Residential Conveyancing
Our fees cover all of the work required to complete your sale or the purchase of your new home. We will inform you if any unforeseen extra work becomes necessary, for example, due to unexpected difficulties or if your requirements or the circumstances significantly change during the matter. We will also inform you in writing of the estimated cost of the extra work before incurring extra costs.
Conveyancing fees vary depending on the price of the property and our fee scale is set out on the chart below. The fees will be subject to VAT.
| Property Price | Fee | VAT | Total |
| Up to £200,000 | £1,250 | £250 | £1,500 |
| £200,001 to £300,000 | £1,500 | £300 | £1,800 |
| £300,001 to £400,000 | £1,700 | £340 | £2,040 |
| £400,001 to £500,000 | £1,950 | £390 | £2,340 |
| £500,001 to £600,000 | £2,500 | £500 | £3,000 |
| £600,001 to £700,000 | £2,500 | £500 | £3,000 |
| £700,001 to £800,000 | £2,000 | £500 | £3,000 |
| £800,001 to £900,000 | £2,500 | £500 | £3,000 |
| £900,001 to £1m | £3,000 | £600 | £3,600 |
Please contact us for the sale and purchase of residential properties where the value of the property exceeds £1m.
| Fee | VAT | Total | |
| Re-mortgage | £750 | £150 | £900 |
| Transfer of Equity | £900 | £180 | £1,080 |
Additional Fees
+ £500 Help to Buy, plus VAT
+ £150 Private Mortgage, plus VAT
+ £300 Leasehold, plus VAT
+ £500 New Build, plus VAT
+ £150 Declaration of Trust, plus VAT
+ £100 Estate with a management company, plus VAT
+ £150 Property subject to an AST, plus VAT
(+£500 Shared Ownership - if unavoidable)
For more complex or unusual matters we may charge an hourly rate, which vary based on the experience of the fee earner and range up to £325.00. The total cost will depend on the amount of time spent on your matter and therefore we cannot say at the outset precisely what the exact amount will be. We will provide you with an estimate based on time spent on similar matters and will not exceed this unless you authorise us to do so.
Disbursements
In addition to our fees, there are disbursements to pay to third parties.
In the sale of a property you will normally have the Land Registry fees for obtaining a copy of the Land Registry title and plan and this usually comes to £6.00 plus VAT unless your property is registered on two titles or we need to obtain extra title documents.
When purchasing a property we strongly advise all buyers to undertake a local authority search and water and drainage search. These searches are mandatory when obtaining a mortgage. Some lenders require an environmental search to be undertaken and we will inform you if this is required.
Local Authority Searches
A local authority search reveals important information about a property, such as planning permissions and building regulation consents, proposals for road schemes, environmental and pollution notices and whether any part of the property is registered as common land or as a town or village green. Local Authority Search Fees differ depending on the location of the property and we will advise you of the specific cost. However, here are examples of fees in the local area:
Westmorland & Furness £140.00 (inc VAT)
Cumberland £163.51 (inc VAT)
Water and Drainage Searches
The replies to drainage and water enquiries show whether a property is connected to the mains water supply and mains drainage. The replies may also show the location of public sewers within the boundary of a property and other such matters that may restrict development.
For properties in this area, searches are undertaken with United Utilities and their fee is £75.99 (inc VAT).
Flood risk Search
A flood risk search gives a high level assessment of the risk to the Property from the four main types of flooding (river, coastal, groundwater and surface water). It is important to know this information before committing to buy a property, as it can affect the value of the Property and the terms of your buildings insurance for Property.
Flood risk searches can vary depending on your area but start from £52.92 (inc VAT)
Environmental Search
An environmental data search can be used to establish the risk of land being contaminated, by collating information from regulatory bodies, floodplain data and a review of current and historic land uses. This type of search is also known as a "desktop search". An environmental data search does not include a site visit or testing of soil or groundwater samples. £81.72 (inc VAT)
Planning Search
A planning report contains important and useful information about all planning activities in the area around a property, plus additional details on school performance indicators, details of footpaths and rights of way and council tax rates. Having the information up front ensures there are no nasty surprises such as a view ruined by a new development which would lower the property's value and reduce the prospective homeowner’s potential enjoyment of their investment. £57.60 (plus VAT)
Mining Searches
A mining search provides details of past, present and future mining activity at a property. The search also indicates if there are mine shafts on the property and whether any mining activities may cause subsidence.
Coal mining: £69.60 (inc VAT)
Gypsum Mining: £85.95 (inc VAT)
Leasehold
If the property is Leasehold there will be the following estimated additional disbursements:-
Notice of Transfer fee is usually between £50.00 - £150.00
Notice of Charge fee is usually between £50.00 - £150.00
Deed of Covenant fee is usually between £50.00 - £150.00
Certificate of Compliance fee is usually between £50.00 - £150.00
These fees vary from property to property and can be on occasion significantly more than the ranges given above. We can give you an accurate figure once we have had sight of your specific documentation. You should also be aware that ground rent and service charge 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
You must pay Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) if you buy a property or land over a certain price in England and Northern Ireland.
If you are purchasing a property in Wales you may be subject to paying Land Transaction Tax, please follow the link to use the government calculator: https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/calculate-stamp-duty-land-tax/#/intro
There are different rules if you’re buying your first home or purchasing a second property. For further information on Stamp Duty Land Tax please use the Inland Revenue calculator at the following link. https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/calculate-stamp-duty-land-tax/#/intro
Land Registry
Land Registry Application Fees (as of 31 January 2022)
| Whole | Part | |
| £0 to £80,000 | £20 | £45 |
| £80,001 to £100,000 | £40 | £95 |
| £100,001 to £200,000 | £100 | £230 |
| £200,001 to £500,000 | £150 | £330 |
| £500,001 to £1,000,000 | £295 | £655 |
| £1,000,001 and over | £500 | £1,105 |
The Land Registry fees will vary on different properties but are likely to be around £3.00 plus VAT
Bankruptcy searches are conducted when you are purchasing a property with a mortgage and these are £2.00 plus VAT per name.
Land Registry Application Fees
Once the transaction has completed we will need to register the property at the Land Registry. The Land Registry fee for registration depends on the value of the property, whether the property is registered or unregistered and if the transaction is a transfer of part. You can find further information on the Land Registry fees at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/hm-land-registry-registration-services-fees
