Pricing Under Review
We’re currently reviewing our Conveyancing pricing structure and should shortly have a full breakdown of our fees avaliable from this page. If you have any queries regarding pricing in the meantime, feel free to contact us.
CALL USEMAIL US GET A QUOTEResidential Property Conveyancing
At Butterworths Solicitors, we know that buying and selling a property can be one of the most stressful times in your life. Whether you are a first-time buyer, a home mover, remortgaging, buying a new-build or using an auction house, Butterworths Solicitors have a designated, first-class team who will guide you through the process to ensure things are handled as quickly and efficiently as possible and will provide you with your own dedicated and experienced conveyancing solicitor or experienced conveyancing legal adviser to work on your matter.
At Butterworths Solicitors, we believe that the cost of providing legal services should be transparent so that you get no surprises. We provide our residential property conveyancing services on a fixed fee basis. Auction sales or purchases and new-build purchases have a different Pricing structure, details of which are available upon request.
The information contained within this document relates to residential property matters only. This information does not relate to commercial property or sales of property portfolios. This information is a guide to assist you in estimating the costs of your conveyancing transaction but is not a binding quotation. Once we have full details of your matter, we will be able to provide you with a more accurate estimate. If our estimate changes for any reason, we will provide you with a revised estimate of our charges.
Quick Links
• How much are our Conveyancing transaction fees? • Disbursements • What is Included • What is Not Included • Aborted Transactions • Referral Fees • How long will the Conveyancing process take?
How much are our Conveyancing transaction fees?
Residential resale property sale and purchase fees
| PROPERTY PRICE | CHARGE | VAT | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Re-mortgage | £475.00 | £95.00 | £570.00 |
| Up to £50,000 | £500.00 | £100.00 | £600.00 |
| £50,001 - £100,000 | £600.00 | £120.00 | £720.00 |
| £100,001 - £150,000 | £700.00 | £140.00 | £840.00 |
| £150,001 - £200,000 | £800.00 | £160.00 | £960.00 |
| £200,001 - £250,000 | £900.00 | £180.00 | £1,080.00 |
| £250,001 - £300,000 | £1,000.00 | £200.00 | £1,200.00 |
| £300,001 - £350,000 | £1,250.00 | £250.00 | £1,500.00 |
| £350,001 - £400,000 | £1,300.00 | £260.00 | £1,560.00 |
| £400,001 - £450,000 | £1,400.00 | £280.00 | £1,680.00 |
| £450,001 - £500,000 | £1,450.00 | £290.00 | £1,740.00 |
| £500,001 - £550,000 | £1,500.00 | £300.00 | £1,800.00 |
| £550,001 - £600,000 | £1,550.00 | £310.00 | £1,860.00 |
| £600,001 - £700,000 | £1,600.00 | £320.00 | £1,920.00 |
| £700,001 - £800,000 | £1,650.00 | £330.00 | £1,980.00 |
| £800,001 - £900,000 | £1,700.00 | £340.00 | £2,040.00 |
| £900,001 - £1,000,000 | £1,750.00 | £350.00 | £2,100.00 |
| £1,000,001 - £1,250,000 | £1,900.00 | £380.00 | £2,280.00 |
| £1,250,001 - £1,500,000 | £2,000.00 | £400.00 | £2,400.00 |
| £1,500,001 - £1,750,000 | £2,150.00 | £430.00 | £2,580.00 |
| £1,750,001 - £2,000,000 | £2,300.00 | £460.00 | £2,760.00 |
| £2,000,001 - £2,250,000 | £2,450.00 | £490.00 | £2,940.00 |
| £2,250,001 - £2,500,000 | £2,600.00 | £520.00 | £3,120.00 |
| £2,500,001 - £2,750,000 | £2,800.00 | £560.00 | £3,360.00 |
| £2,750,001 - £3,000,000 | £3,000.00 | £600.00 | £3,600.00 |
Examples of our Charges
| ITEM | CHARGE | VAT | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| BUTTERWORTHS CHARGES | |||
