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Our Service Fees
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.
Full Estate Administration
This would involve us dealing with the entire Estate for you. We would liaise with all financial establishments, third-parties, beneficiaries and the like. We would establish the extent of the assets and liabilities of the Estate and consider the Inheritance Tax liability of the Estate, if any.
If Inheritance Tax is payable, we would report to HM Revenue and Customs and arrange the payment of Inheritance Tax. We would apply for Probate and upon receipt, encash the assets and deal with the sale of any Estate properties. We would then deal with the distribution of the Estate.
When dealing with the full administration of an Estate, we anticipate undertaking between 10 and 40 hours work at £295 per hour plus VAT at 20%. Total costs would therefore be between £2,950 and £11,800 (+VAT at 20%).
In addition to our hourly rate, we also charge a value element of the Estate. The value element of the Estate is 0.50% of the Probate value of the property and 1% of the cash value of the Estate. If we are appointed as Executors, the value element of the Estate is 0.75% of the Probate value of the property and 1.5% of the cash value of the Estate
The exact cost will depend on the individual circumstances of the matter. For example, if there is one beneficiary and no property, costs will be at the lower end of the range. If there are multiple beneficiaries, a property and multiple bank accounts, costs will be at the higher end. We will always provide a bespoke estimate of our costs once we have met with you.
We will handle the full process for you. The estimate is for estates where:
- There is a valid will
- There are no disputes between beneficiaries on division of assets. If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs
- There are no claims made against the estate
In addition to our fees, disbursements are also payable. 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. Usual disbursements are:
- Will search fee – £126
- Probate application fee of £300 and £1.50 for each additional copy of the Grant of Probate
- Bankruptcy searches (£7.80 per beneficiary if in England and Wales and approximately £90 plus disbursements if outside England and Wales)
- £250-300 for creditors notices in The London Gazette and the Local Newspaper – Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors.
Grant only
We can help you through this difficult process by simply obtaining the Grant of Probate on your behalf. You would provide us with the information required to report to HM Revenue and Customs, if necessary, and apply for the Grant of Probate on your behalf.
Our fees for acting for you on a Grant only basis range between £950 and £3,000 depending on the complexity and nature of the Estate and whether Inheritance Tax is payable.
In addition to our fees, disbursements are also payable, as above.
Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included with our fees.
It is always difficult to say how long it will take to deal with an Estate as it does depend on the nature of the assets within the Estate. However, we can advise you of likely timescales after an initial meeting
We conduct most of our residential conveyancing sales, purchases, and remortgages on a fixed fee basis as set out below. This will mean that the fee you are given in our quote will, in most cases, be the fee you pay.
If your property is particularly complicated, we will provide a bespoke quote when we have been able to evaluate the work involved. Examples of this may be rural property, new build property, unregistered property, and shared ownership property. Please contact us directly to discuss these.
The way costs for conveyancing works are that you pay legal fees and separately you must pay for disbursements. Disbursements are the additional costs for buying searches, land registry fees for registering the change to the property title, conducting checks on behalf of your mortgage lender, bank fees for sending money etc.
All the prices outlined below do not attract additional VAT unless stated.
Legal fees for Freehold sale and purchase
Property value up to £250,000 £995 plus VAT
Properties valued between £250,001 and £350,000 £1,200 plus VAT
Properties valued between £350,001 and £500,000 £1,500 plus VAT
Properties valued between £500,001 and £650,000 £1,750 plus VAT
Properties valued between £650,001 and £750,000 £1,950 plus VAT
Properties over £750,000 will be provided a bespoke quote based on the value and complexity of the property.
In addition to this we make a bank transfer and administration fee of £35 plus VAT per electronic transfer we make on your behalf.
Leasehold sales and purchases
(These transactions are considerably more complicated, and we may not have capacity to accept instructions)
Property value up to £350,000 £1,950 plus VAT
Properties valued between £350,000 and £450,000 £2,250 plus VAT
Properties valued between £450,000 and £550,000 £2,500 plus VAT
Properties over £550,000 will be provided a bespoke quote based on the value and complexity of the property.
Remortgages
Freehold up to £350,000 – £750.00 + VAT
Leasehold up to £350,000- £950.00 + VAT
Above £350,000 for either Leasehold or Freehold – Bespoke quote based on the value and complexity of the property
In addition to this we make a bank transfer and administration fee of £35 plus VAT per electronic transfer we make on your behalf. Where this varies is when the value of your property is very high or when the mortgage lender employs third party solicitors as well. This invariably leads to a more complicated transaction as the third-party solicitor will have additional requirements. Once we have received their requirements, we will be able to advise on additional, if any, fees that will be involved. Remortgages are often carried out without searches and with a no search indemnity policy instead. These generally cost between £20 and £30. Some lenders do not allow these and once we have received their instructions, we will be able to advise you if there any additional disbursements that their offer requires us to take out on your behalf.
Disbursements
Disbursements, or third-party costs, vary on a case-by-case basis but ones that you will commonly incur on a purchase will be:
• Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is dependent on the value of the property you are buying and other circumstances. Please see the HMRC website for a calculator to determine the likely cost in your transaction.
• Searches (local authority, water and environmental) together with SDLT submission and land registry application through our portal, approximately £250
• AML checks £7.80 per person
• Obtaining documents from Land registry £8.80 each
• Priority search at land registry £8.80
• Bankruptcy search if required £7.80 per name
• Registration at the land registry is dependent on the value of the property and generally costs between £40 & £295.00
It may also be necessary to purchase indemnity insurance if during the process a defect becomes apparent, for example if there are insufficient rights of access for the property. These costs vary and are set by the insurers. We will let you know the prices they are asking as and when this becomes apparent.
Depending on the type of property you are purchasing you may wish to carry out additional searches. These may include highways, hedgerows, mining, planning, detailed flooding, utilities etc. These prices do vary, and we will only charge you what they cost from our provider.
Timescales
It is generally considered that a transaction will take 2-3 months for a freehold property. If a property is vacant and you are buying without a mortgage, it may be possible to achieve a quicker timescale. However, when you are buying or selling a leasehold property or are involved in a long chain it can take considerably longer. It is always our intention to put you in the position that we are legally ready as soon as possible so that it will not be us/you that holds up the chain.
Conduct of your matter
Your transactions will be looked after by one of the members of our property team. This will be an experienced solicitor specialising in property law.
During the course of your transaction, you may also communicate with trainee solicitors or legal executives who assist our property solicitors and specialist conveyancing secretaries. You will be provided details of the fee earner with conduct and their supervisor at the outset in our retainer letter.
Initial fixed fee consultation
James Dillon, Family Law Lead and Managing Director: £180 inclusive of VAT and AML fee (up to 1 hour)
Initial fixed fee consultation
Alan Blunsdon, Civil Law Lead, Consultant Solicitor and retired Judge: £250 exclusive of VAT and AML fee (up to 1 hour)