We charge highly competitive fees for our legal services. Our estimated fees are set out below, so speak to us today for a fixed no obligation quote.
VAT is currently charged at 20%, although this is subject to any change by the UK government.
RESIDENTIAL CONVEYANCING
Purchase of a freehold residential property
Our 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 Land Transaction Tax (Land Tax) if the property you wish to buy is in Wales or Stamp Duty Land Tax (Stamp Duty) if the property is in England.
Conveyancer’s fees and disbursements
• Legal fee*: £650 – £2,500 plus VAT, depending upon the value of your property and the complexity of the transaction.
• HM Land Registry fee: £3.00 per Title; or, between £20.00 and £910.00 to register the transfer depending on property value and whether the property is registered.
• Electronic money transfer fee: £40 plus VAT.
• Stamp Duty/Land Transaction Tax (where applicable) is included in our fee. NB. Other firms may charge extra.
Disbursements
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.
Stamp Duty or Land Tax (on purchase)
This depends on the purchase price of your property. You can calculate the amount you need pay by using HMRC’s website or, if the property is located in Wales, by using the by using the Welsh Revenue Authority’s website.
How long will my house purchase take?
How long it will take from your offer being accepted until you can move into your house will depend on several factors. The average process takes between 6–8 weeks. This estimate may vary according to the circumstances.
It can be quicker or slower, depending on the parties in the chain. For example, if you are a first-time buyer purchasing a new build property with a mortgage in principle, it could take 6 weeks. However, if you are buying a leasehold property that requires an extension of the lease, this can take significantly longer, between 3–6 months. In such a situation, additional charges would apply.
Stages of the process – house purchases
The key stages of the process can vary but often include:
• taking your instructions and giving you initial advice;
• checking finances are in place to fund the purchase and contacting lender’s solicitors if needed;
• receive and advise on contract documents;
• carry out searches;
• investigating title to the Property;
• obtain further planning documents if required;
• make any necessary enquiries of seller’s solicitors;
• give you advice on all documents and information received;
• go through conditions of mortgage offer with you;
• prepare and issue the final contract to you for signature;
• agree completion date (date from which you own the property);
• exchange contracts and notify you that this has happened;
• arrange for all monies needed to be received from lender and you;
• complete purchase;
• deal with payment of Stamp Duty/Land Tax;
• deal with application for registration at Land Registry;
Sale of freehold residential property
Our fees outline below cover all of the work* involved in completing the sale of your home.
There are a variety of differences between selling and purchasing property, although parts of the process and the advice you will receive are similar.
We will liaise with you and your estate agent to expedite your matter as effectively as possible.
Conveyancer’s fees and disbursements during a sale
Legal fee*: £650 – £2,500 plus VAT;
Electronic money transfer fee £40 plus VAT,
Disbursements – the costs related to your matter, as outlined above.
Leasehold
In general, the cost is similar to the fees set out above although the purchase or sale of a leasehold is slightly more expensive due to the additional complexity of the transaction. However, it depends on the property and will vary according to its value and details surrounding the purchase/sale.
Anticipated disbursements*
• Notice of Transfer fee—this fee if chargeable is set out in the Lease. Often the fee is between £50 and £200;
• Notice of Charge fee (if the property is to be mortgaged)—this fee is set out in the Lease. Often the fee is between £50 and £200;
• Deed of Covenant fee—this fee is provided by the management company for the property and can be difficult to estimate. Often it is between £100 and £400;
• Certificate of Compliance fee—to be confirmed upon receipt of the lease, as can range between £50 and £500.
*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.
Stamp Duty or Land Tax
As above
Stages of the process – example: purchase of leasehold
These are the key stages of the process:
• take your instructions and give you initial advice;
• check finances are in place to fund purchase and contact lender’s solicitors if needed;
• receive and advise on contract documents;
• carry out searches;
• obtain further planning documents if required;
• make any necessary enquiries of seller’s solicitors;
• give you advice on all documents and information received;
• go through conditions of mortgage offer with you;
• send final contract to you for signature;
• draft Transfer;
• advise you on joint ownership;
• obtain pre-completion searches;
• agree completion date (date from which you own the property);
• exchange contracts and notify you that this has happened;
• arrange for all monies needed to be received from lender and you;
• complete purchase;
• deal with payment of Stamp Duty/Land Tax;
• deal with application for registration at Land Registry;
*Our projected fee assumes that:
• 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;
• this is the assignment of an existing lease and is not the grant of a new lease;
• the transaction is concluded in a timely manner and no unforeseen complications arise;
• all parties to the transaction are co-operative and there is no unreasonable delay from the parties providing documentation;
• no indemnity policies are required. Additional disbursements may apply if indemnity policies are required.
PROBATE FEE GUIDE
Price and Service Transparency Notice
Applying for the grant, collecting and distributing the assets
Depending upon the size and complexity of an estate, it usually takes between 6 and 46 hours of work for your solicitor to conclude matters. We don’t require any payment up front in most probate cases and should be pleased to discuss this with you. Excellent quality comes at a price and our legal fee to finalise matters could range between £1,400 and £10,120 (plus VAT and any disbursements). However, the exact cost will depend on the factors relating to the individual’s estate.
