
Leasehold purchases
Our fees
Some transactions are inevitably more straightforward than others. So that our charges fairly reflect the complexity of a matter, we charge according to the time needed to be spent by our professional staff to undertake each matter.
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Our current hourly rates are:
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£250 for partners,
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£225 for senior solicitors
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£205 for solicitors
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£180 for conveyancing assistants
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£135 for trainee solicitors.
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The majority of our residential conveyancing transactions are undertaken by senior solicitor Joanna Leslie and/or her conveyancing assistant Lisa Jenkins. Joanna has been undertaking residential conveyancing work since 1998 and Lisa since 2006.
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Typical fees
We are always happy to provides quotes of our charges for particular transactions, but our typical charges for purchase of a leasehold residential property which does not present unusual difficulties is around £1,200 + VAT. If the property is a new-build, the fee is likely to be around £1,200 + VAT. In either case, where funds are remitted by telegraphic transfer/CHAPS (which is usually the case), there is an additional charge of £24 + VAT.
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​​Disbursements
Disbursements are expenses which we have to pay to others to enable your transaction to proceed. The actual disbursements payable will depend upon the property. Typical disbursements on a purchase may include:​
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Local Authority Search fee - £60 - £400 + VAT depending upon the local authority involved.- those in London tend to be the most expensive.
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Environmental Search fee - £49 + VAT
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Chancel Check Search fee - £20 + VAT
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Drainage Search fee - £41.80 + VAT
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Land Registry Search fee - £3 + VAT
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Land Charge Search fee - £2 per name + VAT
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Land Registry fee - £40 - £910 depending upon the purchase price
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Stamp Duty Land Tax - depends on the purchase price of your property and your particular circumstances but HMRC have a useful calculator.
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How long will my house 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 takes between X-X weeks.
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 X weeks. However, if you are buying a leasehold property that requires an extension of the lease, this can take significantly longer, between X and X months. In such, a situation additional charges would apply.
Stages of the process - purchase
The precise stages involved in the purchase of a residential property will vary according to the circumstances. However, the following are typical key stages that are included in our fee estimates above:
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Take your instructions and give you initial advice
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Check finances are in place to fund purchase and contact lender's solicitors if needed
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Receive and advise on contract documents
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Carry out searches
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Obtain further planning documentation if required
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Make any necessary enquiries of seller's solicitor and draft the transfer deed
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Give you advice on all documents and information received
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Go through conditions of mortgage offer with you
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Send final documents to you for signature
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Agree completion date (date from which you own the property)
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Exchange contracts and notify you that this has happened
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Arrange for all monies needed to be received from lender and you
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Complete purchase
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Deal with payment of Stamp Duty/Land Tax
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Deal with application for registration at Land Registry
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Overall, a typical purchase takes around 6 weeks, but much will depend upon who is acting for the seller. If the seller instructs a firm that delegates much of its conveyancing work to junior staff, this may well delay progress. It will generally be in both parties interests for the seller to instruct a traditional firm with a strong reputation rather than a volume conveyancing practice.