How we can help · Conveyancing
Buying a home
We handle the whole process of buying your home, including registration at the Land Registry and Land Transaction Tax in Wales or Stamp Duty in England.
Our department
Experienced, and personally supervised
Colin Taylor, solicitor, heads our conveyancing work. He is supported by two very experienced members of staff who work closely with him, and the department is supervised by Alan Lewis, the firm’s Sole Principal.
The amount you pay depends on the price of the property and the nature and complexity of the work. We will give you a fixed price once we have details of the property and your circumstances.
Costs
An example: buying a £175,000 home
Our fees cover all of the work required to complete the purchase of your new home, including registration at the Land Registry and dealing with the payment of Land Transaction Tax if the property is in Wales, or Stamp Duty Land Tax if it is in England. The figures below apply to a freehold purchase, with or without a mortgage. The same legal fee and disbursements apply to a leasehold purchase, which may also involve the additional leasehold costs listed further down.
Prices under review. The figures below are carried over from our previous website and are being checked. Please call 01239 621999 for a current, confirmed quote.
| Legal fee | £545.00 |
|---|---|
| VAT on legal fee | £109.00 |
| Search fees | £242.00 |
|---|---|
| HM Land Registry fee | £95.00 |
| Electronic money transfer fee | £20.00 |
| VAT on electronic money transfer fee | £4.00 |
| Estimated total | £1,015.00 |
Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as Land Registry and search fees. We handle the payment of disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.
Land Transaction Tax or Stamp Duty
This depends on the purchase price of your property. You can calculate the amount using the Welsh Revenue Authority’s website if the property is in Wales, or HMRC’s website if it is in England. In this example, Land Transaction Tax on a property of £175,000 would be £0.00.
Leasehold
Additional costs on a leasehold purchase
Certain disbursements are set out in the individual lease. Those we anticipate are listed below; the list is not exhaustive, and we will update you on the specific fees once we have received and reviewed the lease from the seller’s solicitors.
| Anticipated disbursement | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Notice of transfer fee (if chargeable, set out in the lease) | often £50–£100 |
| Notice of charge fee (if the property is to be mortgaged) | often £50–£100 |
| Deed of covenant fee (set by the management company) | often £175–£250 |
| Certificate of compliance fee (confirmed on receipt of the lease) | £50–£150 |
These fees vary from property to property and can occasionally be significantly more than the ranges given. We can give you an accurate figure once we have seen your specific documents.
Ground rent and service charges are likely to apply throughout your ownership of the property. We will confirm the ground rent and anticipated service charge as soon as we receive this information.
The process
What we will do for you
The precise stages vary according to the circumstances, but these are the key stages involved in a typical purchase:
- Take your instructions and give you initial advice
- Check finances are in place to fund the purchase, and contact the lender’s solicitors if needed
- Receive and advise on the contract documents
- Carry out searches
- Obtain further planning documentation if required
- Make any necessary enquiries of the seller’s solicitor
- Advise you on all documents and information received
- Go through the conditions of your mortgage offer
- Send the final contract to you for signature
- Draft the transfer
- Advise you on joint ownership
- Obtain pre-completion searches
- Agree a completion date — the date from which you own the property
- Exchange contracts and let you know this has happened
- Arrange for all money needed to be received from your lender and from you
- Complete the purchase
- Deal with payment of Land Transaction Tax or Stamp Duty
- Apply for registration at the Land Registry
How long will my purchase take?
How long it takes from your offer being accepted until you can move in depends on a number of factors. If you are buying a leasehold property that needs an extension of the lease, it can take significantly longer.
Our fee assumes that:
- This is a standard transaction and no unforeseen matters arise — for example (but not limited to) a defect in title which needs remedying before completion, or the preparation of additional documents ancillary to the main transaction.
- For leasehold purchases, this is the assignment of an existing lease, not the grant of a new lease.
- The transaction is concluded in a timely manner and no unforeseen complications arise.
- All parties are cooperative and there is no unreasonable delay from third parties providing documentation.
- No indemnity policies are required. Additional disbursements may apply if they are.
Contact
Buying a property?
Tell us about the property and your circumstances, and we will give you a fixed price.
Bingham House, Pendre, Cardigan, Ceredigion, SA43 1JU · Finding us