Property Matters & Pricing
Here at Grey-Smith Legal it is important to us that anyone considering using our services has all of the information that they need to enable them to make an informed choice as to whether to go ahead.
An important aspect of this is for our prospective clients to be aware of the likely costs and expenses of their transaction, and also to have peace of mind, knowing that we have the necessary experience and knowledge to ensure that we can provide an excellent standard of service.
What Services can we offer to you?
We can provide you with an efficient and welcoming service in all aspects of Residential and Commercial Conveyancing. We have extensive experience in dealing with Sales, Purchases, Transfers of Equity, Re-mortgages and Equity Release. This includes both freehold and leasehold transactions, shared ownership purchases, New-Build purchases, dealing with Help to Buy Equity Loans and Help to Buy/Lifetime ISAs, acting for clients taking out Bridging Finance or Corporate Lending and splitting the title of a property, for example to create three separate leasehold flats out of an existing freehold building. We also deal with Commercial Lease matters and can act on behalf of both Landlord and Tenant.
Buying, selling and financing property can be a difficult and stressful time. At Grey-Smith Legal we understand this, and aim to take the stress away from our clients by providing an efficient and personal service. Work on your file will be undertaken by a qualified Solicitor with over 7 years’ experience in dealing with Conveyancing matters. We are happy to communicate with you by post, telephone or email depending upon your preferences, and can be flexible where required if you are not able to make appointments within normal office hours.
Select from the areas below for information as to the likely costs involved in Conveyancing matters, and the service we will provide to you.
Residential Purchases
| Purchase Price | Our Fees |
|---|---|
| Up to £100,000.00 | £500.00 plus VAT |
| £100,001.00 to £150,000.00 | £525.00 plus VAT |
| £150,001.00 to £200,000.00 | £555.00 plus VAT |
| £200,001.00 to £250,000.00 | £580.00 plus VAT |
| £250,000.00 to £300,000.00 | £605.00 plus VAT |
| £300,001.00 to £500,000.00 | £700.00 plus VAT |
| £500,001.00 to £750,000.00 | £895.00 plus VAT |
| £750,001.00 to £1,000,000.00 | £1,050.00 plus VAT |
| Over £1,000,000.00 | £1,300.00 plus VAT (+ £100 per £100,000 thereafter) |
Telegraphic transfer fee: add £25.00 plus VAT
Leasehold matters: add £150.00 plus VAT
New Build matters: add £150.00 plus VAT
Help to Buy Equity Mortgage: add £100.00 plus VAT
Help to Buy ISA: add £50.00 plus VAT
Shared Ownership: add £200.00 plus VAT
Deed of Trust: add £50.00 plus VAT
Corporate Purchase: add £100.00 plus VAT
Corporate Purchase with lending: add £500.00 plus VAT
File Storage and Archiving Fee: add £50.00 plus VAT
Commercial or HMO matter: add £150.00 plus VAT
Gifted Deposit: add £50.00 plus VAT per donor
Unregistered matters: add £100.00 plus VAT
Freehold Management matters: add £100.00 plus VAT
Please note that if the property you are purchasing is Leasehold or a Freehold with a management company then there will also be fees payable to the freeholder and/or Management Company for transferring the property into your name. We are not able to advise you of these costs until we receive the completed Landlord’s questionnaire from the Seller’s Solicitor.
Land Registry Registration Fee: ranging from £20.00 up to £540.00 depending upon the purchase price of the property. If the property is New Build, a New Lease, Shared Ownership or Unregistered Land, the Land Registry fee is doubled due to the extra work involved for them to create a new title.
Land Registry Priority Search: £3.00 per title number being purchased.
Bankruptcy Search: £2.00 per name
Local Authority Search: £65.50 (mandatory if you are taking out a mortgage)
Water and Drainage Search: £52.50 (mandatory if you are taking out a mortgage)
Environmental Search: £74.10 (mandatory if you are taking out a mortgage)
Company Search: £15.54 (if you are a corporate buyer).
Online ID check: £7.20 per client
Stamp Duty Land Tax: This is based upon the purchase price and your circumstances.
SDLT / Registration admin fee: £9.60.
Please note that search fees do vary due to the provider and/or local authority. These expenses will be required from you in advance (except for Stamp Duty Land Tax). We also ask that you pay 25% of our total fees in advance when returning your client care documentation to us following the opening of your file.
- Making initial contact with the Seller’s Solicitor to request the draft contract documentation. Chasing the Seller’s Solicitor regularly until this is received.
- Ensuring that you have made payment of your search fees at an early stage so that these can be placed in hand as soon as we receive the contract documentation.
