Transparency Policy

Our Legal Fees cover all of the work required to complete the purchase of your new home, 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 you wish to buy is in Wales.

Legal Fees

Legal Fees are the amount you will be required to pay for all of the work performed by us in actioning your instructions, from commencement of your case to conclusion.

• Our average standard legal fee for a residential freehold property sale is from £850.00 – £2,500.00 + VAT (£1,020.00- £3,000.00 inc. VAT)
• For Leasehold properties we charge a further £200.00 + VAT (£240.00 Inc. VAT)
• The value of the property, location and any complexities of the purchase will dictate the final fee charged.
• For purchases using a corporate vehicle there is a supplemental fee of £15 plus VAT (£18 Inc. VAT) due to companies house registration requirements and additional documents required for lending purposes.
• We will charge the sum of £40 + VAT (£48 inc. VAT) for Electronic money transfers.
• VAT will be payable on our fees and some disbursements and we will clearly confirm which disbursements carry VAT in our formal quotation or as we advise you to incur them.

 

HM Land Registry (Stamp Duty*) applies to most property purchase transactions. We will advise you of the stamp duty applicable to your matter and you can visit the HMRC website for more information (see below)

https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/calculate-stamp-duty-land-tax/#/intro 

• Help to Buy Equity Mortgage – £250 + VAT (£300 Inc. VAT)
• Help to Buy ISA (per bonus)- £50+VAT (£60+VAT Inc. VAT)
• Lifetime ISA- £100+VAT (£120 Inc. VAT)
• Mortgage Loan £150 + VAT (dependent upon the loan and lenders requirements) (£180 Inc. VAT)

Below we detail what services are covered in our standard fee.

If at any stage our fees change, we will notify you and discuss the reason for any changes. This would typically occur if you change your instructions or your case involves an unforeseen complexity which can include matters such as delays in searches, issues with a mortgage, issues raised in a survey or delays from the other party or their solicitor.

Our average fees assume that:

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

Disbursements and Other Costs

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as Land Registry fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

You will be provided with a full list of disbursements in our formal quotation.  If you need to incur any further disbursements during your case, you will be notified in advance of the reason and the amount.

Typical disbursements and other costs that may apply in you matter will include: – 

 

• HM Land Registry fee. The fees chargeable by the land registry can be found here https://www.gov.uk/guidance/hm-land-registry-registration-services-fees
• Land Registry Priority Search fees (per title) £3.00
• AML Search Fee (per search) £7.00 + VAT (£8.40 Inc. VAT)
• Bankruptcy search fees £2.00
• Lawyer checker £12 + VAT (£14.40 Inc. VAT)

We are required by our regulator to undertake Client Due Diligence (CDD) which is made of up KYC (Know Your Client) and AML (Anti Money Laundering) details of which are contained within our terms of engagement which will be sent to you when instructing us.

 

In addition to our standard charges as referred to above, the firm will apply a CDD charge of:

• £10 (£12 inc. VAT) for undertaking KYC

 

Typical Property Search Fees 

Search fees vary from case to case depending on the local authority. We will advise you which searches you need for your transaction and the cost of each search. Our average fee for a standard property search pack is £300.00+ VAT (£360.00 inc. VAT). Typical local searches include:

• Local land charges search;
• Enquiries of the local authority;
• Environment search;
• Planning Search;
• Chancel repair liability indemnity; and
• Water and Drainage search

 

Other official local searches may be required by your lender and your conveyancer will use their local knowledge to confirm which local searches you will need. A standard local authority search will reveal whether any legal restrictions or obligations affect the property. These include tree preservation orders, smoke control orders, flood searches as well as the property’s planning and building enforcement history. We will advise you which searches you need for your transaction and the cost of each search. 

 

Anticipated disbursements for a leasehold purchase

There may be further disbursements for a Leasehold purchase or the purchase of a freehold property where there is a Management Company which if chargeable is set out in the Lease or Transfer and usually paid to the Landlord or Management Company.

 

These can include: 

• Notice of Transfer fee – This fee, if chargeable, is set out in the lease and is often between £0 – £250 + VAT (£0 – £300 Inc. VAT)
• Notice of Charge fee – If the property is to be mortgaged.  This fee is set out in the lease and is often between £0 – £250+ VAT (£0 – £300 Inc. VAT)
• Deed of Covenant fee – This fee is provided by the management company for the property and can be difficult to estimate but is often between £0 and £250. + VAT (£0 – £300 Inc. VAT)
• Certificate of Compliance fee – o be confirmed upon receipt of the lease as can range between £0 and £250. + VAT (£0 – £300 Inc. VAT)

These fees are set by the management company / freeholder and can vary from property to property. They can, on occasion, be significantly more than the ranges given above and VAT may be charged. 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 charge are likely to apply throughout your ownership of the property.

