Who we act for
We act for people and businesses selling residential or commercial property, and for cash buyers, that is, buyers who are not using a mortgage. We do not act for mortgage lenders, so we cannot act on a purchase or remortgage that involves a mortgage.
How we charge
For residential sales and cash purchases we charge a fixed fee, set by the price of the property and whether it is freehold or leasehold. The fixed fee assumes a standard transaction: a registered title with no defects, a buyer or seller who provides documents promptly and, for leasehold property, the sale or purchase of an existing lease. If the matter turns out to be more complex, we will tell you before any extra work is done and agree any additional fee with you in writing.
Our fees are shown excluding VAT. VAT is added at 20%.
| Transaction | Our fee (excluding VAT at 20%) |
|---|---|
| Sale of a freehold home, price up to £500,000 | £995 |
| Sale of a freehold home, price £500,001 to £1,000,000 | £1,395 |
| Cash purchase of a freehold home, price up to £500,000 | £1,195 |
| Cash purchase of a freehold home, price £500,001 to £1,000,000 | £1,595 |
| Leasehold: additional fee on a sale | £350 |
| Leasehold: additional fee on a purchase | £450 |
| Price over £1,000,000 | Individual quotation |
For example, the sale of a freehold home for £400,000 costs £995 plus VAT of £199, a total of £1,194, plus the third-party costs listed below.
Commercial property
Commercial transactions vary more, so we give a written quotation once we know the details. Our fees usually start from the figures below, excluding VAT at 20%.
| Transaction | Our fee (excluding VAT) |
|---|---|
| Sale of commercial property (freehold, or assignment of an existing lease), price up to £500,000 | From £1,750 |
| Cash purchase of commercial property (freehold, or assignment of an existing lease), price up to £500,000 | From £2,250 |
| Sale, price £500,001 to £1,000,000 | From £2,500 |
| Cash purchase, price £500,001 to £1,000,000 | From £3,250 |
| New leases, multi-let property, business (asset) purchases, or price over £1,000,000 | Individual quotation |
What our fees include
On a sale:
- taking your instructions and checking your identity;
- obtaining the title documents and preparing the contract and the information forms for the buyer's solicitor;
- for leasehold property, requesting the management information from the landlord or managing agent;
- answering the buyer's enquiries;
- agreeing the contract and the completion date with you, and exchanging contracts;
- on completion, paying off any existing mortgage, paying the estate agent if you ask us to, and sending you the balance.
On a cash purchase:
- taking your instructions, checking your identity and the source of your funds;
- checking the title and the contract, and ordering searches;
- raising enquiries with the seller's solicitor and reporting to you on the property;
- for leasehold property, reviewing the lease and the management information;
- exchanging contracts and completing the purchase;
- preparing and submitting the Stamp Duty Land Tax return, and registering you as owner at HM Land Registry.
Commercial transactions also include negotiating the heads of terms where needed, the standard commercial property enquiries, and checking VAT on the price with you.
What is not included
- third-party costs (see below) and Stamp Duty Land Tax;
- work needed because the title is unregistered or defective, such as indemnity insurance, deeds of variation or missing planning or building regulation consents;
- granting a new lease, a licence to assign, or other landlord's consents;
- tax advice beyond preparing the Stamp Duty Land Tax return;
- mortgage-related work: we do not act for lenders.
We will tell you before any of this work is needed and agree the fee with you first.
Third-party costs (paid to others, not included in our fees)
These are set by other organisations and can change from time to time. We confirm the current amounts when you instruct us.
If you are buying (cash purchase)
- Local authority search: £208.50 including VAT for a property in the London Borough of Hillingdon (2026/27 fee); other councils charge different amounts.
- Drainage and water search (Thames Water): £72.60 including VAT for residential property; £167.52 for commercial property.
- Environmental search: typically about £50 to £80.
- HM Land Registry priority search: £7. HM Land Registry does not charge VAT.
- HM Land Registry registration fee, which depends on the price (transfer of a whole registered title, applied for online):
| Price paid | Fee (no VAT) |
|---|---|
| Up to £80,000 | £20 |
| £80,001 to £100,000 | £40 |
| £100,001 to £200,000 | £100 |
| £200,001 to £500,000 | £150 |
| £500,001 to £1,000,000 | £295 |
| Over £1,000,000 | £500 |
Leases and parts of a title have higher registration fees. See the HM Land Registry registration fees (opens in a new tab) on GOV.UK.
- Stamp Duty Land Tax, depending on the price and your circumstances. You can work it out with HMRC's Stamp Duty Land Tax calculator (opens in a new tab). Rates are on GOV.UK for residential property (opens in a new tab) and for non-residential and mixed-use property (opens in a new tab).
- For leasehold property: fees charged by the landlord or managing agent for registering notices and a deed of covenant, typically £50 to £250 for each.
If you are selling
- HM Land Registry official copies of the title: £7 each, usually two per title.
- For leasehold property: the landlord's or managing agent's management information pack, typically £200 to £500.
- Your estate agent's fees and the repayment of any mortgage, which are paid from the sale money.
Our administrative charges (buyers and sellers)
- Electronic identity check: £12 plus VAT for each person.
- Each electronic bank transfer: £30 plus VAT.
Key stages and how long it takes
A residential freehold sale or cash purchase without a chain typically takes 6 to 10 weeks from instruction to completion, and a leasehold transaction 8 to 14 weeks. A commercial freehold cash purchase typically takes 6 to 12 weeks; a matter involving a lease or a business purchase can take from 8 weeks to 6 months. Chains, missing documents and slow replies from third parties can make it take longer.
The key stages are:
- instructions, identity checks and, for buyers, source-of-funds checks;
- contract papers (seller) or title review and searches (buyer);
- enquiries and replies, and for leasehold the landlord's or managing agent's information;
- our report to you (buyer) and agreement of the completion date;
- exchange of contracts, when the deal becomes binding;
- completion, when the money is transferred and the keys released;
- after completion: Stamp Duty Land Tax return and HM Land Registry registration (buyer), or payment of the sale money (seller).
Estate property sold during probate
If a property in an estate we are administering needs to be sold, our conveyancing team can act on the sale. That work is charged separately from the probate fees, at the conveyancing sale fees above.
Who will carry out the work
When you instruct us, we will tell you who will carry out the work on your matter and who will supervise it, with their experience and qualifications.
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