- Reviewing the draft contract documentation, raising initial enquiries with the Seller’s Solicitor and providing you with a report on the documentation received so far.
- Acting on behalf of your mortgage lender (if applicable). Receiving your mortgage offer and reviewing it to ensure that the information is correct. Providing you with a report on the terms and conditions of your mortgage. Corresponding with your lender and reporting any matters to them where necessary.
- Reviewing the results of your searches and raising any necessary further enquiries with the Seller’s Solicitor. Providing you with a report detailing the search results.
- Deal directly with your lender in relation to the release of your mortgage monies for completion.
- Dealing with your Mortgage Broker (if applicable) to provide them with updates, and if necessary, to arrange payment of their invoice on the day of completion.
- Deal with the Estate Agents, providing them with updates as to progression.
- Submit your Stamp Duty Land Tax return, and make any necessary payment.
- Leasehold only – calculate any Ground Rent and Service Charge apportionments so that you only pay for the period from which you take the property over. This will often involve you refunding the Seller for any amounts which have been paid in advance.
- Leasehold only – ascertain any fees payable to the Landlord and/or Management Company to transfer the property into your name on their records, and issue them with a Notice of Transfer (and Notice of Mortgage where applicable) and make payment of their fees.
- If you have a Help to Buy ISA, we will apply the HM Government for payment of the bonus.
- If you are taking a Help to Buy Equity Loan, we will deal with the Homes and Communities Agency to ensure that the monies are released to the Builder on the day of legal completion.
- Apply to HM Land Registry following legal completion to register the property into your name, subject to your lender’s mortgage (if applicable).
- Provide you with a completion statement prior to legal completion, showing the movement of monies on your account, and the amount required from you to complete the matter for you.
- Keep you updated as to progress and timescales throughout.
As a general estimate, residential purchase transactions usually take around 6-14 weeks to complete.
Residential Sales
| Sale Price | Our Fees |
|---|---|
| Up to £100,000.00 | £500.00 plus VAT |
| £100,001.00 to £150,000.00 | £525.00 plus VAT |
| £150,001.00 to £200,000.00 | £535.00 plus VAT |
| £200,001.00 to £250,000.00 | £550.00 plus VAT |
| £250,000.00 to £300,000.00 | £595.00 plus VAT |
| £300,001.00 to £500,000.00 | £655.00 plus VAT |
| £500,001.00 to £750,000.00 | £805.00 plus VAT |
| £750,001.00 to £1,000,000.00 | £995.00 plus VAT |
| Over £1,000,000.00 | £1,100.00 plus VAT (+ £100 per £100,000 thereafter) |
Telegraphic transfer fee: add £40.00 plus VAT (per transfer)
Leasehold matters: add £150.00 plus VAT
File Storage and Archiving Fee: add £50.00 plus VAT
Sales with Lending/Mortgage: add £25.00 plus VAT
Help to Buy Equity Mortgage to repay: add £100.00 plus VAT
Commercial or HMO matter: add £150.00 plus VAT
Unregistered matters: add £100.00 plus VAT
Please note that if the property you are selling is Leasehold or Freehold with a management company then there will also be fees payable to the freeholder and/or Management Company for completing a questionnaire which is required by your Buyer’s Solicitor. We are not able to advise you of these costs until we receive a response from the Freeholder/Management Company to our request If you are selling a leasehold property or freehold with a management company, it would be useful if you could contact your Landlord and/or Management Company to ascertain the level of these fees, as this will save time once a Buyer is found.
Copy deeds: £3.60 per document (minimum of 2 required)
Online ID check: £7.20 per client
Company Search: £15.54 (if you are a corporate seller)
Please note that these expenses will be required from you in advance. We also ask that you pay 25% of our total fees in advance when returning your client care documentation to us following the opening of your file.
- Downloading copy deeds and Title Plan from HM Land Registry and providing them to the Buyer’s Solicitor.
- Ensuring that you check the Title Plan to ensure that it correctly reflects the position on the ground.
- Drafting the sale contract and providing it to the Buyer’s Solicitor for approval.
- Dealing with your existing mortgage lender (if applicable) to ascertain the amount required to pay your mortgage in full on the day of legal completion.
- Dealing with the Estate Agent to provide them with updates, and to arrange payment of their invoice on the day of completion.
- Dealing with and responding to the Buyer’s Solicitor’s enquiries throughout.
- Dealing with any queries which you may have, and providing you with regular updates.
- Paying your mortgage in full on the day of completion to discharge the lender’s charge over the property. Providing evidence of discharge to the Buyer’s Solicitor.
