Phone:0207 733 5319
Email:[email protected]
Buying and selling a home can be both exciting and stressful. We understand this and aim to help you through the process and make it a truly positive experience.
We will achieve this by working on all our residential conveyancing matters efficiently and by communicating with you on a regular basis at critical times. You will be given the email address of the solicitor or conveyancer acting for you. We promise to return your telephone calls and reply to your emails in a timely fashion. Your matter will be handled by an experienced solicitor or conveyancer supported by a team of qualified and friendly assistants.
No property transaction is exactly the same. Our fees will reflect the particular requirements of your sale or purchase. For example:- dealing with a listed building may, because of added complexities, cost more. It is, therefore, difficult to give a reliable estimate of the cost of our firm helping you until we have details of your intended transaction.
You will always be given an individual cost estimate at the start of your transaction; taking into account the specific features of your sale or purchase. We will always advise you, immediately, about any unexpected complications and fully discuss the potential cost implications before any agreed additional charges are incurred.
Our fees for a typical house sale or purchase range from around £695 plus VAT (for a simple transaction) to around £5,000 plus VAT (for a substantial historic building on unregistered land).
A number of factors will affect the costs of our services which could include – but are not limited to:-
Where the above assumptions are not met (and, in particular, should your matter become protracted or unusually complex) then we reserve the right to make additional charges in order to reflect the additional time that is required and/or the additional risk that is borne by ASR Solicitors.
It is very difficult to predict how long a Conveyancing transaction will take as there is a range of factors that can affect the timescale. This includes the length of any chain, the speed that Solicitors acting for the parties can review the paperwork or obtain mortgage funding (where required), the speed of other parties in the transaction dealing with enquiries and the ability of other parties in the transaction obtaining mortgage offers or other financial arrangements.
Please note; this is not an exhaustive list.
A Conveyancing transaction could take as little as 6-8 weeks or as long as 4-6 months. We aim to exchange or complete on a date agreed at the outset or early on in the transaction. However, due to the number of variables involved in a transaction (as mentioned above), we cannot guarantee that this date will be met.
We will keep you updated in respect of any changes to the timescale and, when we have more information, we will let you know the reasonable estimated timescales for your matter. As the transaction progresses, we should be able to give you more accurate timescale estimates.
Before committing you to the purchase (or the Lender to the loan) we undertake relevant searches to ensure you are made aware both of any problems or potential problems that could affect your decision to proceed with the purchase or the Mortgage Lender’s decision to proceed with the Mortgage or Re-Mortgage. Searches may include – but are not limited to:-
Until we have been able to review the title, we are unable to say precisely what searches would be appropriate for the property you wish to buy and whether any additional searches may be required.
The cost of a search pack usually ranges between £295 to £395 plus VAT. This includes our professional charges and administration fees to review the searches and advise you of their content. We will then raise any relevant enquiries and pursue any issues arising. The cost of searches may substantially increase if additional searches are required.
The estimate of fees given above is purely for acting on your behalf and does not include additional work required for acting on behalf of any Lender in the registration of a new mortgage. If applicable, this additional work will include receiving Mortgage instructions from your Lender and ensuring all Mortgage conditions have been met before exchange of Contracts takes place and ensuring the Mortgage Deed is executed. Following exchange, making application for and obtaining your Mortgage advance. If we are instructed to act for your Lender, then our fees for doing so will be borne by you. Our estimated fees for this additional work usually range between £150 to £300 plus VAT.
If the property is leasehold, then there will be additional work relating to the leasehold aspect. If this is the case, then you will be charged for that work. For example, in relation to obtaining information from the Landlord/Managing Agent and any work relating to the Landlord’s freehold title and to Compliance Certificate relating to leasehold titles (and also to freehold titles subject to service charges). Such additional costs will depend on individual circumstances and the complexity of the matter and should range between £150 and £300 plus VAT.
The estimate of fees (as above) is given purely for acting on your behalf and will nto include additional work required for redeeming Mortgages and/or loans secured against the property. This firm is on the panel of a number of Lending Institutions who may – or may not – choose to instruct us to act for them. In the event this firm is so instructed, then our fees for acting for each Lending Institution will be borne by you. Our estimated fees for this additional work usually range between £150 and £300 plus VAT.
If the property is leasehold, it will be necessary to obtain up to date service charge information from the Freeholder/Managing Agent, who will usually make a charge for the information. Dealing with the subsequent enquiries that will almost certainly follow from the Buyer’s Solicitors will attract additional costs.
Further fees will be incurred for any additional land as this will usually involve further supplementary due diligence. Such extra costs will depend on individual circumstances, and the complexity of the matter, and would range between £150 and £300 plus VAT.
