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How much does conveyancing cost in London?

· By London Solicitors Guide
A bunch of silver keys resting on a grey folder on a wooden table beside a window

Cost guides across the UK give a legal fee of roughly £800 to £1,500 for buying a home. They list a typical freehold sale at roughly £700 to £950 including VAT. However, none of them gives a London-specific figure, so treat these as a starting point and not a total.

The legal fee is what the solicitor or licensed conveyancer charges for their own work. When you read about conveyancing fees in London, separate this part out first, because other costs sit beside it. Disbursements are extra costs on top of the legal fee, such as searches. VAT is a further question, since some guides include it and some leave it out.

The SRA Transparency Rules require firms that publish that they offer residential conveyancing to individuals to put cost information on their website. Under Rule 1, a firm must give the total cost or, where that is not practicable, the average cost or a range. It must state whether it charges hourly rates or fixed fees, name the experience and qualifications of the people doing the work, and list likely disbursements. It must also say whether VAT applies, what the price includes, and the key stages and likely timescales, although Rule 1 does not apply to publicly funded work.

Published UK cost guides put the legal fee for buying a home at roughly £800 to £1,500. That range is a guide and not a quote, and it excludes disbursements such as searches. However, the guides differ on whether VAT is included, so the same fee can look higher or lower depending on the source.

Because of that, ask every firm to say whether its figure includes VAT. Ask too what the fee covers and which disbursements the firm expects. A fee that leaves out searches is not the same as one that includes them, so check like with like.

A leasehold purchase usually adds roughly £300 to £500 to the legal fee, for the extra checks on the lease. Our guide to leasehold purchase costs explains what drives that difference. For a wider view of the buying side, read our guide to the cost of buying a house with a solicitor.

Published UK cost guides put the legal fee for a typical freehold sale at roughly £700 to £950 including VAT. Sales at higher values cost more, so a flat figure suits only a typical sale. Treat the range as a guide, because the final fee depends on the job in front of the firm.

Notice that the sale range includes VAT, while the purchase guides differ on the point. As a result, you cannot simply set the two ranges side by side. The sale figure also covers a freehold only, so a leasehold sale needs its own question to the firm.

Note whether the home is freehold or leasehold before you ask a firm about its fee. Also note roughly what you expect it to sell for. That detail helps because the firm can explain what it will charge and why. It also gives you something concrete to ask about when you read the firm’s published cost information.

Costs that are not the solicitor’s fee

Stamp Duty Land Tax is a separate cost and not part of the legal fee. GOV.UK sets out when it starts to apply, and the thresholds depend on the type of property and the buyer. For example, first-time buyers have a different threshold from other buyers of residential property. Check the current rules on GOV.UK before you budget, because this guide gives no Stamp Duty figure.

Searches are disbursements, so they also sit outside the legal fee. The published purchase range excludes them, which is why a headline fee can understate what you pay in total. On a leasehold home, the freeholder or managing agent charges separately for a management pack, so ask what that costs. Add these items to your own list before you decide what you can afford, because they arrive alongside the legal fee and not inside it.

How to get a clear quote

A clear quote answers a few plain questions, and you can ask them of any firm. Start by asking what the price includes and which stages of the work it covers. Next, ask whether VAT is included, because the guides differ and a missing VAT line can change the total.

Then ask which disbursements the firm expects, and roughly what each one costs. Finally, ask what happens to the fee if the sale falls through. Note the answer in writing, because it is easier to check later.

You can use a solicitor or, in England and Wales only, a licensed conveyancer regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers. Citizens Advice also says you can do the conveyancing yourself, although it can be complicated. Our conveyancing page gives the wider picture of what the work involves. Before you instruct anyone, use our check-a-solicitor page to confirm the firm is regulated.

Frequently asked questions

How much does conveyancing cost in London?
Published UK cost guides put the legal fee for buying a home at roughly £800 to £1,500, excluding disbursements such as searches. They put a typical freehold sale at roughly £700 to £950 including VAT. These sources give no London-specific figure, so ask each firm what its quote includes, and whether VAT is part of it.
Do conveyancing firms have to publish their prices?
Firms that publish that they offer residential conveyancing to individuals must show cost information on their website under the SRA Transparency Rules. That covers freehold or leasehold sales and purchases, and mortgages or remortgages. The firm gives the total cost or, where that is not practicable, the average cost or a range.
Who can do conveyancing?
You can use a solicitor or, in England and Wales only, a licensed conveyancer, who is regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers. You can also do the conveyancing yourself. Citizens Advice warns that this can be complicated, so think carefully before you take it on.

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