We offer personalised conveyancing cost estimates

At SME Solicitors, we do things differently. We provide an exceptional level of service supported by technology. We understand that buying or selling a house can be stressful and we will help to minimise this stress whenever we can.

We don't allow unqualified staff to handle conveyancing files, so when you instruct us, you will have one lawyer responsible for your matter from start to finish. With SME Solicitors looking after your conveyancing, you will benefit from the following:

  • a single point of contact who will be solely responsible for your transaction and available to help every step of the way
  • email updates about the progress of your matter
  • our conveyancing app to keep track of the key stages of the transaction.

Our fees are calculated based on a number of factors, including (but not limited to) whether the property is freehold or leasehold, if it a new build property, if you are purchasing by way of a company or if the property is registered at the Land Registry.

If you’d like a personalised estimate of our likely charges for your move, our fee estimator can provide a comprehensive breakdown of how much your charges will be.

Get your conveyancing estimate

Freehold Residential Transactions

For freehold properties up to the value of £1,000,000.00, fees start from £908.00 + VAT at 20% (£181.60) and range up to £3,000.00 + VAT at 20% (£660.00). Quotations for property transactions over this price are available upon request.

If the property is a new build, different scales of charges will apply.

Example Our fees

Purchase of a registered freehold property valued at £250,000.00

£969.00 + VAT at 20% (£193.80) + applicable disbursement fees (see below).

We also charge for a bank transfer at a cost of £25.00 + VAT at 20% (£5.00) and for preparing the Stamp Duty Land Tax/Welsh Land Tax form at £30.00 + VAT at 20% (£6.00).

Purchase of a new build freehold property valued at £250,000.00

£2,231.00 + VAT at 20% (£462.00) + applicable disbursement fees (see below).

We also charge for a bank transfer at a cost of £25.00 + VAT at 20% (£5.00) and for preparing the Stamp Duty Land Tax/Welsh Land Tax form at £30.00 + VAT at 20% (£6.00).

Leasehold Residential Transactions

For leasehold properties up to the value of £1,000,000.00, fees start from £1,212.00 + VAT at 20% (£242.20) and range up to £4,961.00 + VAT at 20% (£900.00). Quotations for property transactions over this price are available upon request.

If the property is a new build, different scales of charges will apply.

Example Our fees

Purchase of a registered leasehold property valued at £250,000.00

£1,400.00 + VAT at 20% (£280.00) + applicable disbursement fees (see below).

We also charge for a bank transfer at a cost of £25.00 + VAT at 20% (£5.00) and for preparing the Stamp Duty Land Tax/Welsh Land Tax form at £30.00 + VAT at 20% (£6.00).

Purchase of a new build freehold property valued at £250,000.00

£2,700.00 + VAT at 20% (£540.00) + applicable disbursement fees (see below).

We also charge for a bank transfer at a cost of £25.00 + VAT at 20% (£5.00) and for preparing the Stamp Duty Land Tax/Welsh Land Tax form at £30.00 + VAT at 20% (£6.00).

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs which we pay on your behalf to third parties. These include search fees, Land Registry fees and bank charges. These examples are based on a property purchased at £250,000.00, but may change based on the value of the property and any further costs incurred throughout the matter.

Typical disbursements on a freehold registered purchase at £250,000.00 would be:

DisbursementCost
Searches£400.00 (approx.)
Land Registry fee£150.00
Bank TT fee£11.00 + VAT at 20% (£2.20)
SDLT electronic signature fee£2.88 + VAT at 20% (£0.58)
Enhanced ID check£6.00 + VAT at 20% (£1.20)
AP1 electronic submission fee£6.00
Land Registry searches£10.00 (approximately)

Typical disbursements on a leasehold registered purchase at £250,000.00 would be:

DisbursementCost
Searches£400.00 (approx.)
Land Registry fee£150.00
Bank TT fee£11.00 + VAT at 20% (£2.20)
SDLT electronic signature fee£2.88 + VAT at 20% (£0.58)
Enhanced ID check£6.00 + VAT at 20% (£1.20)
AP1 electronic submission fee£6.00
Land Registry searches£10.00 (approximately)
Notice of Transfer feesDependent on landlord/management company
Deed of Covenant feesDependent on landlord/management company
Certificate of compliance feesDependent on landlord/management company

Typical disbursements on a freehold new build purchase at £250,000.00 would be:

DisbursementCost
Searches£250.00 (approx.)
Land Registry fee£330.00
Bank TT fee£11.00 + VAT at 20% (£2.20)
SDLT electronic signature fee£2.88 + VAT at 20% (£0.58)
Enhanced ID check£6.00 + VAT at 20% (£1.20)
AP1 electronic submission fee£6.00
Land Registry searches£10.00 (approximately)
Landlord/management feesDependent on landlord/management company

Typical disbursements on a leasehold new build purchase at £250,000.00 would be:

DisbursementCost
Searches£250.00 (approx.)
Land Registry fee£330.00
Bank TT fee£11.00 + VAT at 20% (£2.20)
SDLT electronic signature fee£2.88 + VAT at 20% (£0.58)
Enhanced ID check£6.00 + VAT at 20% (£1.20)
AP1 electronic submission fee£6.00
Land Registry searches£10.00 (approximately)
Notice of Transfer feesDependent on landlord/management company
Deed of Covenant feesDependent on landlord/management company
Certificate of compliance feesDependent on landlord/management company

There may also be additional disbursements where we are required to send you forms electronically for completion and return with a typical disbursement cost of £6.50 + VAT at 20% (£1.30) and where we need to verify source of funds electronically at a typical cost of £2.00 + VAT at 20% (£0.40).

