Residential Department

Our fees cover all of the standard work required to complete the purchase of your new home, including dealing with registration at the Land Registry and 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.

Our quotation includes:

• Taking your instructions and advising you throughout on the process and routine matters
• Submitting and checking searches
• Checking and reporting on a mortgage offer where necessary
• Checking the contract and title to the property and raising additional enquires
• Preparing the draft and engrossment Transfer and submitting the same to the Sellers solicitors
• Reporting to you upon the title and search results
• Preparing the SDLT1
• Obtaining your signature to the Contract, Transfer, Mortgage Deed (where applicable) and SDLT form
• Completing the matter including all incidental formalities correspondence and attendances subject to a fair and reasonable quantity as would be expected in a normal transaction.
• Submission of your application to HM Land Registry to place the title into your name.
• Providing you with a copy of the Official Copy of Register Entries following completion of the registration formalities

Our quotation does not include:-

• Providing any Financial Advice
• Remedying any defects in the title
• Identifying the route of any private drains or services.
• Commenting or providing any assurances or advice on the condition/structural integrity of any building or buildings on the land being purchased (this would be for you to instruct a surveyor to undertake a survey)
• Commenting or providing any assurances or advice on whether the property has been altered or whether planning and or building regulation approval would have been required for alterations undertaken or verifying the accuracy on these points if the sellers have confirmed works did not require the same (this would be for you to instruct a surveyor or make your own enquiries with the relevant planning department or building control department
• Chasing mortgage offers or variations thereto
• Any matters arising from the breach of the terms of the contract by you or seller.
• Dealing with incorrect searches not obtained by ourselves
• Establishing whether the property is at risk or may flood in the future (although we can offer advice on searches which can highlight flood risk)
• Establishing whether the property is at risk or may be contaminated (although we can offer advice on searches available to highlight possible risk)
• Providing any advice or recommendations on tax, community care or welfare benefits
• Dealing with any investigation or enquiry relating to an SDLT payment or SDLT1 submission or paying any interest or penalties relating to the submission of the SDLT1 or confirming or providing detailed advice relating to the completion of an SDLT1.
• Obtaining consent to letting from the landlord or any third party where required under any lease or deeds.
• Protecting your monies from cybercrime
• Seeking reimbursement from HMRC of any refunds of SDLT

Please click this link if you wish to view our comprehensive buying guide, which provides you with all of the information you need to know about the sale process.

Our Team

Our experienced team are here to ensure your transaction proceeds smoothly. All work is supervised by an experienced Partner. We act for a large range of clients in relation to buying and selling residential property from first time buyers to experienced developers and investors. You can meet our Team here

How long will it 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 8 and 12 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 8 weeks.

There are often many other factors outside of our control which affect how long it will take to buy your property - particularly when there are lots of buyers and sellers in the chain. This means we cannot tell you exactly how long the purchase will take but we will keep you informed of progress at regular intervals.

How much will it cost?

Each case and circumstances are different and it is impossible to provide an average cost. Our fees are generally calculated with reference to the value of the property but generally our standard fee scale ranges from £399 plus vat to £1000.00 plus vat. You can obtain a more accurate estimate by using our online quote facility here.

If the transaction aborts before the matter has completed we will charge you for the work we have undertaken to that point. Again every case is different and its hard to say what charge will be applied as the depends upon the work undertaken at that stage but as a general indication

In addition we will incur disbursements on your behalf. 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.

Please note that VAT is payable on our costs and on some disbursements. In addition we also charge a bank transfer fee for sending money through the electronic bank system.

Disbursements may include the following:

• Stamp Duty Land Tax*
• Local Authority search
• Drainage search
• Environmental and flood search
• Chancel Repair indemnity policy
• Mining search
• Land Registry searches
• Land Registration fee **

*The amount of Stamp Duty Land Tax you will pay depends on the purchase price of your property. You can calculate the amount you will need to pay by using HMRC's website or if the property is located in Wales by using the Welsh Revenue Authority's website here.

**Details of the Land Registry fees payable van be viewed at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/hm-land-registry-registration-services-fees.

In order to calculate the total costs associated with the purchase, you will need to add the legal costs together with the VAT, any disbursements (and where applicable the VAT on these items). These costs should be added to the amount you are paying for the property together with any other costs you may incur such as surveyors fees or costs payable to a mortgage broker.

Assumptions

Our fee assumes that:

1. That the property is registered with the Land Registry
2. That our investigations do not reveal any unexpected legal issues which must be resolved prior to exchange of contracts
3. That you are having only one mortgage (and the lender is a member of the Council of Mortgage Lenders) and the remaining purchase funds are being provided by you
4. That you are buying the property for your own occupation, it is more than 10 years old and no alterations have been made to the property
5. That there are no other unusual problems or complications