We aim to provide clients with fixed fees wherever this is possible. In order for a fixed fee to be financially viable for us, the time that the work takes to complete must fall within an anticipated window. The rationale for this is that, where a fixed fee takes a greater number of hours than predicted, the result is that any profit is diluted until the point that the work becomes unsustainable.
Bank Transfers: Electronic and manual bank transfers are charged at a maximum of up to £45 for each transfer of funds out and £20 for each transfer of funds in.
Stamp Duty Land Tax Calculation:- this depends on the purchase price of your property. You can calculate the amount you will need to pay by using https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/calculate-stamp-duty-land-tax/#intro
Land Registry fees (AP1):- these are the fees for a standard conveyancing Transaction, where we are able to upload the application via the Land Registry’s online portal. The Land Registry may, however, charge a higher fee for certain types of application. We will be able to clarify if this may be applicable once we have further specific information about the property.
Unregistered land:- most houses are now registered at the Land Registry. However, if a property is unregistered, additional work will be involved which may incur a further charge.
Notice of Transfer Fee:- this fee, if chargeable, is frequently set out in the lease. Often, this is fee is between £50 to £150 plus VAT.
Notice of Charge Fee (if the property is to be mortgaged):- this fee, if chargeable, is frequently set out in the lease. Often, this is fee is between £50 to £150 plus VAT.
Deed of Covenant Fee:- this fee is charged on the property by the management company or landlord and is difficult to estimate. Most often it is in the region of £150 plus VAT.
Licence to Assign:- this is an agreement between a landlord and a tenant, where the tenant wants to transfer his/her obligations under a lease to another party. The fee for this can frequently be between £150 and £450 plus VAT.
N.B. 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.
You should also be aware that ground rent and service charges are likely to apply throughout your ownership of the property. Once we have received this information we will confirm these charges to you.
A transfer of equity is when a person(s) is/are added or removed to the title deeds of a property.
For example: if you own a house and have recently married, you may wish to add your spouse to the title deeds of your home. Transfers of equity can also be made for tax planning purposes. We would advise that you seek specialist financial advice from an accountant or tax advisor if intending to transfer equity for tax planning purposes.
Transfer of Equity and Mortgages:- If the property has a mortgage on it, then you will need to obtain the lender’s permission in order to transfer equity. If money is to change hands (for example, if you are divorcing and buying your spouse’s share of your family home), then the process is more complicated. However, ASR Solicitors have years of experience in such matters and can ensure the process runs smoothly.
If there is no mortgage on the property and no money is changing hands, then transferring equity is a relatively straightforward procedure.
Our fees for a straightforward transfer of equity would range from around £450 plus VAT to around £750 plus VAT for more complex matters.
Depending on the circumstances of the transfer you may be required to pay SDLT. We will assist you in calculating how much – if anything – is payable. Land Registry fees will also be payable on registration of the transfer at HM Land Registry. You will be advised of the actual amount payable.
Remortgaging means switching your current mortgage to another mortgage product. This may involve switching mortgage providers. If you decide to re-mortgage your property, your proposed lender is likely to require you to have a solicitor in order to check title to ensure the property is mortgageable and meets the lender’s criteria.
ASR Solicitors are on some lender panels and may be able to act for you; your existing mortgage provider in redeeming your existing mortgage; and your new lender in this remortgage process.
If you wish to talk to us further about transfer of equity or re-mortgage, then please telephone us on 020 7733 5319 and ask to speak to a solicitor or conveyancer in our residential conveyancing department: or email [email protected]
Assuming that the re-mortgage of your property will vary from £450 plus VAT and disbursements for a simple transaction to £750 plus VAT and disbursements for more complicated re-mortgages.
N.B. Please note; for leasehold property our costs will start from £600 plus VAT and disbursements.
Although there will be no SDLT payable on re-mortgages, there will be Land Registry fees payable for registering the new mortgage at HM Land Registry. You will be advised of the actual fee when you instruct us.
How long your re-mortgage will take will depend upon a number of factors. On average, for a straightforward matter, we would anticipate that the re-mortgage – from the date of receiving instructions from the Lender – should take no more than four weeks.
We look forward to helping you with any legal enquiry. In order to do so, please let us have your contact details as listed below, together with a short description of your legal requirement.
Please Note: Any of our Solicitors can swear affidavits or witness statutory declarations without need of making an appointment.
Work we cannot do: Please note that we do not offer “independent legal advice” for example in relation to Mortgage Deeds or Deeds of Guarantee or Equity Release. We cannot provide certified copies or certify identification documents except for existing clients.
We will obtain up to date electronic deeds (Official Copies) from the Land Registry which will cost around £6 to £20 and will be deducted on completion or if the matter does not complete we will request this sum from you.