| Conveyancing transaction fee | £700.00 | £140.00 | £840.00 |
| Identification service fee | £10.00 | £2.00 | £12.00 |
| SUB-TOTAL | £710.00 | £142.00 | £852.00 |
| PLUS DISBURSEMENTS | |||
| Official copy of register and title | £6.00 | £0.00 | £6.00 |
| SUB-TOTAL | £6.00 | £0.00 | £6.00 |
| TOTAL COST TO YOU | £716.00 | £142.00 | £858.00 |
| ITEM | CHARGE | VAT | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| BUTTERWORTHS CHARGES | |||
| Conveyancing transaction fee | £700.00 | £140.00 | £840.00 |
| Identification service fee | £10.00 | £2.00 | £12.00 |
| Leasehold service fee | £300.00 | £60.00 | £360.00 |
| Telegraphic transfer service fee | £35.00 | £7.00 | £42.00 |
| SUB-TOTAL | £1,045.00 | £209.00 | £1,254.00 |
| PLUS DISBURSEMENTS | |||
| Official copy of register and title | £6.00 | £0.00 | £6.00 |
| lLeasehold management pack* | £300.00* | £60.00* | £360.00* |
| SUB-TOTAL | £306.00 | £60.00 | £366.00 |
| TOTAL COST TO YOU | £1,351.00 | £269.00 | £1,620.00 |
| ITEM | CHARGE | VAT | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| BUTTERWORTHS CHARGES | |||
| Conveyancing transaction fee | £700.00 | £140.00 | £840.00 |
| Identification service fee | £10.00 | £2.00 | £12.00 |
| Identification service fee | £10.00 | £2.00 | £12.00 |
| Lenders service fee | £100.00 | £20.00 | £120.00 |
| Telegraphic transfer service fee | £35.00 | £7.00 | £42.00 |
| Stamp duty service fee | £75.00 | £15.00 | £90.00 |
| SUB-TOTAL | £930.00 | £186.00 | £1,116.00 |
| PLUS DISBURSEMENTS | |||
| Local authority search fee | £246.00 | £0.00 | £246.00 |
| Bankruptcy search fee | £2.00 | £0.00 | £2.00 |
| Bankruptcy search fee | £2.00 | £0.00 | £2.00 |
| Land Registry priority search fee | £3.00 | £0.00 | £3.00 |
| Land Registry registration fee | £95.00 | £0.00 | £95.00 |
| Stamp duty land tax** | £5,000.00** | £0.00 | £5,000.00** |
| SUB-TOTAL | £5,348.00 | £0.00 | £5,348.00 |
| TOTAL COST TO YOU | £6,278.00 | £186.00 | £6,464.00 |
Disbursements
Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable by you to third parties, such as search fees, HM Land Registry fees, Stamp Duty Land Tax. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process, but you may be required to pay the funds to us on account before we incur these.
We enclose details of some typical disbursements. This list is not exhaustive and other disbursements may apply. We will update you on the specific fees that will apply upon receipt and review of the title documentation:
Bankruptcy Search Fee
This applies to purchases made with a mortgage only.
This is payable to the Land Registry and ensures that the buyer is not bankrupt or not about to be bankrupt. It costs £2 (no VAT) per name.Land Registry Priority Search Fee
This applies to purchases only.
This is payable to the Land Registry and prevents registration of an adverse interest for 30 business days to allow registration of the property and costs £3 (no VAT) per title. For new-build purchases where you are buying with Help to Buy, the cost is £6 (no VAT).Land Registry Registration Fee
This applies to purchases only.
This is payable to the Land Registry and depends on the purchase price of your property. You can calculate the amount you will need to pay by using the Land Registry fee table which is available here.Lawyer Verification Fee
This is payable to Lawyer Checker in accordance with the Solicitors Regulation Authority recommendation to help prevent fraud by verifying that the bank details provided by the other parties’ solicitor are correct and costs £18 (no VAT). This is not required in every transaction, especially if the other party’s solicitors are local and known to us.