- Leasehold only – contacting the Landlord/Management Company (at the point of you confirming your instructions for us to act on your behalf) to ascertain their fees for providing their responses to the Landlord questionnaire.
- Leasehold only – ensuring that Ground Rent and Service Charges are apportioned so that any monies you have paid in advance are refunded to you on completion by the Buyer. If you are behind with Ground Rent and Service Charges then you will be required to pay these at the point of completion by allowing the Buyer to deduct the arrears from the sale price.
- Provide you with a completion statement prior to legal completion showing the movement of monies on your file, and the amount due to you following completion. We will deduct our own fees and expenses from the sale price directly, so no payment will be required to you to complete the matter unless your property is in negative equity.
As a general estimate, residential sale usually take in the region of 6-14 weeks to complete.
Residential Mortgages & Re-Mortgages
| Amount of Borrowing | Our Fees |
|---|---|
| Up to £250,000.00 | £350.00 plus VAT |
| Over £250,000.00 | £450.00 plus VAT |
Telegraphic transfer fee: add £40.00 plus VAT (per transfer)
Help to Buy Equity Loan to repay: add £100.00 plus VAT
Declaration of Trust: add £50.00 plus VAT
Corporate borrowing: add £500.00 plus VAT
File Storage and Archiving Fee: add £50.00 plus VAT
Lending Admin Fee: add £50.00 plus VAT
Commercial or HMO Uplift: add £150.00 plus VAT
SDLT Return: add £50 plus VAT
Land Registry Registration Fee: ranging from £20.00 up to £540.00 depending upon the amount of borrowing.
Land Registry Priority Search: £3.00 per title number being purchased.
Bankruptcy Search: £2.00 per name.
Local Authority Search: £65.50 (mandatory if you are taking out a mortgage)
Water and Drainage Search: £52.50 (mandatory if you are taking out a mortgage)
Environmental Search: £74.10 (mandatory if you are taking out a mortgage)
Company Search: £15.54 (if you are a corporate buyer)
Company Registration: £15.00 per charge
Online ID check: £7.20 per client
Stamp Duty Land Tax: This is based upon the purchase price and your circumstances.
SDLT / Registration admin fee: £9.60
Please note that these expenses will be required from you in advance (except Stamp Duty Land Tax). We also ask that you pay 25% of our total fees in advance when returning your client care documentation to us following the opening of your file.
- Downloading copy deeds and Title Plan from HM Land Registry.
- Ensuring that you check the Title Plan to ensure that it correctly reflects the position on the ground.
- Ensuring that you have made payment of your search fees at an early stage so that these can be placed in hand as soon as we receive your client care documentation back from you.
- Dealing with your existing mortgage lender(s) (if applicable) to ascertain the amount required to pay your mortgage(s) in full on the day of legal completion.
- Dealing with any queries which you may have, and providing you with regular updates.
- Leasehold only – contacting the Landlord/Management Company (at the point of you confirming your instructions for us to act on your behalf) to ascertain their fees for accepting a Notice of Charge.
- Acting on behalf of your new mortgage lender. Receiving your mortgage offer and reviewing it to ensure that the information is correct. Providing you with a report on the terms and conditions of your mortgage. Corresponding with your lender and reporting any matters to them where necessary.
- Reviewing the results of your searches and raising any necessary further enquiries with the Seller’s Solicitor. Providing you with a report detailing the search results.
- Dealing directly with your lender in relation to the release of your mortgage monies for completion.
- Dealing with your Mortgage Broker (if applicable) to provide them with updates, and if necessary, to arrange payment of their invoice on the day of completion.
- Paying your mortgage in full on the day of completion to discharge the lender’s charge over the property.
- Submitting your Stamp Duty Land Tax return, and making any necessary payment.
- If you are repaying a Help to Buy Equity Loan, we will deal with the Homes and Communities Agency to ensure that we are aware of the exact amount owing on the day of completion. We will make this payment, and ensure that their charge is removed from your property.
- Applying to HM Land Registry following legal completion to register the new mortgage (if applicable).
- Providing you with a completion statement prior to legal completion, showing the movement of monies on your account, and the amount required from you to complete the matter, or the amount due back to you following completion. We will deduct our remaining fees from the loan advance, meaning that no payment will be required from you to complete, unless you are borrowing less than owed on your existing mortgage.
As a general guide, Mortgage and Re-mortgage transactions usually take in the region of 4-6 weeks.
If you have any additional questions or would like to speak to one of the team please get in touch with us here.