Conveyancing Fees

[TheRosesAreInBloom]

Hello there, are there any conveyancing solicitors around who could give me an idea of the costs associated with selling and buying properties, sale approx £335, purchase £335-£345.

I know there won’t be any stamp duty cost at the moment but what other costs should I consider and what would a reasonable estimate be.

TIA 😀

Hi I'm not a c

Sorry tapped post 😂

I'm not a solicitor but I work in a conveyancing team of a law firm. Your best and most accurate option is to ring local firms and get a quote, that way it's broken down for you. Each law firm has varying costs so ring around. The breakdown includes legal fees such as £695 +vat, search fees £165 + Vat, land registration fees £135, office copies (copy of land registry title) £14, stamp duty, money laundering check fees £3.60 per person, electronic ID £7.20 + vat, admin fees £60. This is obviously just an estimate but gives you an idea hope it helps slightly

As previous poster says, call a couple or get some quotes online. Many conveyencers offer a fixed fee service so you know what you’ll be paying upfront.

I just paid the following to a London-based form based on a £150K sale and £600K purchase, and have the breakdown statement on my desk:

Conveyancer fee: £979
Searches: £332.51
Land registry fee: £270
Leasehold notice fee: £180
Advance ground rent: £5

They have to post their fees online now. Just look on the website for a couple of solicitors locally to you..then telephone them and try to speak to the person who will actually be handling your case. Then see how you feel. Speak to a few.

Wow this is really useful information - thanks to all for taking the trouble to provide it. I am not the OP, but happen to be selling a house myself atm. I have another question - is there any real advantage to instructing a local solicitor? I have inherited the house which is very far distant from me. Also, is it wise to simply accept the estate agent's recommendation (time is crucial now as the end of the stamp duty holiday approaches, even with the 3 months extension).

Also, what ever you do, do not go for the Lenders 'fee free' options.

The sanity you will save by dealing with a high street practive is a huge deal.

You generally have one point of contact and a land line / email contact. The online firms your file is passed from person to person and no one takes ownership.

Mistake I have made once, and that was once too many.

Yes I have formed the impression that the cheaper online services come with downsides not mentioned (of course) in their adverts. Basically, you will have to do much of the work yourself.

Watch out for very cheap rates......often they don’t include very much and there will be lots of extra charges, such as extra charge to complete within 2 weeks of exchange, extra charge to get to exchange in less than 3 months. You definitively need a break down of what is included. They might charge extra for dealing with the mortgage company.

Ask if there are ever any extra charges and what they are and how much. Nearly always there are some extras.

@GameofPhones
No I wouldn't go with the agents recommendation without also googljng them for reviews. If you know a solicitor local to you they can do just as good a job - it's all done by phone and email and mail anyway.

No, dont go with solicitors recommendation. And also make sure you use a different solicitor than your buyer/seller uses....if you don’t, it can still be allowable but you have to sign a disclaimer because there can be conflict of interest....and it’s just best not to have to do this.

It doesn’t need to be local in my view. There is no need to go into offices these days.

Buy a large supply of gussetted A4 envelopes and stamps for large envelopes, so when you have paperwork to return, you can do it on the day you receive it.

To be honest, if every customer replied to the correspondence they receive from solicitors by return, lots of the delays would be significantly reduced.

Get your financial paperwork in order (proof of funds) and your ID documents ready and be prepared to put time into gathering further stuff and form filling and know who you will use to witness signatures, and be prepared to go the post office for registered post for when required and to know where the last posting post boxes are near you. Expect to out time into driving this forward.

Some online conveyances have useful online step-by-step dashboards which show exactly where they are up to with your process. Some allow you to book phone consultations. These can be better than the annoying thing where you ring, the solicitor is available and never rings you back.

If you can avoid the ones recommended by the mortgage company or estate agent (who will be getting commission) that's good. Although I did as we were so tight on cash last time and they were so bad my vendor almost pulled out. That said the company you use doesn't need to be local, especially if you live in London. Use someone in a small town and you'll probably save a bit but still have one person dealing with it. The first time I bought I used a small market town solicitor, they made an error that wasn't spotted until I came to sell. It cost me £800 to put right and they gave me a cheque without complaint. I don't think that would have happened with one of the online ones.