Leasehold Fees
For sales of leasehold properties, the freehold owner and/or management company is usually required to provide a management pack containing details of the ground rent and service charge accounts and details of any large payments that are expected. The cost of these management packs vary but typically are £240, £360, or £480 (£200, £300 or £400 plus VAT of £40, £60 or £80).
For purchases of leasehold properties, there are fees payable to the freehold owner and / or the management company to complete the transaction such as notice of transfer, a notice of the charge (if the property is to be mortgaged), deed of covenant and certificate of compliance. Details of the fees chargeable will be set out in the lease but typically are £240, £360, or £480 (£200, £300 or £400 plus VAT of £40, £60 or £80).Local Authority Search and Local Water Aurthority Search Fee
This applies to purchases and auction sales only.
This is payable to the search provider and provides useful information about the property and surrounding area. A local authority search and local water authority search will be required if you are buying with a mortgage. It is optional if you are not buying with a mortgage, but we would recommend that you obtain the search.Resale Sale, Purchase and New Build
The fee for a local authority search, highways plan and local water authority search for properties within Cumbria is £78
The fee for properties located in Calderdale is £72. Land Searches including Coal, Environmental & Flood are £10 The fee for a local authority search, highways plan and local water authority search for properties located elsewhere with a land search is £234Local Coal Authority Search Fee
For new build properties, a local coal authority search is usually required. The fee for a local coal authority search within Cumbria is £49 (£40.83 plus VAT of £8.17).
Official Copy of Register of Title and Title Plan
This applies to sales only. This is payable to the Land Registry for obtaining a copy of the registered title and plan to the property and costs £6 (no VAT) per freehold title and, usually, £15 (no VAT) per leasehold title (which includes the leasehold and freehold titles and plans and a copy of the lease).
Stamp Duty Land Tax
This applies to purchases only. First-time buyers paying £425,000 or less for a residential property will pay no Stamp Duty Land Tax and first-time buyers paying between £425,001 and £625,000 will pay Stamp Duty Land Tax at 5% on the amount of the purchase price in excess of £425,001. If you are not first-time buyers, when you buy a property that costs more than £250,000, the Stamp Duty Land Tax you will pay to HMRC depends on the purchase price of your property. If you already own a property, in the UK or abroad, you pay an extra 3%.
You will not pay the higher Stamp Duty Land Tax rates if the property you are buying is replacing your main residence and that main residence has already been sold. If you buy a new main residence but the sale for your previous main residence is delayed, you will pay the higher rate (as you own 2 properties) but you can get a refund for the amount above the normal Stamp Duty Land Tax rates if you sell your previous main residence within 3 years. The refund must be claimed within 3 months of the sale of the previous main residence or within 12 months of the filing date of the return, whichever comes later. You can calculate the amount you will need to pay by using HMRC’s Stamp Duty Land Tax calculator here.What is included?
Our charges cover all of the work required to complete your residential sale or purchase including the following key stages:
| SALE | PURCHASE |
|---|---|
| Take your detailed initial instructions and give you initial advice | Take your detailed initial instructions and give you initial advice |
| Send contract and title documents | Check finances are in place to fund purchase |
| Obtain further planning documentation, if required | Contact lender's solicitors* |
| Respond to any enquiries made by the seller's solicitor | Receive and advise you on contract and title documents |
| Contact lender to obtain mortgage redemption figure* | Carry out searches |
| Send final contract and transfer to you for signature | Obtain further planning documentation, if required |
| Exchange contracts, agree completion date and notify you that this has happened | Make any necessary enquiries of seller's solicitor |
| Agree any apportionments | Give you advice on all documents and information received |
| Obtain final mortgage redemption figure* | Go through conditions of mortgage offer with you* |
| Complete sale including redemption of mortgages* or other charges | Send final contract and transfer to you for signature |
| Account to you with any net proceeds of sale | Exchange contracts, agree completion date and notify you that this has happened |
| Agree any apportionments | |
| Arrange for all monies needed to be received from lender* and you |
|
| Complete purchase including receiving any mortgage* advance |
|
| Deal with any post-completion matters including payment of stamp duty land tax* and application for registration at the Land Registry and sending you a copy of the Title when registration completed. |
*Additional charges apply for dealing with a mortgage and/or for dealing with stamp duty land tax
What is not included?
