according to the circumstances. However the key stages include:

Take your instructions and give you initial advice
Carry out initial AML (anti-money laundering) checks including seeing your passport and / or driving licence and completing an online AML check.
Send you property information form and fittings and contents form to complete to provide information to the buyer about the property. If you hold the title deeds these should be supplied to us at this stage.
Draft the contract documents
Reply to any necessary enquiries raised by the buyer’s solicitor
If leasehold obtain information in relation to the lease, service charge and payment of the ground rent and advise you of any additional fees that will be payable.
Arrange for you to sign the contract and transfer deed
Agree completion date (this is the date when you need to move out of the property and we will receive the sale money from the buyer’s solicitor)
Obtain up to date redemption figure from your mortgage company
Exchange contracts and notify you that this has happened
Complete the sale
Pay the amount required to repay your mortgage to your mortgage company
Notify any estate agents of completion so the keys can be released to the buyer
Pay estate agents fees and account to you for the balance

0161 626 5686

Guide to our Conveyancing Fees

GUIDE TO OUR CONVEYANCING FEES

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