Conveyancing work will be carried out by Tom Harathorn or Peter Riddle who have in excess of 30 years’ experience each as qualified Solicitors.

Morrison & Masters is accredited as members of The Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme.

We realise that the sale or purchase of a property can be stressful and we aim to progress your transaction as smoothly and efficiently as possible and pride ourselves on our efficient and friendly service.

Call us today to discuss your conveyancing needs or alternatively send us an email.

FREEHOLD

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.

All our conveyancing services are provided by experienced Solicitors and their support staff

Conveyancing estimates – Sale or Purchase Freehold Transaction

Property Price Range	Legal Fees	VAT (20%)	Total Cost
£0 – £250,000	£850	£170	£1,020
£250,001 – £300,000	£1,050	£210	£1,260
£300,001 – £400,000	£1,250	£250	£1,500
£400,001 – £500,000	£1,450	£290	£1,740
£500,001 – £750,000	£1,650	£330	£1,980
£750,000+	Price on application	—	—
Right to Buy	£950	£190	£1,140

NB – The estimates above must be taken as a general guide only as each sale and purchase is unique. We would always give a specific estimate having established your particular circumstances, which may result in a different fee.

We reserve the right to charge at an additional £275 plus £55 VAT per hour for transactions that are either legally complicated or unduly protracted. We are selling not only our expertise but also our time to undertake the transaction and would expect our clients to understand this after being an explanation as to why in some circumstances this may occur.

Plus the following if applicable to the transaction:
• £30 plus £6 VAT for each telegraphic transfer (electronic transfer of monies) e.g. purchase price payments, redeeming mortgage and/or accounting monies to clients for proceeds of sale (each transaction).
• £30 plus £6 VAT for electronic administration of registering documents with HMLR (PURCHASE TRANSACTIONS ONLY)

Stamp Duty Land Tax or Land Transaction Tax (on purchase)

This depends on the purchase price of the property and your own personal circumstances and you can calculate the amount that you need by using the HMRC Stamp Duty Land Tax by clicking Stamp Duty If in England. If the property is located in Wales, please let us know immediately as the Stamp Duty rates there are different.

Different rates and thresholds may also apply to purchases by Companies.

England SDLT Rates (Freehold Residential)

Property Value	Standard Rate	Higher Rate (Additional Properties)
Up to £125,000	0%	3%
Over £125,000 – £250,000	2%	5%
Over £250,000 – £925,000	5%	8%
Over £925,000 – £1,500,000	10%	13%
Over £1,500,000	12%	15%

Land Charges & Land Registry Fees

The land registration fee will depend upon the nature of the application. You can access the fee calculator on the Land Registry website. A table below gives current fees but these may be subject to change.

Other Search & Document Fees
• Bankruptcy Search: £2 plus 40p VAT per search
• Official search with priority: £3 plus 60p VAT per search
• Official copy documents from Land Registry: £3 plus 60p VAT per document

Land Registry Registration Fee (Purchases for value)

Property Value	Postal Submission	Electronic Submission
£0 – £80,000	£45	£20
£80,001 – £100,000	£95	£40
£100,001 – £200,000	£230	£100
£200,001 – £500,000	£330	£150
£500,001 – £1,000,000	£655	£295
£1,000,000+	£1,105	£500

Note: Properties transferred not for value and unregistered properties will be subject to a different HM Land Registry fee. We will advise accordingly.

How long will my house purchase take?

The purchase process typically takes between 8-12 weeks. This depends on factors such as mortgage funding and the number of transactions in the chain. Typically, freehold properties are quicker to deal with than leasehold properties.

Stages of the Process

The precise stages involved in the purchase of a residential property vary according to the circumstances. These typically include:
• Taking your instructions and giving you initial advice
• Receiving and advising on contract documents
• Carrying out searches
• Obtaining further planning documentation if required
• Making any necessary enquiries of the seller’s solicitor
• Giving you advice on all documents and information received
• Going through the conditions of your 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 the lender and you
• Complete purchase
• Deal with payment of Stamp Duty/Land Tax
• Deal with the application for registration at Land Registry.

 LEASEHOLD

Purchase of a Leasehold Residential Property

Please note: We charge a minimum of £1,250 plus £250 VAT for the sale or purchase of LEASEHOLD FLATS valued at £350,000 or less. Please contact the office should your property be worth more than this.

Our fees cover all 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 is in Wales.

Anticipated Disbursements

Fees for Notice of Transfer, Notice of Mortgage, provision of a Deed of Covenant or a Certificate of Compliance are frequent expenses incurred by a buyer. These fees vary from one property to another. We will provide you with the exact fees once this information is provided by the seller’s conveyancer.

As a general guide, the total of these fees are likely to range from £1 to £500.

Stamp Duty Land Tax or Land Transaction Tax

This depends on the purchase price of the property and your personal circumstances. You can calculate the amount using the HMRC Stamp Duty Land Tax calculator (for England) or the Welsh Land Tax calculator. Please see the rates and information on the previous page.

Land Charges & Land Registry Fees

The land registration fee depends on the nature of the application. You can access the fee calculator on the Land Registry website. Please see the fee table on the previous page, though fees may be subject to change.

Stages in the Process for a Leasehold Purchase

The precise stages vary, but key steps often include:
• Take your instructions and give you initial advice
• Receive and advise on contract documents
• Carry out searches
• Obtain further planning documentation if required
• Make any necessary enquiries of seller’s solicitor
• Give you advice on all documents and information received
• Go through conditions of the mortgage offer
• Send final contract to you for signature
• Draft Transfer
• Advise you on joint ownership
• Obtain pre-completion searches
• 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 the lender and you
• Complete purchase
• Deal with payment of Stamp Duty/Land Tax
• Deal with the application for registration at Land Registry

How long will my leasehold purchase take?

The purchase should take between 8-12 weeks.

Leasehold Purchase: Additional Expenses

With the sale of a leasehold property, there are likely to be additional expenses involved in obtaining information and documents from your Freeholder or Management Company's agents. These costs vary significantly and we would have to contact the individual agents involved to obtain exact prices.

Typically, these fees can range from £50 to several hundred pounds per transaction.

SEARCHES ON PURCHASE OR MORTGAGE TRANSACTIONS

Recommended Searches:
• Local Land Charge Search: This search is recommended and will be required if you are obtaining a mortgage. The price depends on the local authority.
• Water & Drainage Search: It is recommended that this search is obtained. If the two searches above are requested at the same time, we offer a search package deal.

Optional Searches:
• Environmental Search: This is an optional search.
• Plan Search: This is an optional search.
• Other Searches: Other searches may be applicable depending on the location of the property, such as mining searches.

There are various types of search packages we can obtain, which can often result in a saving on the total cost of the searches.

COMMERCIAL CONVEYANCING

This is charged at an hourly rate of £275 plus VAT per hour.

Please note that for some commercial transactions, Commercial Rates of Stamp Duty are levied both on the premium and the passing rent.