Assumptions and our fees for any additional services required or requested
Assumptions
Our charges are based upon a number of assumptions that are set out below. If any of these assumptions are incorrect or change, we will provide you with a revised estimate of our charges.
Our charges assume that: • That the property is a residential property in England (not a farmhouse); • The property is freehold. If the property is leasehold, we charge an additional £360 (£300 plus VAT of £60); • The property is registered at the Land Registry with 1 title number. If there are additional title numbers, there may be additional charges and / or disbursements, details of which will be provided, and a revised quotation issued. If the property is unregistered (i.e. “old fashioned” title deeds) we will charge an additional £200 plus VAT • That the property being transferred is the whole of a title. If the property being transferred is a sale of part of a registered title, we will charge an additional £150 (£125 plus VAT of £25); • That the property is not tenanted or will not be tenanted upon completion; • That the purchase monies are being provided for by you; • That you are buying the property for your own occupation; • That there are no unusual or unforeseen complications. Our standard charges do not include financial, valuation or taxation advice. Our standard charges do not include negotiations as to the sale or purchase price. Our standard charges do not include any of the additional services required or requested as set out below.Our Fees for any Additional Services Required or Requested
Your costs estimate includes all of the conveyancing transaction work that we need to carry out during the course of a normal conveyancing transaction. However, there is an additional identification service fee that is required in all transactions (which is shown red in the table below) and there are additional charges for additional work where requested by you or required due to unusual or unforeseen complications, some common additional charges are shown with asterisks(*1-7) in the table below. Below the table is a brief explanation of the highlighted additional charges.
| ITEM | CHARGE | VAT | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Applying for & Approving Indemnity Insurance (Title, Searches etc.) per policy | £75.00 | £15.00 | £90.00 |
| 14 Day Exchange Deadlines | £200.00 | £40.00 | £240.00 |
| 28 Day Exchange Deadlines | £100.00 | £20.00 | £120.00 |
| Ancillary Land Transaction | £300.00 | £60.00 | £360.00 |
| Applying for & Approving Bespoke Indemnity Insurance per policy | £100.00 | £20.00 | £120.00 |
| Auction Abortive Fee | £175.00 | £35.00 | £210.00 |
| Certificate of Compliance Freehold or Leasehold | £150.00 | £30.00 | £180.00 |
| Contaminated Land Fee | £95.00 | £19.00 | £114.00 |
| Courier Fee | As Charged by Courier | ||
| Dealing with Additional Titles (per Title) | £50.00 | £10.00 | £60.00 |
| Dealing With Bridging Loans | From £750.00 | From £150.00 | From £900.00 (TBC upon document review) |
| Dealing with a Defective Title | From £75.00 | From £15.00 | From £90.00 (TBC upon document review) |
| Deed of Covenant - Preparation | £200.00 | £40.00 | £240.00 |
| Deed of Easement | £600.00 | £120.00 | £720.00 |
| Deed of Guarantee | £250.00 | £50.00 | £300.00 |
| Deed of Postponement | £175.00 | £35.00 | £210.00 |
