Buying a House Solicitors

Conveyancing solicitor charges are broken down into costs and disbursements. Disbursements are costs payable to third parties such as Land Registry fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

Our estimates and quotes will give a breakdown of all charges and will then have a total figure, which is inclusive of VAT.

Buying a Property

The average costs on a purchase at £100,000 are £450 plus VAT at 20% and range to £900 plus VAT at 20% on a purchase at £500,000. We do not charge extra for leasehold properties unless the property is an apartment or flat.

Our figures may however vary for either higher value transactions which are often complex or for properties which have special complications.

That is why we will always give you an individual costs estimate at the start of the transaction taking into account the actual features of your purchase.

We will always advise you immediately about any complications and discuss the potential impact on our fees or payments to third parties before any additional charges are incurred.

On each transaction there are likely to be the following additional payments:

• Search Pack (variable by area)
• SIM Search
• Chancel Insurance
• Land Charges Search fee

The charges vary by area but will cost in the region of £300 plus VAT at 20%

We make an additional charge of £25 plus VAT AT 20% for each telegraphic transfer of monies that is required during the transaction.

If required, we will charge a fee of up to £15 plus VAT for each check to verify your identity.

If required, we will charge a fee of £12 plus VAT to verify bank details of the law firm on the other side of the transaction.

Land Registry fees are also payable and based on the value of the property. Land Registry Scale 1 fees:

Value or amount	Apply by post	Apply using the portal or Business Gateway, for transfers or surrenders which affect the whole of a registered title	Apply using the portal or Business Gateway, for registration of all leases and transfers or urrenders which affect part of a registered title	Voluntary first registration (reduced fee)
0 to £80,000	£40	£20	£40	£30
£80,001 to £100,000	£80	£40	£80	£60
£100,001 to £200,000	£190	£95	£190	£140
£200,001 to £500,000	£270	£135	£270	£200
£500,001 to £1,000,000	£540	£270	£540	£400
£1,000,001 and over	£910	£455	£910	£680

What will our fees cover on a purchase?

Our fees cover all of our solicitor's charges for buying a property. This includes sending off searches, approving the contract, checking the legal title, and dealing with the Land Registry. It also includes the cost of time for payment of Stamp Duty which many firms charge extra but is included in our fees.

Stamp Duty or Land Tax (on purchase)

This depends on the purchase price of the property. You can calculate the amount you need to pay by using HMRC's website (https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/calculate-stamp-duty-land-tax/#intro) or if the property is located in Wales by using the Welsh Revenue Authority's website here (https://beta.gov.wales/land-transaction-tax-calculator)

How long will it take?

A standard transaction will take approximately 8 weeks from the time we are instructed however there can be a number of factors which impact on the timescale such as:

• The number of parties in the chain
• If there is a delay in your mortgage offer being issued or the offer is incorrect
• If there is something unexpected in your search results
• If the legal title to your property is complex
• If there is a Management Company involved
• The timescales wanted by other people in the chain

There are some variables with any property transaction so please either give us a call or drop us a line and we will give you a detailed breakdown of all the fees and costs involved for your particular circumstances.

How will we communicate with you?

At the outset of the transaction, we will ask you how you prefer to be contacted. If you have an email address this can save a considerable amount of time but buying and selling a property is not yet a paperless exercise so there will be some documents that will need to be signed by you. We will offer you a personal appointment in the office so you get chance to sit down with us so that we can talk you through the paperwork and the process face to face or, if you prefer, we will arrange a telephone appointment.

When you're looking to buy a house, whether as a first-time buyer, when moving to a new property or as an investment, it's important that you have expertise and market knowledge on hand to assist you throughout the conveyancing process.

The team at Forbes are highly experienced in handling many different types of property purchase and can manage all of the legal requirements for the transaction, helping the process go as quickly and smoothly as possible.

House buying can sometimes be a stressful process, so having solicitors for your property purchase that you can trust and who communicate clearly and regularly can make a big difference to your home buying experience.

With the conveyancing team at Forbes, you'll always know where things are up to and what to expect next, and we'll always keep you in the loop.