Once these are received we prepare the draft Contract for the sale and send this along with the Official Copies, property forms and copies of any relevant documents to the Buyer’s solicitors.
At this point the Buyer’s solicitors will carry out any searches requested by the Buyer and review the paperwork sent by us. If they have any queries about the property or any of the paperwork they will get in touch with us, we may need to refer to you at this point.
Searches can take up to 12 working days to be returned and this length of time can vary depending on the local authority’s workload.
Once we have replied to all enquiries raised by the Buyer’s solicitors we will arrange for you to sign the paperwork and a completion date is agreed between all parties in the transaction. The Buyer will transfer the deposit to their solicitor and at that point we will be ready to exchange contracts.
On exchange of contracts the transaction (and completion date) becomes legally binding. We will receive the deposit from the Buyer’s solicitor and request a final redemption statement from your lender.
Completion is the ‘moving day’ and the balance of the sale price is transferred to us by the Buyer’s solicitor. You must ensure you vacate the property and the keys are left with the estate agent, who will hold them until we have received the funds from the Buyer’s solicitors. We will repay your existing mortgage and settle all fees from the sale proceeds, the balance will then be sent to you
Every transaction is different and unfortunately there is no exact timescale, although on average a Leasehold transaction takes between 10 to 12 weeks from when you accept the buyer’s offer. It really does depend on how long the chain is, mortgage funding and if there are any problems with the title.
If permission should have been sort from the planning department or building control for works carried out at the property, such as the erection of the conservatory then depending on when the works were carried out there are options available to allow the transaction to proceed.
Until contracts have been exchanged the transaction is not legally binding and any party can withdraw without any penalty. We would therefore always advise you not to make any arrangements until we have exchanged contracts as you may incur costs should completion be delayed or not take place.
It is also on this day when you should be safe to redirect your post, if required.
On the day of completion funds are transferred between each solicitor by CHAPS payments (same day transfer), the banks do not offer this facility at the weekend.
Take final meter readings
Remove all belongings not detailed on the fixture and fittings form as being left Make good any damage caused in removing these items
Vacate the property by lunchtime
Leave all keys (including window keys) at the estate agents
These costs apply where your claim is in relation to an unpaid invoice which is not disputed and enforcement action is not needed. If the other party disputes your claim at any point, we will discuss any further work required and provide you with revised advice if necessary, which could be on a fixed fee, or an hourly rate if more extensive work is needed.
£175.00 plus VAT (depending on the complexity of the matter and the fee earner conducting the meeting).
If the meeting exceeds 1hr: additional time can be purchased in blocks of 30 minutes according to the rate charged for the initial meeting.
For example if the charge for the initial consultation meeting amounted to £175.00 plus VAT, then the charge for an additional 30 minutes would cost £92.50 plus VAT.
Meeting includes obtaining instructions, understanding the issues and recommending an appropriate course of action and strategy. You will be expected to attend the meeting with a synopsis and chronology of relevant events, including file of papers duly organised, details of the debtor, the level of debt to be recovered, schedule of payments received and attempts made to recover the debt supported by evidence. You will also be requested to provide details of the debt to be recovered through a questionnaire.
Business to Business
£100.00 plus VAT.
After sending the Letter of Claim
£175.00 plus VAT.
£500.00 plus VAT plus the current prescribed court fee which depends on the value of the claim.
In appropriate circumstances (where the claim is more complex), it may be necessary for the firm to instruct a barrister to prepare the claim. This will increase the costs. You will be informed of the barrister’s charges before any work is undertaken.
Note: This tranche of work excludes any further work that will be required if the claim is defended.
Further work is likely to include reviewing the defence (and any counterclaim/documentation) submitted by the debtor, obtaining detailed instructions from you with a view to preparing a reply to a defence and defence to a counterclaim, and liaising with the court and the debtor/debtor’s legal representative.
Further work is likely to include reviewing the defence (and any counterclaim/documentation) submitted by the debtor, obtaining detailed instructions from you with a view to preparing a reply to a defence and defence to a counterclaim, and liaising with the court and the debtor/debtor’s legal representative.
We will endeavour to work to fixed fees, where possible to do so.
Stage 4 – Entering Judgment
£225.00 plus VAT.
Issuing a Statutory Demand against an Individual or a Company
Additional fees that will be required
After one attempt to serve the Statutory Demand any further work will be conducted on a timed hourly rate basis, to include dealing with any abortive service, substituted service, negotiating with the debtor/the debtor’s legal representative, dealing with any
Issuing a Winding up or Bankruptcy Petition against an Individual or Company
Preparation and drafting the Petition – £875.00 plus VAT
Post Issue of Winding Up Petition/Bankruptcy Petition – timed hourly rate basis
Disbursements
Applying for the Grant, collecting and distributing the Assets
We endeavour to offer a fixed fee and the prices we quote are listed below. 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..
