Conveyancing

You have found your dream home and all you want is for the Conveyancing process to run smoothly and cost effectively

Our dedicated team of Conveyancers are aware the decision to buy or sell a property is never an easy one. We have vast experience in this field and we are members of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme.

We offer the following services:

• Sale and Purchase of Freehold properties
• Sale and Purchase of Leasehold properties

We also have extensive experience of conveyancing property following Divorce settlements

Purchase of a Freehold Residential Property

Our fees for a typical purchase range as shown below. These figures may vary however in cases with special complications. We always give you an individual cost estimate at the start of the transaction taking into account the actual features of your purchase. We will always advise you about any complication and discuss any potential impact on price before any additional charges are incurred.

Our fees cover all of the work required to complete the purchase of your new home, including dealing with registration at the Land Registry and dealing with the payment of Stamp Duty Land Tax (Stamp Duty) if the property is in England, or Land Transaction Tax (Land Tax) if the property you wish to buy is in Wales.

*VAT will be charged at the current rate of 20% in addition to the stated fee

Additional fees and Disbursements

• Bank charges for sending funds by a bank transfer – £30 plus VAT per bank transfer (e.g. funds to seller’s solicitor on completion, payment of stamp duty to HMRC)

These following are costs payable to third parties that relate to your purchase.

• Search fees: £300 plus VAT estimated (please note actual cost depends on the location of your property)
• Land registry pre-completion search: £3.90 per title being purchased
• Bankruptcy search: £2.90 per contracting party and per person gifting funds (if any)
• HM Land Registry fee: this depends on the purchase price of your property.

You can calculate the amount you need to pay using the Land Registry website using the following link

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fees-hm-land-registry-guides

• Archiving fee £10 plus VAT
• Electronic identification/AML check per name £7.20
• Electronic submission of SDLT £4.80
• Electronic submission of Land Registry application £4.80
• Stamp Duty Land Tax or Land Tax: this depends on the purchase price of your property. For England you can calculate the amount of Stamp Duty Land Tax you need pay by using HMRC’s website or, if the property is located in Wales, by using the by using the Welsh Revenue Authority’s website to calculate the Land Tax payable. The sum is payable by bank transfer (see above)

NOTE

If your matter requires additional work that is not included in fees indicated above you will be informed of this and what the additional cost will be at the earliest possible opportunity. Our fees indicated above assume this is the purchase of a registered title property and this is a standard transaction. If the property you are purchasing has unregistered legal title this may give rise to additional fees. Fees indicated also assume no unforeseen matters arise including for example (but not limited to) a defect in title which requires remedying prior to completion or the preparation of additional documents additional to the main transaction.

If we are required to expedite your purchase within an urgent time frame (for example if you have agreed a 7 or 14 day exchange) then there may be an additional expedition fee and please contact us to discuss.

Your funding circumstances may also affect our fees. For example, if there is more than one lender providing funds for your purchase. Due to this we cannot give you a reliable estimate of the cost of us helping you until we have full details of your intended transaction.

How long will my house purchase 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. The average purchase takes between 8 to 12 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, the developer may give you a deadline to exchange contract within 21 or 28 days. However, if you are buying a property where there is a problem with the legal title that require to be remedied before completion, this can take significantly longer depending on the nature of the problem. In such a situation, additional charges would apply.

Stages of the process

The key stages of the process include:

• take your instructions and give you initial advice;
• check finances are in place to fund purchase and contact lender’s solicitors if needed;
• receive and advise on contract documents;
• carry out searches;
• obtain further planning documents if required;
• make any necessary enquiries if seller’s solicitors;
• give you advice on all documents and information received;
• go through conditions of mortgage offer with you;
• send final contract to you for signature;
• agree completion date (date from which you own the property);
• exchange contracts and notify you that this has happened;
• arrange for all monies needed to be received from lender and you;
• complete purchase;
• deal with payment of Stamp Duty/Land Tax;
• deal with application for registration at Land Registry;

Please contact us on admin@fortsolicitors.com for a personalised estimate

Sale of a Freehold Property

Our fees for a typical sale range as shown below. These figures may vary in sales with special complications. We always give you an individual cost estimate at the start of the transaction taking into account the actual features of your sale. We will always advise you about any complication and discuss any potential impact on price before any additional charges are incurred.

*VAT will be charged at the current rate of 20% in addition to the stated fee

Additional fees and Disbursements

• Bank charges for sending funds by a bank transfer – £30 plus VAT per bank transfer (e.g. redemption of mortgage and payment of net sale proceeds to you on completion).

These following are costs payable to third parties that relate to your sale

• Up to date land registry title entries of freehold title: £7.20
• Electronic Identification(£20 plus VAT per person) £24

NOTE

If your matter requires additional work that is not included in fees indicated above you will be informed of this and what the additional cost will be at the earliest possible opportunity. Our fees indicated above assume this is the sale of a registered title property and this is a standard transaction.  If your property has unregistered legal title this may give rise to additional fees. If your property is part of an estate with a management company and maintenance fees are paid then this will involve additional work on our part and additional fees will be charged.