Our charges are itemised within a detailed invoice.
For example, if there is one beneficiary and no property, costs will be at the lower end of the range. If there are multiple beneficiaries, a property and multiple bank accounts, costs will be at the higher end.
We will handle the full process for you. This quote is for estates where:
• there is a valid will;
• there is no more than one property;
• there are no more than 3 bank or building society accounts;
• there are no other intangible assets;
• there are up to 4 beneficiaries;
• there are no disputes between beneficiaries on division of assets. If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs;
• there is no inheritance tax payable and the executors do not need to submit a full account to HMRC;
• there are no claims made against the estate.
Disbursements included in this fee:
• probate application fee of £155.00 if made by a Solicitor. The government are expected to increase probate fees on a sliding scale from April 2019;
• £7.00 swearing of the oath (per executor);
• bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department searches are £2.00 per beneficiary;
• £62.15 in the London Gazette—protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors;
• Varying fees for a Notice in a Local Newspaper – again, this protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors.
Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees. We handle the payment of disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.
Potential additional costs:
• if there is no will or the estate consists of any share holdings (stocks and bonds) there are likely to be additional costs that could range significantly depending on the estate and how it is dealt with. We can give you a more accurate quote once we have more information;
• if any additional copies of the grant are required, they will cost £0.50 (1 per asset usually);
• dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included.
In addition to this we charge a value element based on the value of the estate. This is charged at 0.5% of the value of the residence and 1% of the residue.
How long will this take?
On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 4 – 6 months. Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes 6 – 8 weeks. Collecting assets then follows, which can take a further 8 – 10 weeks. Once this has been done, we will prepare estate accounts for the Executors approval and we can distribute the assets, which normally takes a further 3 – 4 weeks.
For further information and to discuss your specific situation please contact us today.
EMPLOYMENT LAW
Our employment law specialists offer competitive rates which depend upon the nature and complexity of your requirements. Predicting the total cost is difficult and will depend upon the facts of the case, the number of witnesses, the types of claim and the length of the hearing. Please call our office for a more detailed quotation.
Range of costs
Our pricing below for bringing and defending claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal is illustrative but may fall into the following brackets:
Simple case: £1,000 – £5,000 (excluding VAT)
Medium complexity case: £5,000 – £12,000 (excluding VAT)
High complexity case: £12,000 (excluding VAT) or above
Factors that could make a case more complex:
- If it is necessary to make or defend applications to amend claims or to provide further information about an existing claim
- Defending claims that are brought by litigants in person
- Making or defending a costs application
- Complex preliminary issues such as whether the claimant is disabled (if this is not agreed by the parties)
- The number of witnesses and documents
- If it is an automatic unfair dismissal claim e.g. if you are dismissed after blowing the whistle on your employer
- Allegations of discrimination which are linked to the dismissal
There will be an additional charge if our Solicitor attends your Tribunal Hearing to represent you between £600 and £1000 per day (excluding VAT). Generally, we would expect unfair dismissal cases to last 1 – 2 days depending on the complexity of your case.
Disbursements
Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.
Our Employment Solicitors is also an experienced Tribunal advocate and may be able to represent you during the hearing. However, should you wish to instruct Counsel, typical Counsel’s fees are anywhere between £600 and £1300 per day (depending on experience of the barrister/advocate) for attending a Tribunal Hearing (including preparation).
Key stages
The fees set out above cover all of the work in relation to the following key stages of a claim:
- Taking your initial instructions, reviewing the papers and advising you on merits and likely compensation (this is likely to be revisited throughout the matter and subject to change)
- Entering into pre-claim conciliation where this is mandatory to explore whether a settlement can be reached;
- Preparing claim or response (i.e. ET1 or ET3)
- Reviewing and advising on claim or response from other party
- Exploring settlement and negotiating settlement throughout the process
- preparing or considering a schedule of loss
- Preparing for (and attending) a Preliminary Hearing
- Exchanging documents with the other party and agreeing a bundle of documents
- Taking witness statements, drafting statements and agreeing their content with witnesses
- preparing bundle of documents
- Reviewing and advising on the other party’s witness statements
- agreeing a list of issues, a chronology and/or cast list
- Preparation and attendance at Final Hearing, including instructions to Counsel
The stages set out above are an indication and if some of stages above are not required, the fee will be reduced. You may wish to handle the claim yourself and only have our advice in relation to some of the stages. This can also be arranged on your individual needs.
How long will my matter take?
The time that it takes from taking your initial instructions to the final resolution of your matter depends largely on the stage at which your case is resolved. If a settlement is reached during pre-claim conciliation, your case is likely to take 4 – 8 weeks. If your claim proceeds to a Final Hearing, your case is likely to take anywhere between 4 and 12 months, depending upon the particular Tribunal listings schedule. This is just an estimate and we will of course be able to give you a more accurate timescale once we have more information and as the matter progresses.
Contact our Employment Solicitor today on 01597 825 565 for an initial no obligation discussion.
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