This work includes, obtaining details of the assets and liabilities, preparing Oath and form IHT 205. Attending upon the Executors swearing the Oath and submitting the paperwork including the original Will to the Probate Registry. Receiving the Grant.
Our costs £500.00 plus VAT Disbursements include: – Probate Court fees £155.00
Commissioners fees £5.00 for each signature.
To transfer into the names of the Executors/Administrators prior to sale. Our costs £200 plus VAT
Corresponding with e.g. Banks and Building Societies, completing claim/ withdrawal forms and receiving payments from each institution we deal with. Our costs £250 plus VAT
Corresponding with utilities, local authorities, insurance companies etc. Our costs £300.00 plus VAT.
Corresponding with the Department regarding benefits relevant to the estate. Our costs £200.00 plus VAT
Placing forms of notice with the Gazette and local paper to protect
Executors/Administrators from unknown creditors.
Our costs £200.00 plus VAT.
Disbursements include fee payable to London Gazette £301.00.
Distributing estate according to the Will.
Employment Tribunal – Range of Costs
Fixed fee initial meeting – 1hr: £175.00 plus VAT.
If instructions follow, indicative guide prices start from:
For a Simple Case (Such as a monetary claim/breach of contract/unlawful deductions/holiday pay/redundancy pay)
For a Simple Case (Such as a monetary claim/breach of contract/unlawful deductions/holiday pay/redundancy pay)
For a Simple Case (Such as a monetary claim/breach of contract/unlawful deductions/holiday pay/redundancy pay)
Disbursements: Barrister: From £1750.00 plus VAT. Travel to hearing: Mileage @ £0.45p per mile or train.
Medium Complexity Case (such as unfair dismissal)
About 42 hours x £175 plus VAT plus 2 day hearing.
Breakdown – (7 hrs ET1, 5 hrs liaise with Acas, 7 hrs disclosure, 5 hrs other interlocutory matters, 7 hrs witness statement, 2 hrs prepping witness, 8 hrs prep for hearing, 1 hour correspondence with Tribunal office, 16 hrs hearing)
Disbursements: Barrister: From £2225.00 plus VAT (plus refresher fee)
Travel to hearing: Mileage @ £0.45p per mile or train, plus overnight accommodation if required.
High Complexity (such unfair constructive dismissal, unlawful discrimination/ Transfer of Undertaking Regulations) requiring a hearing exceeding 2 days.
About 62 hours x £175 plus VAT plus preliminary hearing (8 hrs ET1, 5 hrs liaise with Acas, 10 hrs disclosure, 6 hrs other interlocutory matters, 8 hrs preliminary hearing, 12 hrs witness statement, 1 hour prepping witness, 12 hours prep for hearing, 16 hrs hearing)
Disbursements: Barrister: From £2750.00 plus VAT (plus refresher fees) Travel to hearing: Mileage @ £0.45 per mile or train, plus overnight accommodation if required.
Please note that these are guide prices.
Please note that these are guide prices.
This is not an exhaustive List
We offer the services below:
plus VAT
Other types of licensing services are offered and are dealt with on a time basis. Such applications include the variation of conditions to an existing licence. All information that you should consider before applying for a premises licence (or associated licensing), can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/alcohol-licensing
Disbursements would be the Local Authority fee for processing the application. The cost of the application fee varies on the rateable value of the property. Details of the rateable value for your property can be found at https://www.gov.uk/correct-your-business-rates
We are unable to give you an exact time in which your matter will be concluded. The time taken varies depending upon your case and the complexity of the matter.
We will normally be able to submit the application within 1-2 weeks of you providing full instructions and documentation to us, but we will let you know at the earliest opportunity if it is likely to take longer than this as it all depends on the complexity of your matter.
Any fees stated are an estimate based on the facts above. The vast majority of matters proceed at the figures quoted. You will understand that if substantial additional work has to be carried out or if unforeseen circumstances arise, we have to reserve the right to charge an additional fee. However please be reassured we will notify you in advance.
All quoted fees include:
advising the client on timelines and the outcome of their application
regards to the available interpreters and the costs will be discussed and agreed with you before they are incurred
Preparing Estate Accounts and submitting to Executors/Administrators for approval. Our costs £500.00 plus VAT.
Potential additional costs.
How long will this take?
On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 4 to 6 months. Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes 6 to 8 weeks. Collecting assets then follows, which can take between 4 to 8 weeks. Once this has been done, we can distribute the assets, which normally takes 2 to 4 weeks.
As part of our fixed fee we will:
Website information
https://Gov.UK.Inheritance For information on Inheritance tax, rates and reliefs.