Legal Fees
The table below tells you how much our fees will be for your transaction.
SALE
| Up to £175,000 | £750.00 plus v.a.t |
| £175,000 to £250,000 | £850.00 plus v.a.t. |
| £250,000 to £375,000 | £950.00 plus v.a.t. |
| £375,000 to £500,000 | £1,100.00 plus v.a.t |
| £500,000 plus | On Request |
PURCHASE
| Up to £175,000 | £850.00 plus v.a.t. |
| £175,00 to £250,000 | £950.00 plus v.a.t |
| £250,000 to £375,000 | £1050.00 plus v.a.t |
| £375,000 to £500,000 | £1200 plus v.a.t |
| £500,000 plus | On Request |
Any leasehold sale or purchase of a flat, add a further £150 plus v.a.t. to the quoted cost.
Disbursements and timescales
In addition there will be additional charges called disbursements such as land registry fees which vary depending on the type of conveyancing (sale or purchase) and purchase price but can be up to £1105 for the most expensive property applications.
These disbursements include certain property searches which we may need to make in your case. The cost for obtaining a combined local search report and drainage search report for residential proeprty can be obtained from our search providers for £133.50. Additional searches may be required depending on the location of the property (i.e. chancel search or flood search reports etc. £TBA).
On residental sale matters it is necessary to provide offical copies of the register of title and title plan (£14) additional official copies of other documents on the register of title may need to be obtained at the cost of £7 per copy.
If the property is leasehold there may be additional fees payable to the freeholder such as notice of transfer fees which will vary dependent on the freeholder.
Please speak to your solicitor for specific details of the disbursements which apply to your transaction.
The time it takes to complete your house sale or purchase will depend on the complexity of your transaction, if there is a lengthy chain or if any unusual features arise. However as a rough guide you would usually expect a straightforward purchase or sale to be completed in 8 to 12 weeks from receipt of contract from the seller’s solicitor.
SDLT
Further, you usually pay Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) on increasing portions of the property price when you buy residential property, for example a house or flat. SDLT only applies to properties over a certain value.
The amount you pay depends on:
- when you bought the property
- how much you paid for it
You must send an SDLT return if you pay more than £40,000 for a property – even if there’s no SDLT due. There is an official SDLT calculator which will tell you how much stamp duty is likely to be. That is available at:
There are some exemptions to SDLT which are detailed below:
Rates for a single property
You pay stamp duty land tax (SDLT) at these rates if, after buying the property, it is the only residential property you own. You usually pay 5% on top of these rates if you own another residential property.
You can also use this table to work out the SDLT for the purchase price of a lease (the ‘lease premium’).
Rates upto 31st March 2025
| Property or lease premium or transfer value | SDLT Rate |
| Up to £250,000 | Zero |
| The next £675,000 (the portion from £250,001 to £925,000) | 5% |
| The next £575,000 (the portion from £925,001 to £1,5 million) | 10% |
| The remaining amount (the portion above £1.5 million) | 12% |
Rates from 1st April 2025
| Property or lease premium or transfer value | SDLT Rate |
| Up to £125,000 | Zero |
| The next £125,000 (the portion from £125,001 to £250,000) | 2% |
| The next £675,000 (the portion from £250,001 to £925,000) | 5% |
| The next £575,000 (the portion from £925,001 to £1.5 million) | 10% |
| The remaining amount (the portion above £1.5 million) | 12% |
You’re eligible if you and anyone else you’re buying with are first-time buyers.
Discount upto 31st March 2025:
You’ll pay no SDLT upto £425,000 and 5% SDLT on the portion from £425,001 to £625,000. If the price is over £625,000 you cannot claim the relief.
Discount from 1st April 2025:
You’ll pay no SDLT upto £300,000 and 5% SDLT on the portion from £301,000 to £500,000. If the price is over £500,000 you cannot claim the relief.
If you bought your first home between 8 July 2020 and 1 July 2021, do not apply the discount. You have no stamp duty to pay if the price was under £500,000.
If the price is over £500,000, you cannot claim the relief. Follow the rules for people who’ve bought a home before.
New leasehold sales and transfers
When you buy a new residential leasehold property you pay SDLT on the purchase price of the lease (the ‘lease premium’) using the rates above.
You can work out how much SDLT you’ll pay for your new residential lease using HMRC’s:
- SDLT calculator
- Guidance on leasehold purchases
- Higher rates for additional properties
You’ll usually have to pay 5% on top of SDLT rates if buying a new residential property means you’ll own more than one. You may not have to pay the higher rates if you exchanged contracts before 26 November 2015.
If you’re replacing your main residence you will not pay the extra 5% SDLT if the property you’re buying is replacing your main residence and that has already been sold.
If you have not sold your main residence on the day you complete your new purchase you’ll have to pay higher rates. This is because you own 2 properties.
Rates if you’re not a UK resident
If you’re not present in the UK for at least 183 days (6 months) during the 12 months before your purchase you are ‘not a UK resident’ for the purposes of SDLT.
You’ll usually pay a 2% surcharge if you’re buying a residential property in England or Northern Ireland.
If you have to pay the surcharge, you’ll also have to pay any other rates of SDLT that apply, for example:
- If you already own a property and you’re buying an additional property
- If you’re a first-time buyer
Special rates
There are different SDLT rules and rate calculations for:
- Corporate bodies
- People buying 6 or more residential properties in one transaction
- Shared ownership properties
- Multiple purchases or transfers between the same buyer and seller (‘linked purchases’)
- Purchases that mean you own more than one property
- Companies and trusts buying residential property
Contact us if you need further information on SDLT.