Fees indicated also assume no unforeseen matters arise including for example (but not limited to) a defect in title which requires remedying prior to completion or the preparation of additional documents additional to the main transaction.

Due to this we cannot give you a reliable estimate of the cost of us helping you until we have full details of your intended transaction.

If we are required to expedite your sale within an urgent time frame (for example if you have agreed a 7/14/21 day exchange) then there may be an additional expedition fee and please contact us to discuss.

How long will my house sale take?

How long it will take from you accepting an offer to sell your home until completion will depend on a number of factors. The average sale takes between 8 to 12 weeks.

It can be quicker or slower, depending on the parties in the chain. For example, if you are selling to a first-time buyer who already has a mortgage in principle and you do not have a related purchase, it could take 8 weeks. However, if your sale is part of a chain of related transactions the process could be delayed or slower depending on the parties in the chain.

Stages of the process

The key stages of the process include:

• take your instructions and give you initial advice;
• send property information forms to you for completion;
• check property’s legal title;
• prepare contract documents;
• submit contract documents and completed property information forms to the buyer’s solicitors;
• reply to any necessary enquiries raised by buyer’s solicitors;
• send final contract to you for signature;
• agree completion date (date from which you sell the property);
• exchange contracts and notify you that this has happened;
• send you final transfer documentation for signature;
• if you have a mortgage obtain repayment statement from your lender;
• prepare final financial statement showing net sale proceeds available to you on completion;
• complete sale;
• deal with repayment of mortgage and estate agent’s fees (where applicable);
• account to you for net sale proceeds;

Please contact us on admin@fortsolicitors.com for a personalised estimate

Purchase of a Leasehold Property

Our fees for a typical purchase range as shown below. These figures may vary however in cases with special complications. We always give you an individual cost estimate at the start of the transaction taking into account the actual features of your purchase. We will always advise you about any complications and discuss any potential impact on price before any additional charges are incurred.

Our fees cover all of the work required to complete the purchase of your new home, including dealing with registration at the Land Registry and dealing with the payment of Stamp Duty Land Tax (Stamp Duty) if the property is in England, or Land Transaction Tax (Land Tax) if the property you wish to buy is in Wales.

*VAT will be charged at the current rate of 20% in addition to the stated fee

Additional fees and Disbursements

• Bank charges for sending funds by a bank transfer– of £30 plus VAT per bank transfer (e.g. funds to seller’s solicitor on completion, payment of stamp duty to HMRC)

The following are costs payable to third parties that relate to your purchase.

• Search fees: £300 plus VAT estimated (please note actual cost depends on the location of your property)

• Land registry pre-completion search: £4.20 per title being purchased

• Bankruptcy search: £3.20 per contracting party and per person gifting funds (if any)

• HM Land Registry fee: this depends on the purchase price of your property.

You can calculate the amount you need to pay using the need to pay using the Land Registry website at the following link

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fees-hm-land-registry-guides

• Electronic submission of SDLT £5.20
• Electronic submission of Land Registry application £5.20
• Archiving fee £10 plus VAT
• Electronic identification /AML check per name £20 plus VAT

Stamp Duty Land Tax or Land Tax: this depends on the purchase price of your property. For England you can calculate the amount of Stamp Duty Land Tax you need pay by using HMRC’s website or, if the property is located in Wales, by using the by using the Welsh Revenue Authority’s website to calculate the Land Tax payable. This sum is payable by bank transfer (see above).

Anticipated Disbursements

These fees vary from property to property and can on occasion be significantly more than the ranges given above. We can give you an accurate figure once we have sight of your specific documents

• Companies House Fee: £15
• Landlord’s notice fee: this fee if chargeable is set out in the lease. Often the fee is between £50 to £100 plus VAT.
• Landlord’s deed of covenant fee: this fee is provided by the management company for the property and can be difficult to estimate. Often it is between £100 and £200 plus VAT.
• Landlord’s certificate of compliance fee: to be confirmed upon receipt of the lease, and can range between £100 to £300 plus VAT.

You should also be aware that ground rent and service charge are likely to apply throughout your ownership of the property. We will confirm the ground rent and the anticipated service charge as soon as this we receive this information.

NOTE

If your matter requires additional work that is not included in fees indicated above you will be informed of this and what the additional cost will be at the earliest possible opportunity. Our fees indicated above assume this is the purchase of a registered title property and this is a standard transaction. If the property you are purchasing has unregistered legal title this may give rise to additional fees. Fees indicated also assume no unforeseen matters arise including for example (but not limited to) a defect in title which requires remedying prior to completion or the preparation of additional documents additional to the main transaction.