| Deed of Substituted Security | £250.00 | £50.00 | £300.00 |
| Deed of Trust – Non Standard | From £350.00 | From £70.00 | From £420.00 (TBC upon document review) |
| Deed of Trust – Standard | £200.00 | £40.00 | £240.00 |
| Deed of variation | £300.00 | £60.00 | £360.00 |
| Deeds postage & Admin Fee | £10.00 | £2.00 | £12.00 |
| Deeds Storage fee | £40.00 | £8.00 | £48.00 |
| Directors Personal Guarantee | £250.00 | £50.00 | £300.00 (per guarantee) |
| Document Translation Fee | £200.00 | £40.00 | £240.00 |
| Duplicate correspondence Matrimonial and non-matrimonial separations & probate matters | £75.00 | £15.00 | £90.00 (for initial correspondence and legal documents) |
| Freeholds with Management Company or Rent Charge | £150.00 | £30.00 | £180.00 |
| Gifted Deposit per person unless gifters hold a joint account | £75.00 | £15.00 | £90.00 |
| Grade II Listed Buildings Fee | £200.00 | £40.00 | £240.00 |
| Help to Buy & Lifetimes ISA’s | £50.00 | £10.00 | £60.00 |
| HMO Properties Fee | £300.00 | £60.00 | £360.00 |
| International Bank Transfer Fee | £50.00 | £10.00 | £60.00 |
| Leasehold Title/Shared Ownership | £300.00 | £60.00 | £360.00 |
| Leasehold House | £200.00 | £40.00 | £240.00 |
| Lender Service Fee | £100.00 | £20.00 | £120.00 |
| Lender Service Fee Buy to Let | £150.00 | £30.00 | £180.00 |
| Licence to Assign | £125.00 | £25.00 | £150.00 |
| Long Service Advance of Pay / Forces Help To Buy Finances/Correspondence to Lender/Promissory Note | £95.00 | £19.00 | £114.00 |
| Modern Day Auction Properties | £250.00 | £50.00 | £300.00 |
| Mutual Deed of Covenant for Flying Freehold | £200.00 | £40.00 | £240.00 |
| Non Standard Undertaking | £100.00 | £20.00 | £120.00 |
| Notice to Complete | £150.00 | £30.00 | £180.00 |
| Overseas Clients Fee | £150.00 | £30.00 | £180.00 |
| Power of Attorney to Act in One Off Transactions | £250.00 | £50.00 | £300.00 |
| Purchase of a Share of the Freehold Title | £300.00 | £60.00 | £360.00 |
| Purchase with Sitting Tenants | £200.00 | £40.00 | £240.00 |
| Companies House - Purchase / mortgage in Company Name | £150.00 | £30.00 | £180.00 |
| Redemption of a Help to Buy Mortgage | £150.00 | £30.00 | £180.00 |
| Redemption of second charges / additional mortgages | £100.00 | £20.00 | £120.00 |
| Removal of registered caution/notice/restriction | £95.00 | £19.00 | £114.00 |
| Repossession Report | £150.00 | £30.00 | £180.00 |
| Review of New Build Title Documents | £250.00 | £50.00 | £300.00 |
| Solar Panels and any Leases Attached | £250.00 | £50.00 | £300.00 |
| Statement of Truth Re Purchase Funds | £50.00 | £10.00 | £60.00 |
| Statutory Declaration or other Statement of Truth | £100.00 | £20.00 | £120.00 |
| Telegraphic Transfer Fee (per transaction) UK | £35.00 | £7.00 | £42.00 |
| Third Parties / Separate Representation Solicitors | £200.00 | £40.00 | £240.00 |
| Three Day payment (BACS) UK | £15.00 | £3.00 | £18.00 |
| Tyneside Lease | £150.00 | £30.00 | £180.00 |
| Tyneside Lease including Remedial Works | £300.00 | £60.00 | £360.00 |
| Unregistered Title | £200.00 | £40.00 | £240.00 |
Archive service fee* This applies to all matters. This is our charge for archiving and maintaining your file of papers at the conclusion of the transaction. The charge includes the cost of file retrieval should you subsequently require further information from your file of papers. We charge a fee of £36 (£30 plus VAT of £6).