Stamp Duty or Land Tax (on purchase)

This amount payable depends on the purchase price of your property. You can calculate the amount you will need to pay by using HMRC’s website.

How long will my property purchase take?

How long it will take from your offer being accepted until you can move in to your house will depend on a number of factors.

The average process for a residential freehold property purchase is between 6 – 8 weeks.

The average process for a residential leasehold property purchase is between 6 –12 weeks.

It can be quicker or slower, depending on a number of factors and we will notify you if we believe your transaction may take longer than average or if something occurs in your case to extend the transaction time we will inform you.

If you are buying a leasehold property that requires an extension of the lease, this can take longer. In such a situation, additional charges would apply and we will notify you of the additional charges and time estimate when we have engaged the landlord to discuss the extension.

Stages of the Process

The precise stages involved in the purchase of a residential property vary according to the circumstances. We have set out the key stages of a standard transaction: –

• Taking your instructions and giving you initial advice.
• Undertaking regulatory checks.
• Checking that finances are in place to fund the purchase and contact lender’s solicitors if needed.
• Receiving and advising on contract documents.
• Carrying out and advising on searches.
• Obtaining of further planning documentation, if required.
• Making any necessary enquiries of seller’s solicitor.
• Giving you advice on all documents and information received.
• For Leasehold properties – obtaining and advising on the Management Pack, thee Lease and identifying transfer fees.
• Advising you on joint or shared ownership.
• Going through conditions of any mortgage offer if appropriate.
• Sending final contract to you for signature.
• Agreeing completion date (date from which you own the property).
• Exchanging contracts and notifying you that this has happened.
• Arranging for all monies needed to be received from your lender (if applicable) and you.
• Completing the purchase and notifying the relevant parties.
• Dealing with payment of Stamp Duty/Land Tax.
• Dealing with the application for registration at Land Registry.

The stages above are indicative only. Additional fees may apply if more work is required.

For the purchase of a leasehold residential property, our fees cover all the work required to complete the purchase, including dealing with registration at the land registry and dealing with the payment of stamp duty.

Other Factors

Other Factors to consider which may affect your Legal Fees and disbursements are:

• Value of the property.
• First-time buyer.
• New build.
• First registration of title.
• Islamic mortgage.
• In purchase cases, whether primary residence, buy to let or second/holiday home.
• Multiple owners.
• Shared ownership scheme.
• Using a help to buy scheme, and whether it is an equity loan or ISA.
• Purchase under right to buy.
• Purchase at auction.
• Property has been repossessed.

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.

Fee Earners

Our team is qualified to advise on the conveyancing of residential property and all matters are supervised by one of the senior members of the firm whose details are below:

Mr Leon Joseph Kaye	Partner	Free Hold and Lease Hold Conveyancing Transactions and Other Property Work
Sehar Ayyub	Partner	Free Hold and Lease Hold Conveyancing Transactions and Other Property Work
Laura Mghabghab	Associate	Free Hold and Lease Hold Conveyancing Transactions and Other Property Work
Ozgen Aydemir	Solicitor	Free Hold and Lease Hold Conveyancing Transactions and Other Property Work

 

Our Legal Fees cover all of the work required to complete the sale of your home.

Legal Fees

Legal Fees are the amount you will be required to pay for all of the work performed by us in actioning your instructions, from commencement of your case to conclusion.

• Our average standard legal fee for a residential freehold property sale is from £850.00 – £2500 + VAT (£1,020.00- £3,000.00 inc. VAT)
• For Leasehold properties we charge a further £200.00+VAT (£240.00 Inc. VAT) 
• The value and location of the property and any complexities of the purchase will dictate the final fee charged.

• We will charge the sum of £40 + VAT (£48 inc VAT) for Electronic money transfers.
• VAT will be payable on our fees and some disbursements and we will clearly confirm which disbursements carry VAT in our formal quotation or as we advise you to incur them.

Below, we detail what services are covered in our standard fee.

If at any stage our fees change, we will notify you and discuss the reason for any changes. This would typically occur if you change your instructions or your case involves an unforeseen complexity.

Our average fees assume that:

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

Disbursements and Other Costs

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as Land Registry fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

You will be provided with a full list of disbursements in our formal quotation.  If you need to incur any further disbursements during your case, you will be notified in advance of the reason and the amount.

