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Price (excl. VAT*)
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Purchase
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Purchase
Leasehold

* VAT is calculated at the rate applicable at the time the work is carried out, this is currently 20%. Pricing information is correct as of January 2025.

Certain additional elements require further work on your behalf so please note the following costs:

  • New Build properties – additional £500 plus VAT
  • Tenanted Properties – additional £175 plus VAT
  • Bank transfer – additional £15 plus VAT

Stamp Duty or Land Tax (on purchase):

This depends on the purchase price of your property. Guidance is offered on how to calculate your tax in England by the HMRC. Welsh tax is governed by the Welsh Revenue Authority.

Land Registry:

Land registry fees will depend on the value of the property. More information can be found at the HMRC website.

Disbursements

Disbursements are third party costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as Land Registry fees. Searches range from £150 plus VAT to £400 plus VAT. Title indemnity insurance may be needed and policy prices vary from £20 plus VAT – £400. We charge £25.00 plus VAT for any electronic signing fee.

Other costs:

Acting for Lender only – please use the above fee scale and deduct £100.00

Remortgage – £1,025 plus VAT plus redemption expenses

lawlight’s work for you on a sale shall typically include:

  • Preparing contract papers
  • Reviewing pre-contract enquiries
  • Preparing a sale contract
  • Negotiating a transfer document
  • Proceeding to exchange of contracts and then completion of the sale
  • Receiving funds from the purchasers’ solicitor
  • Directing the repayment of any mortgage
  • Remitting the sale proceeds to you
  • Settling the estate agents account

If it becomes apparent that there are unforeseen circumstances or additional expenses relating to the purchase we may have to increase our charges but, if that happens, we shall inform you before we incur any additional costs. If this is the case any additional work will be charged in accordance with the Terms of Business.

As a brief guide for the sale we have set out the below.

  • The process typically can take eight to ten weeks but please note that this is on reliance of third parties who are outside our control.
  • lawlight will collect the pro forma information and then send the purchaser’s solicitor a draft contract and other papers relating to the property.
  • Once the purchaser’s solicitor has reviewed these papers and the search results, they will raise enquiries which we will contact you to answer.
  • Once we have satisfactorily replied to the purchaser’s solicitors enquiries and they are in receipt of a mortgage offer (if the purchaser is having a mortgage) we will then be in a position to exchange contracts.
  • Exchange can only occur once the purchaser ready (and when you are ready to on any related purchase or re-mortgage). When we exchange contracts we shall agree a mutually convenient date for completion, the day on which you hand over possession of the house.

The fee has been calculated on the basis that:

The property is currently held under a single title at the Land Registry with no title defects

One contract is submitted to one purchaser

The sale will be an unconditional contract and the property is sold with vacant possession

Completion takes place on the date agreed in the contract

lawlight’s work for you on a purchase shall typically include:

Investigating the title to the property, to include:

  • Carrying out searches with respect to title and local government information for the property
  • Reviewing replies given by the seller to pre-contract enquiries
  • Negotiating a purchase contract
  • Drafting a transfer document
  • Preparing a report on title
  • Proceeding to exchange of contracts and then completion of the purchase
  • Transferring funds to the seller’s solicitors and for relevant taxes
  • Calculating stamp duty land tax (SDLT) on the purchase and preparing and submitting to HM Revenue and Customs the appropriate SDLT forms
  • Registering the transaction at the Land Registry

The fee has been calculated on the basis that:

The property is currently held under one title at the Land Registry with no title defects

One contract is submitted to one purchaser

The purchase will be an unconditional contract and the property is acquired with vacant possession

Completion takes place on the date agreed in the contract

If it becomes apparent that there are unforeseen circumstances or additional expenses relating to the purchase we may have to increase our charges but, if that happens, we shall inform you before we incur any additional costs. If this is the case any additional work will be charged in accordance with the Terms of Business.

Briefly the steps required to progress a purchase transaction are as follows.

  • The transaction as a whole typically takes eight to ten weeks but this will be dependent upon third parties (who may be outside our control). A number of the process steps below overlap so it would not be reasonable to state how long each element of the process will take.
  • Please provide all the relevant information set out in this letter and questionnaire.
  • Once we have all the information and documents from you, we will ask the seller’s solicitors to provide a draft contract package.
  • After an initial check of the contract package, we can request the searches which take about two to four weeks to be returned.
  • Once we have all the searches, we may have to raise further enquiries about the property (to be satisfied that you will have good and marketable title);
  • When satisfied of the title, we will send a report on the property to you. You are welcome at any stage to come and meet with us to discuss this report.
  • Once you are happy to proceed, we may proceed to exchange contracts, on exchange both you and the seller will be bound to proceed to complete. You may only be able to exchange once the seller can do so. On exchange we contractually agree a date for completion, the day on which you gain possession of the property. The deposit of 10% of the purchase price will be paid on exchange of contracts and lawlight will require the funds in the client account prior to exchange.
  • The balance of the purchase price, including our fees will have to be paid to us one working day before completion to allow us to have cleared funds.

lawlight’s conveyancers are Alex Dupin, Jodie Purdue, Stacey Holman, David Francetti and Heidi Bateman (their qualifications and experience may be found here).

Where Alex, Jodie, Stacey or Heidi are in charge of the day-to-day matters then they will be supervised by David. Where David shall run the file on a day-to-day basis he shall be supervised by Heidi.

FAQs