If we are required to expedite your purchase within an urgent time frame (for example if you have agreed a 7 or 14 day exchange) then there may be an additional expedition fee and please contact us to discuss.

Your funding circumstances may also affect our fees. For example if there is more than one lender providing funds for your purchase. Due to this we cannot give you a reliable estimate of the cost of us helping you until we have full details of your intended transaction.

How long will my house purchase 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. The average purchase takes between 8 to 12 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, the developer may give you a deadline to exchange contract within 21 or 28 days. However, if you are buying a property where there is a problem with the legal title that require to be remedied before completion, this can take significantly longer depending on the nature of the problem. In such a situation, additional charges would apply.

Stages of the process

The key stages of the process include:

• take your instructions and give you initial advice;
• check finances are in place to fund purchase and contact lender’s solicitors if needed;
• receive and advise on contract documents;
• carry out searches;
• obtain further planning documents if required;
• make any necessary enquiries if seller’s solicitors;
• give you advice on all documents and information received;
• go through conditions of mortgage offer with you;
• send final contract to you for signature;
• agree completion date (date from which you own the property);
• exchange contracts and notify you that this has happened;
• arrange for all monies needed to be received from lender and you;
• complete purchase;
• deal with payment of Stamp Duty/Land Tax;
• deal with application for registration at Land Registry;

Please contact us on admin@fortsolicitors.com for a personalised estimate

Sale of a Leasehold Property

Our fees for a typical sale range as shown below. These figures may vary however in cases with special complications. We always give you an individual cost estimate at the start of the transaction taking into account the actual features of your purchase. Once we have received a copy of your lease and seen the landlord or managing agent’s management pack we will let you know if any additional fees apply. For example if there is likely to be extra work due to the lease requiring the landlord’s consent to the sale ( a licence to assign) or additional work carried out in relation to your membership of any management company.

We will always advise you about any complication and discuss any potential impact on price before any additional charges are incurred.

*VAT will be charged at the current rate of 20% in addition to the stated fee

Additional Costs and Disbursements

• Bank charges for sending funds by a bank transfer– £30 plus VAT per bank transfer (e.g. redemption of mortgage and payment of net sale proceeds to you on completion).

The following are costs payable to third parties that relate to your sale

• Up to date land registry title entries of your title and copy lease (£3.90 per document) : £11.70 per title
• Up to date land registry title entries of freehold title: £7.80
• Up to date land registry title entries of any intermediate leasehold title and copy lease: £11.70 per title
• Electronic Identification (£20 plus VAT per person) £24

Anticipated Disbursements

These fees vary from property to property and can on occasion be significantly more than the ranges given above. We can give you an accurate figure once we have sight of your specific documents.

• Landlord’s fee for the management pack: this fee is provided by the landlord or managing agents for the property and can be difficult to estimate. Often this is between £150 to £500 but can be as much as £800 depending on the landlord or managing agents.

NOTE

If your matter requires additional work that is not included in fees indicated above you will be informed of this and what the additional cost will be at the earliest possible opportunity. Our fees indicated above assume this is the sale of a registered title property and this is a standard transaction. If your property has unregistered legal title this may give rise to additional fees. Fees indicated also assume no unforeseen matters arise including for example (but not limited to) a defect in title which requires remedying prior to completion or the preparation of additional documents additional to the main transaction. If the leasehold property you are selling requires an extension of the lease, this may also result in additional fees. Due to this we cannot give you a reliable estimate of the cost of us helping you until we have full details of your intended transaction.

If we are required to expedite your sale within an urgent time frame (for example if you have agreed a 7/14/21 day exchange) then there may be an additional expedition fee and please contact us to discuss.

How long will my house sale take?

How long it will take from you accepting an offer to sell your home until completion will depend on a number of factors. The average sale takes between 8 to 12 weeks.

It can be quicker or slower, depending on the parties in the chain. For example, if you selling to a first-time buyer who already has a mortgage in principle and you do not have a related purchase, it could take 8 weeks. However, if your sale is part of a chain of related transactions the process could be delayed or slower depending on the parties in the chain.

Stages of the process

The key stages of the process include:

• take your instructions and give you initial advice;
• send property information forms to you for completion;
• check property’s legal title;
• prepare contract documents;
• submit contract documents and completed property information forms to the buyer’s solicitors;
• reply to any necessary enquiries raised by buyer’s solicitors;
• send final contract to you for signature;
• agree completion date (date from which you sell the property);
• exchange contracts and notify you that this has happened;
• send you final transfer documentation for signature;
• if you have a mortgage obtain repayment statement from your lender;
• prepare final financial statement showing net sale proceeds available to you on completion;
• complete sale;
• deal with repayment of mortgage and estate agent’s fees (where applicable);
• account to you for net sale proceeds;

Please contact us on admin@fortsolicitors.com for a personalised estimate