The following disbursements and other costs may apply in your matter.

• Mortgage legal fees on redemption £125.00+VAT (£150.00 Inc. VAT)
• AML Search Fee (per search) £10.00 +VAT (£12.00 Inc. VAT)
• Land Registry Priority Search fees (per title) £3.00
• Land Registry Office Copy and Title Plan (per Title) £6.00
• Bankruptcy search fees £2.00 
• Land Registry fees. The following link provided details of land registry fees payable. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/hm-land-registry-registration-services-fees. We will advise the fees that are relevant to your matter when we have the details of your property.

We are required by our regulator to undertake Client Due Diligence (CDD) which is made of up KYC (Know Your Client) and AML (Anti Money Laundering) details of which are contained within our terms of engagement which will be sent to you when instructing us. 

In addition to our standard charges as referred to above, the firm will apply a CDD charge of: 

• £10 (£12 inc. VAT) for undertaking KYC 

Anticipated disbursements for a leasehold purchase 

If your Property is leasehold, the following additional costs may arise:

• Notice of Transfer fee – This fee, if chargeable, is set out in the lease and is often between £0 – £250 + VAT (£0 – £300 Inc. VAT)
• Notice of Charge fee – If the property is to be mortgaged.  This fee is set out in the lease and is often between £0 – £250+ VAT (£0 – £300 Inc. VAT)
• Deed of Covenant fee – This fee is provided by the management company for the property and can be difficult to estimate but is often between £0 and £250. + VAT (£0 – £300 Inc. VAT)
• Certificate of Compliance fee – To be confirmed upon receipt of the lease as can range between £0 and £250. + VAT (£0 – £300 Inc. VAT)
• Management pack, these typically start from £300+VAT up to £600+VAT (£360 – £720 inc. VAT) but can be more and we will confirm with you on application and review of your property sale.

 

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

How long will my property sale take?

How long it will take from your acceptance of an offer to the final sale of your property will depend on a number of factors.

• The average process for a residential freehold property is between 4 – 8 weeks.
• The average process for a residential leasehold property is between 4 – 12 weeks.

It can be quicker or slower, depending on a number of factors and we will notify you if we believe your transaction may take longer than average or if something occurs in your case to extend the transaction time.

If you are selling a leasehold property that requires an extension of the lease, this can take longer. In such a situation, additional charges would apply and we will notify you of the additional charges and time estimate when we, or the buyers, solicitors have engaged the landlord to discuss the extension.

Stages of the Process

The precise stages involved in the sale of a residential property vary according to the circumstances.

We have set out the key stages of a standard transaction: – 

• Taking your instructions and giving you initial advice.
• Undertaking regulatory checks.
• Responding to enquiries of purchaser’s solicitor.
• Giving you advice on all documents and information received.
• Advising you on joint or shared ownership.
• Advising on any mortgage redemption, if appropriate.
• Sending final contract to you for signature.
• Agreeing completion date (date from which you no longer own the property).
• Exchanging contracts and notifying you that this has happened.
• Arranging for all monies needed to be received from your buyer and distributing those monies.

Other Factors

Other Factors to consider which may affect your Legal Fees: 

• Value of the property.
• In Sale cases, whether primary residence, buy to let or second/holiday home.
• Multiple owners.
• Shared ownership scheme.
• Using a help to buy scheme, and whether it is an equity loan or ISA.
• Sale under right to buy.
• Sale at auction.
• Property has been repossessed.

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.

Fee Earners

Our team is qualified to advise on the conveyancing of residential property and all matters are supervised by one of the senior members of the firm whose details are below:

 

Mr Leon Joseph Kaye	Partner	Free Hold and Lease Hold Conveyancing Transactions and Other Property Work
Sehar Ayyub	Partner	Free Hold and Lease Hold Conveyancing Transactions and Other Property Work
Laura Mghabghab	Associate	Free Hold and Lease Hold Conveyancing Transactions and Other Property Work
Ozgen Aydemir	Solicitor	Free Hold and Lease Hold Conveyancing Transactions and Other Property Work

Our Legal Fees cover all of the work required to complete the legal advice required to mortgage or re-mortgage your property.

Legal Fees and Disbursements

Legal Fees are the amount you will be required to pay for all of the work performed by us in actioning your instructions, from commencement of your case to conclusion

• Our average standard legal fee for a residential mortgage / re-mortgage application is from £500.00 – £600.00 + VAT (£600.00 – £720.00 inc. VAT).
• The value of the property, location and any complexities of the purchase will dictate the final fee charged.
• For purchases using a corporate vehicle there is a supplemental fee of £15 plus VAT (£18 Inc. VAT) due to companies house registration requirements and additional documents required for lending purposes.
• We will charge the sum of £40 + VAT (£48 inc. VAT) for Electronic money transfers.
• VAT will be payable on our fees and some disbursements and we will clearly confirm which disbursements carry VAT in our formal quotation or as we advise you to incur them.

