We're a countrywide network of law firms with all the expert resources needed to provide specialist legal advice on a local basis for individuals and businesses alike.
Understanding the costs
When you move home, it can be confusing to talk of ‘legal costs’. Below we separate out some of the common costs to help you understand better what’s involved. There are two main types of cost – legal costs payable to your lawyer and costs payable to others (called ‘disbursements’) that your lawyer will handle on your behalf.
Legal costs
Your true legal costs are the costs payable to your lawyer for their work on your behalf. These are usually based on the value of the property involved and you should be able to be told this cost before you decide which law firm to use. Be careful of conveyancing services that promote a low initial cost but add in lots of hidden extras in their small print in order to bump the final cost up.
Searches
These are charges for checks about the property and the surrounding land. In each case there is a fee payable to the company providing the search which your lawyer usually pays on your behalf and then reclaims in their bill to you. An examples of a search is a local authority search (a search which looks to see if there are plans which might affect your property eg building a new road or a new housing development close by). Other common searches include a water authority and drainage search (which looks at details about the mains water supply and sewage removal) and an environmental search (which looks at past uses of the land the property is on to check for risk of contamination). Part of the skill of your conveyancing lawyer will be to advise which searches you are best to pay to be done.
Stamp duty
This is a tax payable to HMRC on any house purchase. Because law firms often deal with this on your behalf it is sometimes included as part of the quote for conveyancing.
Other costs
There are other fees which you should be told about by your conveyancing lawyer, for example the land registry charge a fee to update their records of who owns a property (if you’re buying) or to produce a copy of their records to prove your own a property (if you’re selling). Another common cost is a charge that has to be paid for dealing with mortgage companies. Again – all these costs should be set-out and explained by your chosen lawyers upfront.
Your local legal experts
Why QualitySolicitors?
With QualitySolicitors your first initial assessment is free, so you can call us without worrying about being charged for a call you might not have actually needed to make. And because we place our clients are at the heart of everything we do, we make these five customer service promises to make sure you'll feel properly looked after.
This is why, in the first instance, most people looking for legal help in relation to a 'Home And Property' call QualitySolicitors for a Free Initial Assessment over the phone before requesting our Ask the Legal Expert service; which is an introductory 45-minute face-to-face consultation for £99.
Have you ever wanted to just ask a lawyer if they can help you, without worrying about what it may cost to contact them? If so, call QualitySolicitors and together we can work out what your next steps might be... in confidence, at no cost and with no obligation. At QualitySolicitors, our Free Initial Assessment promise puts you directly in touch with a local law firm who will happily talk to you for free to clarify how they can help you.
Find out moreUsing a solicitor doesn’t have to involve any unexpected costs. We promise to confirm the full costs you can expect before we begin any work and keep you informed throughout. And we won’t start any work until we know you’re happy with our estimate.
Find out moreNeed a lawyer who’ll get in touch when they say they will and not leave you in the dark? Good news – we promise to you, our clients - call or email us by 3pm, Monday to Friday and you’ll hear back from us the very same day. And if we can’t give you a full response straight away because your question needs further investigation, we’ll always let you know and give you details of exactly when we’ll next be in touch.
Find out moreQualitySolicitors law firms know that when you need to meet with a solicitor, finding time during office hours can prove impractical. So we thought we’d help by offering flexible opening hours; simple!
Find out more