Conveyancing Fees Calculator UK 2025

Typical conveyancing fees for a standard freehold purchase range from £800 to £1,500 for solicitor fees, plus £200-£400 for searches, £20-£500 for Land Registry, and around £65 for disbursements. Total costs usually fall between £1,200 and £2,500 excluding stamp duty.

Conveyancing fees typically include the solicitors professional fee for handling the legal work, property searches (local authority, environmental, water and drainage), Land Registry fees, bank transfer fees, anti-money laundering checks, and any additional work for leasehold or new build properties.

A straightforward freehold purchase typically takes 8-12 weeks from offer acceptance to completion. Leasehold properties can take 10-16 weeks due to additional enquiries. New builds may take longer if the property is not yet completed. Chain transactions often take 12-16 weeks or more.

No, you do not need a local solicitor. Most conveyancing is now done remotely by email and phone. Online conveyancers are often cheaper than high street firms. However, ensure your chosen solicitor is regulated by the SRA or CLC and has experience with your type of transaction.

Property searches reveal important information about the property and its surroundings. The local authority search covers planning permissions, building control, and road schemes. The environmental search checks for contamination and flood risk. The water and drainage search confirms connections and sewerage.

The Land Registry fee is charged to register your ownership or mortgage with HM Land Registry. The fee is based on the property price and ranges from £20 for properties up to £80,000 to £500 for properties over £1 million. Online submissions (used by most solicitors) receive a discount.

Yes. Leasehold properties involve additional legal work including reviewing the lease, obtaining a management pack from the freeholder or managing agent, and checking service charge accounts. This typically adds £150-£300 to the solicitor fees.

It depends on your arrangement. Some solicitors offer a no-completion-no-fee service, meaning you only pay if the transaction completes. Others charge for work done regardless. Always check the terms before instructing a solicitor. You will usually still have to pay for searches already ordered.

Both can handle conveyancing work. Solicitors are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and can handle other legal matters too. Licensed conveyancers are regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) and specialise exclusively in property law. Both provide the same service for standard transactions.

Technically yes, but it is not recommended. Conveyancing involves complex legal processes and if something goes wrong, you have no professional indemnity insurance to protect you. Most mortgage lenders also require a qualified solicitor or licensed conveyancer to act on their behalf.