 

Below we detail what services are covered in our standard fee.

If at any stage our fees change, we will notify you and discuss the reason for any changes. This would typically occur if you change your instructions or your case involves an unforeseen complexity.

Our Fee Assumes That:

1. this is a standard transaction and that no unforeseen matters arise.
2. the transaction is concluded in a timely manner and no unforeseen complications arise.
3. all parties to the transaction are co-operative and there is no unreasonable delay from any parties providing documentation.

Disbursements and Other Costs

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as Land Registry fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

You will be provided with a full list of disbursements in our formal quotation.  If you need to incur any further disbursements during your case, you will be notified in advance of the reason and the amount.

Typical disbursements are:

Typical disbursements and other costs that may apply in you matter will include: – 

• HM Land Registry fee. The fees chargeable by the land registry can be found here https://www.gov.uk/guidance/hm-land-registry-registration-services-fees
• Land Registry Priority Search fees (per title) £3.00 
• AML Search Fee (per search) £7.00 + VAT (£8.40 Inc. VAT) 
• Bankruptcy search fees £2.00 
• Lawyer checker £12 + VAT (£14.40 Inc. VAT) 

We are required by our regulator to undertake Client Due Diligence (CDD) which is made of up KYC (Know Your Client) and AML (Anti Money Laundering) details of which are contained within our terms of engagement which will be sent to you when instructing us. 

In addition to our standard charges as referred to above, the firm will apply a CDD charge of: 

• £10 (£12 inc. VAT) for undertaking KYC 

Typical Property Search Fees 

Search fees vary from case to case depending on the local authority. We will advise you which searches you need for your transaction and the cost of each search. Our average fee for a standard property search pack is *£300.00+ VAT (£360.00 inc. VAT). Typical local searches include: 

• Local land charges search;
• Enquiries of the local authority;
• Environment search;
• Planning Search;
• Chancel repair liability indemnity; and
• Water and Drainage search

 

Other official local searches may be required by your lender and your conveyancer will use their local knowledge to confirm which local searches you will need. A standard local authority search will reveal whether any legal restrictions or obligations affect the property. These include tree preservation orders, smoke control orders, flood searches as well as the property’s planning and building enforcement history. We will advise you which searches you need for your transaction and the cost of each search. 

 

We will advise you which searches you need for your transaction and the cost of each search. 

 

* your lender may agree to waive the requirement for searches and proceed with a search indemnity policy which would cost substantially less than the searches. We can obtain a cost once we have details of your transaction.

How long will my Mortgage Application take?

The average mortgage or re-mortgage will take between 4-8 weeks. 

It can be quicker or slower, depending on a number of factors and we will notify you if we believe your transaction may take longer than average or if something occurs in your case to extend the transaction time we will inform you. Matters that can typically delay a transaction include delays in searches, issues with a mortgage offer or issues raised in a survey.

Stages of the Process

The precise stages involved in the mortgage application of a residential property vary according to the circumstances.

• We have set out the key stages of a standard transaction: –
• Taking your instructions and giving you initial advice.
• Undertaking regulatory checks.
• Receiving and advising on contract documents.
• Advising the mortgage offer and its conditions.
• Giving you advice on all documents and information received.
• Advising you on joint or shared ownership.
• Sending final mortgage deed to you for signature.
• Discharging any existing charge or charges
• Registering the Charge on the property.

Other Factors

• Other Factors to consider which may affect your legal fees: –
• Multiple owners.
• Shared ownership scheme.
• Mortgaging where there is a help to buy scheme, and whether it is an equity loan or ISA.
• Mortgaging property under right to buy.

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 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.

Fee Earners

Our team is qualified to advise on the conveyancing of residential property and all matters are supervised by one of the senior members of the firm whose details are below:

Mr Leon Joseph Kaye	Partner	Free Hold and Lease Hold Conveyancing Transactions and Other Property Work
Sehar Ayyub	Partner	Free Hold and Lease Hold Conveyancing Transactions and Other Property Work
Laura Mghabghab	Associate	Free Hold and Lease Hold Conveyancing Transactions and Other Property Work
Ozgen Aydemir	Solicitor	Free Hold and Lease Hold Conveyancing Transactions and Other Property Work