Purchasing a Property

The fee quoted is an estimated fee for a standard freehold purchase. If the property you are purchasing is leasehold then our fees may be higher. Should you require a specific quote please contact us.

There may be factors which could increase the overall costs of your purchase. These could include if the legal title is defective, if building regulations or planning permissions haven’t been obtained or if a lease extension or deed of variation is required.

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as Land Registry fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

Stamp Duty

This depends on the purchase price of your property. You can calculate the amount you will need to pay by using HMRC’s website or if the property is located in Wales by using the Welsh Revenue Authority’s website here..

How long will my house purchase take?

How long it will take from your offer being accepted until you can move in to your house will depend on a number of factors. The average process takes between 6-8 weeks.

It can be quicker or slower, depending on the parties in the chain. For example, if you are a first time buyer, purchasing a new build property with a mortgage in principle, it could take several weeks longer. However, if you are buying a leasehold property that requires an extension of the lease, this can take significantly longer, between 2 and 4 months. In such, a situation additional charges would apply.

Stages of the process

The precise stages involved in the purchase of a residential property vary according to the circumstances. However we outline below the key stages:

Initial steps

The estate agent (if there is one) will send both your solicitor and the seller’s solicitor a memorandum of sale so that we can get in touch with each other.

We will then write to the seller’s solicitor to ask for the draft contract and other documents which make up the initial contract pack. These documents may include

• Fittings and contents form
• Property information form
• Energy performance certificate
• Copy of the title deeds
• Copy lease

We will then review the documents received and raise any relevant enquiries. We will also submit various searches, including enquiries of the local authority (local search), water and drainage search, environmental search and if necessary a chancel check. There may be other searches that are relevant to the property.

These searches will only reveal information about the property you are buying and not about any neighbouring properties of the surrounding area.

Once all replies to enquiries and searches have been received by us we will report to you and all the documents. If you are happy with the information provided then you will sign the contract and provide the deposit (usually 10% of the purchase price) in readiness for exchange of contracts.

Sale of your property

The above quote is given for illustrative purposes only and the additional fees may be incurred if for example the legal title is defective or part of the property is unregistered. If the property is leasehold then additional fees may be payable. If you would like a specific quote please contact us.

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as Land Registry fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

There may be additional disbursements depending on the circumstances of the sale and these may including additional land registry fees if additional deeds and documents are required, fees for obtaining planning permissions or approvals from the local authority, if the property is leasehold we may need to obtain a pre-sale pack from the freeholder.

How long will my house sale take?

How long it will take from your offer being accepted until you move out of your home will depend on a number of factors. The average process takes between 6-8 weeks.

Stages of the Process

The precise stages involved in the sale of your home will vary according to the circumstances. However the key stages are as follows:

Initial Stages

Once you have a buyer for your property you will need to instruct a conveyancer/solicitor to act on your behalf.

Once you have chosen your solicitor the estate agent (if there is one) will send both your solicitor and the buyer’s solicitor a memorandum of sale setting out the agreed terms of the sale and each parties solicitor so that we can get in touch with each other.

We will obtain a copy of your title deeds from HM Land Registry if the property is registered land or from you if the property is unregistered. We will send you some forms which give information about the property and you will also need to complete a fittings and contents form which will list the items you are including and excluding from the sale.  You will need to complete the forms and return them to us.

We will prepare a contract of sale and send it to the buyer’s solicitor along with a copy of the title deeds and the forms you have completed. The buyer’s solicitor may then send enquiries to us after they have reviewed the documents sent to them. They will also be submitting searches and waiting for the buyer’s mortgage offer.

Exchange of Contracts

We will send you the contract of sale for signing in readiness for exchange of contracts. Your buyer will sign an identical contract. When your buyer is satisfied with all the information provided and they are ready to proceed we will exchange contracts. On exchange of contracts the buyer will have to pay a deposit of up to 10% of the purchase price and the completion date will be fixed.

It is only at the point of exchange of contracts that there is a legally binding contact between you and your buyer. Either you or the buyer can withdraw from the sale at any time up to exchange of contracts

If either party withdraws after exchange of contracts there will be financial penalties for the withdrawing party.

Completion

This is the final stage of the sale process.

You should ensure that the property is empty of all persons and possession (save any you are including in the sale) by the completion time stated in the contract which we will advise you of.

Once we received the balance of the proceeds from the buyer’s solicitor we will let you know and you can give the keys to the buyer. The keys are usually left with the estate agent who will then hand them over to the buyer on confirmation from us that we have the money.

We will repay your mortgage (if you have one), pay the estate agents commission invoice and deduct our fees and other disbursements from the proceeds of sale. The balance will then be sent to you.

Your Solicitor

The solicitor dealing with your conveyancing will be Nicola Hall or Tony Pittas. Please refer to our “About Us” section for details of their experience.

Probate Fees

We will handle the full process for you. This quote is for estates where:

• There is a valid will
• There is no more than one property
• There are no more than 3 bank or building society accounts
• There are no other intangible assets
• There are no more than 5 beneficiaries none of which are charity residuary beneficiaries
• There are no disputes between beneficiaries on division of assets. If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs
• There is no inheritance tax payable and the executors do not need to submit a full account to HMRC (Fees will be at the higher range if a full account needs to be submitted)
• There are no claims made against the estate

Disbursements included in this fee:

• Probate application fee of £273
• Bankruptcy only Land Charges Department searches £2 per beneficiary
• £150 plus VAT (approx. –depends on the size of the advert) – Post in The London Gazette – Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors.
• £150 plus VAT (approx. – depends on the size of the advert) – Post in a Local Newspaper – This also helps to protect against unexpected claims.

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 6-9 months. Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes 20 weeks. Collecting assets then follows, which can take between 2-8 weeks. Once this has been done, we can distribute the assets, which normally takes 1-2 weeks.

We can help you through this difficult process by obtaining the Grant of Probate on your behalf. We will also undertake the collecting and distributing of assets.

As part of our fee we will:

• Provide you with a solicitor to work on your matter
• Identify the legally appointed executors or administrators and beneficiaries
• Accurately identify the type of Probate application you will require
• Obtain the relevant documents required to make the application
• Complete the Probate Application and the relevant HMRC forms
• Make the application to the Probate Court on your behalf
• Obtain the Probate and securely send two copies to you
• Collect and distribute all assets in the estate

Potential Additional Costs

• If there is no will or the estate consists of any share holdings (stocks and bonds) there is likely to be additional costs that could range significantly depending on the estate and how it is to be dealt with. We can give you a more accurate quote once we have more information.
• If any additional copies of the grant are required, they will cost £1 (1 per asset usually).
• Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included and will be charged at our rates shown on this website.

Your Solicitor

The solicitor dealing with your conveyancing will be Tony Pittas. Please refer to our “About Us” section for details of his experience.