The Land Registration fee will be dependent on the value of the property and whether or not the property/land is registered. You can find out more about the fee payable for registering property or land using the Land Registry fee calculator.

Remortgage Transactions

Our fees start from £550.00 + VAT at 20% (£110.00) for freehold properties and £1,100.00 + VAT at 20% (£220.00) for leasehold properties. Disbursements will be similar to those for a conveyancing purchase matter.

Stamp Duty Land Tax

Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is calculated based on the purchase price of the property you are purchasing and your individual circumstances.

We are not tax experts and we do not provide tax advice. As your agent, we can prepare and submit the SDLT form to HMRC as part of your transaction. We will also pay the appropriate SDLT value to HMRC on completion on your behalf.

Additional Information

  • If it transpires that the property is leasehold and we were not informed at the time of instruction, there will be a charge for dealing with the lease of £500.00 + VAT. Similarly, if there are common areas/shared services associated with the property which require additional correspondence in relation to the managed areas registered under a separate title, there will be additional fees of £250.00 + VAT.
  • If we are required to undertake money laundering matters on behalf of a third party (i.e. estate agent), a minimum fee of £50.00 + VAT will be payable.
  • Searches required may vary from region to region. Search packs do not include certain regional searches, e.g. coal mining searches and these will attract an additional fee.
  • We will ask you for £350.00 on account for a purchase along with your completed questionnaires and evidence of identity and address before we order the searches and £50.00 on account for a sale along with your completed questionnaires and evidence of identity and address.
  • Whilst most properties are registered, some are not. If a property is unregistered and this is discovered during the transaction rather than at the outset, additional work is involved which will incur a further charge of £200.00 + VAT.
  • Additionally, if the property is a Listed Building (or in a protected landscape with planning constraints) additional fees may be incurred if there are planning issues affecting the property.
  • If the property is being purchased by way of auction and we are required to attend the auction on your behalf, our attendance will be recorded on a time spent basis at our hourly rate plus VAT.
  • If you require a Declaration of Trust, there will be an additional fee of £250.00 + VAT.
  • During the course of the transaction, unavoidably, additional disbursements may be incurred. We will advise you of any such costs and they will be payable by you.
  • Our estimates are valid for 30 days subject to receiving your instruction. Within this period our fees will not increase. Please note that fees applicable to the Land Registry will adjust according to the most recent scale at the time your case completes should changes have been made from the date of your instruction. Our estimates are also subject to any government changes, in particular changes to Stamp Duty Land Tax and Land Registry fees.

Key Stages

As a testament of our quality, the firm has achieved membership of the Law Society's Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS). Our transactions are run in accordance with the Law Society Conveyancing Protocol and key stages will include:

  • Initial instruction and file set up
  • Due diligence for verification of ID and source of funding
  • Reviewing contract packs and:-
    • Raising enquiries
    • Putting in hand searches
  • Reviewing your mortgage offer if a lender is involved
  • Reporting to you on the property with:-
    • Contract and Transfer Deed for signature
    • Completion statement showing the movement of monies and the balance due from you
    • Advice on joint ownership
  • Exchanging contracts and setting the completion date
  • Completion of your purchase
  • Submitting SDLT form to HMRC and paying SDLT on your behalf
  • Dealing with registration of your purchase at HM Land Registry

  • Initial instruction and file set up
  • Due diligence for verification of ID
  • Drafting contract pack and sending to buyers solicitor
  • Answering enquiries
  • Reviewing your mortgage offer if a lender is involved
  • Reporting to you with:-
    • Contract and Transfer Deed for signature
    • Completion statement showing the movement of monies and the balance due to you
  • Exchanging contracts and setting the completion date
  • Completion of your sale

  • Initial instruction and file set up
  • Due diligence for verification of ID
  • Obtaining title documentation and putting in hand searches
  • Reviewing your mortgage offer and complying with lender requirements
  • Reporting to you on the property with:-
    • Mortgage deed for signature
    • Completion statement showing the movement of monies and the balance due from/to you
  • Setting the completion date and requesting mortgage funds
  • Completion of your remortgage
  • Dealing with registration of your remortgage at HM Land Registry

Timescales

For any of our residential property transactions, a number of factors can affect the timescales such as search turnaround times, mortgage offers being issued and defects in the title which require rectification before completion.

General sales and purchases on average take between 10-12 weeks to complete and a remortgage takes on average 4-6 weeks to complete.

You will be kept fully up to date on the timescales of your matter throughout the transaction.

Get your conveyancing estimate

Get in touch

We’re here to help you. Our contact forms are monitored by our reception team, who will ensure that your enquiry is delivered to the right person.

For Residential Property enquiries, please request a Conveyancing Estimate.


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