Our fees
Residential Conveyancing
Where possible we provide our services on a fixed fee basis. This fee is usually assessed with regard to the following factors:
The value of the property (see grid below for indicative fees)
Whether you are buying/selling freehold or leasehold (please note that leasehold means more work and therefore our quotation will be at the higher end of the price bracket in the below table)
When there is a mortgage involved. Our charge for acting for your lender is between £300 - £500 + VAT depending on the complexity and price of the purchase.
Additional complexity relating to the transaction (for instance particularly complicated source of funds or issues in relation to the property i.e. fire safety or planning issues)
Indicative conveyancing fees
| Property Value | Fees |
|---|---|
| £500,000 or below | £1,250- £1,500 |
| £500,001 to £1,000,000 | £1,500- £2,000 |
| £1,000,001 to £1,500,000 | £2,000- £2,500 |
| £1,500,001 to £2,000,000 | £2,500- £3,000 |
| £2,000,001 or above | £3,000- £4,000 |
Additional payments
In addition to the above indicative fees you may also need to pay:
VAT where appropriate, on both fees and some disbursements
There will be an administration fee of £100 + VAT included in your bill which will cover all costs of AML searches, obtaining Land Registry title documents, CHAPS fees and cost of verifying other solicitor's bank details (known as a Lawyer Checker).
Disbursements. These are the larger expenses we have to pay to third parties on your behalf (usually a Buyer will need to pay more of these than a Seller) such as the fee payable to the Land Registry to register the transfer of property.
Stamp Duty Land Tax. This is based on a scale and depends not only on the property price but also whether you already own other residential property. HMRC`s website contains an SDLT calculator which may assist you.
Examples of disbursements are:
Search fees (enquiries made to authorities etc) - circa £250 + VAT.
Land registry fees – payable to register the new name on the legal title. This is based on a scale dependent on the value of the transaction. The range of fee can be found on HM Land Registry Website (scale 1) and starts at £40 rising eventually to £910.
Third party fees – payable to a third party whose consent may be needed under the terms of a title or a lease, or who is asked to provide additional information (eg. a managing agent).
Staffing
Most of the work is handled by an Associate who has enjoyed many years of experience in this field, supported by a dedicated team and supervised at Partner level.
We are able to converse in Mandarin and Cantonese, as well as English.
Stages of the Transaction
Most residential property transactions will go through various stages
Initial instruction - At this stage we need to undertake our due diligence against you and will also usually request a payment on account of fees and disbursements
Searches and enquiries - These are undertaken on your behalf on a purchase, or answered on your behalf on a sale
Exchange of contracts – the legal commitment to buy or sell, usually supported by a 10% deposit
Completion – the actual final payment and hand-over of the property
The timeframe from start to finish will vary considerably and will often depend on circumstances beyond our control (eg. are you in a “chain” where one transaction depends on another). An average timeframe may be around 2 months.
Mortgages
Most lenders have a panel solicitors they will instruct. We will advise you at the outset if we are on the relevant panel, and can therefore act for you and the lender.
Probate Services
Range of Costs
In relation to uncontested cases where all assets are in the UK our fees will range dependent on complexity, between 2% and 3% of the gross value of the deceased’s estate. We have a minimum charge of £3,000. In all cases VAT is payable in addition to our fees.
Our exact fee will depend on individual circumstances. The fee is likely to be in the higher part of the range if:
there is no will (intestacy)
there are several assets or include overseas assets
there are several beneficiaries
inheritance tax is payable
There will also be disbursements payable. These are sums payable by us to third parties on your behalf. These will be charged separately and may include:
Probate application fee (this can be found online)
Bankruptcy search fee
Postings in the London Gazette or local newspaper (to protect against unexpected claim).
Staff
Our probate work will be handled by experienced qualified staff and closely supervised by a Partner of the firm.
We are able to converse in Mandarin, Cantonese as well as English.
Scope of the work involved
The following is the likely sequence of steps
Meeting with executor to review the Will (if there is one)
Identify assets of the estate and give initial advice
Contact third parties involving assets (banks, insurance companies, stocks and shares etc)
Advise on potential inheritance tax liability
Complete probate application and any relevant HMRC forms
Draft and prepare Legal Declaration
Apply to the probate registry
Obtain probate
Collect in and distribute assets
Timescale
To some extent the speed of response is outside our control as we are dealing with third parties. In our experience the average time will range from 6 to 9 months to obtain probate. Then to distribute the assets can take a further 4 to 6 months depending on the location and the assets.
Immigration
Guideline of fees:
Tier 1 investor
*Extension- £6,000 – £8,000
*Settlement Application- £6,000 – £8,000
* Fees depend on the complexity of the matter and the number of dependants joining the application. Fees also depend on whether super priority service is available for a particular category by the Home Office.
Tier 1 investor entrepreneur
*Extension- £6,000 –£8,000
*Settlement Application- £6,000 –£8,000
* Fees depend on the complication of the matter and number of dependants joining the application. Fees also depend on whether super priority service is available for a particular category by the Home Office.
Overseas sole representative
Extension- £6,000
*Settlement Application- £8,000
*Adult Dependant- £2,000 (+ £500 each for extra Child dependant)
* Fees depend on the complexity of the matter and number of dependants joining the application. Fees also depend on whether super priority service is available for a particular category by the Home Office.
Sponsorhsip licence for employer
COS Application: £1,500 - £2,000
Sponsorship Licence Extension: £2,000
Skilled worker visa
Entry Clearance: £2,000 - £2,500
* Adult Dependant- £2,000 (+ £500 each for extra Child dependant)
In-country switch further leave to remain: £1,700 - £2,000
* Adult Dependant- £2,000 (+ £500 each for extra Child dependant)
Spouse visa
Initial Application / Entry Clearance- £2,500 – £3,500
*Extension- £1,500 – £2,000
*Settlement Application- £2,000 – £2,500
* Fees depend on the complication of the matter and number of dependants joining the application. *Adult Dependant £1,000 (+£500 each for extra Child dependants.)
*Fees also depend on whether super priority service is available for a particular category by the Home Office.
Long Residence (10 Years Rule)
*Settlement Application- £1,800 – £2,000
*Fees also depend on whether super priority service is available for a particular category by the Home Office.
Marriage / family Visitor
* Family visitor Entry Clearance Application- £1,000 – £1,500
* Marriage visitor Entry clearance Application- £1,200 – £ 1,500
* Fees depend on the complication of the matter and number of applicants.
Private life application
Initial Application- £3,000 plus
*Extension- £2,500 plus
*Settlement Application- £3000 plus
* Fees depend on the complication of the matter and number of dependants joining the application.
Immigration Appeal
Immigration Appeal- £3,000 plus
Judicial Review- hourly rate plus Barrister fees
* Fees depend on the complication of the matter and number of dependants joining the application.
All appeal and judicial review cases we shall agree fees and payment terms before start the case.
Additional Fees
There are additional fees you may need to pay
VAT where appropriate;
Home Office application fees and Visa Centre services fees (including VIP services or super priority service fees);
Disbursements, these are expenses we have to pay to third parties on your behalf (such as translation fees, or Notarisation fees etc.)
Staffing
The majority of our Immigration cases are handled by our Associates, all of whom have enjoyed many years of experience in their legal field, and they are supported by their respective teams.
We are able to converse in Mandarin and Cantonese as well as English.
In some cases the Partners are also involved in day to day work on a specific matter, but in all cases they are available to supervise and advise where necessary.
You will be informed at the outset who will be involved in your particular case.