Gifted deposit per person unless those gifting hold a joint account** If a third party, for example, family member, is contributing towards your deposit (or is to have an interest in the property) additional work will have to be carried out to check the origins of this contribution to meet money laundering regulations and to meet obligations to any mortgage lender. We charge a fee of £75 plus VAT per person unless joint gifters hold a joint bank account, plus additional identification service fees. Identification service fee*** We are required by money laundering regulations to identify each of our clients. There is a separate charge of £12 (£10 plus VAT of £2) for all matters for each name searched against. Our fee for this service will be payable by you whether or not the matter proceeds to completion. If you are both selling a property and buying a property we will only charge you once per name. Leasehold service fee**** As not all properties are leasehold, Butterworths’ conveyancing transaction fee does not include the cost of the additional work involved in dealing with a leasehold property. Flats are usually April 2019 leasehold, as are some estate developments. If you pay ground rent or a service charge, the property is leasehold. We charge a leasehold service fee of £300 + VAT. Lenders service fee***** As not all clients have a mortgage to redeem or buy with a mortgage, Butterworths’ conveyancing transaction fee does not include the cost of the additional work involved in redeeming any existing mortgage on a sale or in acting for your mortgage lender on a purchase. If you have a mortgage to redeem or are buying with a mortgage, we charge you a lenders service fee of £120 (£100 plus VAT of £20). Stamp duty land tax service fee****** This applies to purchases only and is our charge for completing the stamp duty return and arranging payment of the stamp duty. We charge a stamp duty land tax service fee of £90 (£75 plus VAT of £15). Telegraphic transfer service fee******* This is our charge for sending the mortgage redemption money by CHAPS to discharge an existing mortgage or/and our fee for sending the purchase monies to the seller’s solicitors and/or our fee for sending any net proceeds of the sale to you electronically. We charge a telegraphic transfer service fee of £42 (£35 plus VAT of £7). Mortgage monies and purchase monies must be sent by CHAPS the same day. Any net proceeds of the sale can be sent to you by BACS (3-day bank transfer) at a cost of £18 (£15 plus VAT of £3). Alternatively, any net proceeds of the sale can be sent to you by cheque and will not incur any charge.Aborted Transactions
Resale Sale and Purchase
If the transaction does not proceed to the completion stage, a bill of costs will be drawn up and submitted to you for the work carried out on your behalf up to the stage where the transaction was aborted based upon an hourly rate of £186 per hour (£155 per hour plus VAT of £31). The fee will not exceed our estimated or quoted transaction charge.
Auction
Auction sales are conducted on a no sale; no fee basis and the costs are only payable by you if the property sells successfully at auction. If the property does not sell, there are no fees to pay.
Referral Fees
Butterworths has established relationships with a number of professional organisations with whom we work closely and which allows us to deliver more timely, accurate and efficient service to you. Butterworths pays a referral fee with those organisations but we remain independent of the other party and the payment of any referral fee will not influence the advice we give to you.
Full details of any referral fee will be contained in our client care letter, terms of business or estimate. Payment of any referral fee will have no effect on the cost quoted to you; it is not passed on to you and is absorbed by Butterworths.How long will the Conveyancing process take?
How long it will take from your offer being accepted until you can move into your house will depend on a number of factors including:
• The number of parties in any chain: the more parties, the more parties that need to be ready at the same time; • Problems with the title; • Whether the title is registered or unregistered; unregistered titles can involve additional work; • Whether there are any mortgages; • Whether the title is leasehold, and particularly whether any lease extension is required; • The number and type of searches; • The number and type of enquiries received (sale) or made (purchase) • The result of surveys or valuations; • Delays caused by other parties outside of our controlResale Sale and Purchase
The average resale sale or purchase transaction takes between 8 to 12 weeks from instruction to legal completion. For purchases, the property is then registered at the Land Registry.
New Build
The average new-build conveyancing transaction takes between 6 to 8 weeks from instruction to exchange of contracts. Legal completion then usually occurs within 2 to 4 weeks after the developer advises that the property build has completed. The property is then registered at the Land Registry.
Auction
Preparation of the legal pack usually takes approximately 5 working days from when we receive all the paperwork. The average auction transaction completes within 28 days after the contracts are exchanged at auction. For purchases, the property is then registered at the Land Registry.
Registration at the Land Registry
For purchases, the property is registered at the Land Registry after legal completion. The latest time estimates for registration (as at 04 March 2019) are approximately 5 workings days for existing registered properties, 29 working days where a new title must be created, 69 working days for new leases and 54 working days for transfers of part of a registered title, including newbuild properties.
