Fixed-Fee Conveyancing: What Your Quote Covers and What It Doesn't

A fixed-fee conveyancing quote fixes what your solicitor charges for the legal work of buying, selling or remortgaging. Fixed price and fixed cost conveyancing mean the same thing. What it does not fix is money paid to others: searches, the Land Registry fee, stamp duty and any leasehold charges. A good quote lists those separately.

What a fixed-fee conveyancing quote is

A conveyancing quote is the price of the legal work on your move, given before you agree to anything. You can get one for a purchase, a sale, both together, or a remortgage.

A fixed-fee quote sets the solicitor's own charge in advance, rather than billing by the hour. It usually has two parts:

• The legal fee: what the solicitor charges for their own work. This is the fixed part.
• Disbursements: money the solicitor pays to other people on your behalf, such as the search providers and HM Land Registry. These are passed on to you.

Law firms regulated by the SRA that advertise residential conveyancing must publish price information on their website. That includes what the price covers, likely disbursements, whether VAT is added, and anything you might expect to be included that is not. Read that last part closely when you compare quotes.

What the legal fee covers

On a purchase, the legal fee normally covers:

• checking the title (the legal record of who owns the property) and the contract
• ordering the searches and reviewing what comes back
• raising questions with the seller's solicitor and chasing the answers
• reporting to you before you sign
• handling your mortgage lender's requirements
• exchanging contracts and completing on moving day
• filing your stamp duty return
• registering you as the new owner at HM Land Registry

On a sale, it covers preparing the contract pack, answering the buyer's questions, exchanging, completing, and paying off your mortgage from the sale money.

What is not in the legal fee

Searches

Your solicitor orders searches from the local council, the water company and an environmental provider. They are paid to those providers, so they appear as disbursements. If you are buying with a mortgage, your lender will expect them.

The Land Registry fee

HM Land Registry charges a fee to register you as the owner. It is set on a scale by the price you pay, and it is lower when your solicitor applies online. For online applications, the fees in force since 9 December 2024 are:

• up to £80,000: £20
• £80,001 to £100,000: £40
• £100,001 to £200,000: £100
• £200,001 to £500,000: £150
• £500,001 to £1 million: £295
• over £1 million: £500

Stamp duty

Stamp Duty Land Tax is a tax paid to HMRC, not a fee. How much you pay depends on the price and your circumstances. On a standard purchase in England, nothing is due on the first £125,000. First-time buyers pay nothing up to £300,000, as long as the price is £500,000 or less. Buying an additional property adds a surcharge, and so does buying as a non-UK resident. The return and the tax are due within 14 days of completion, and your solicitor usually files it for you. In Wales, Land Transaction Tax applies instead.

ID and source-of-funds checks

By law, your solicitor must check who you are and, where necessary, where your money comes from. The cost of an electronic ID check is often listed as a disbursement.

Leasehold charges

Buying or selling a flat usually involves the landlord or managing agent. They charge for the information the buyer's solicitor needs, and sometimes for registering notice of the sale. They set those fees, not your solicitor, which is why a quote may show them as an estimate.

VAT

VAT at 20% is added to the legal fee and to some disbursements. Check whether a quote shows the price with or without it.

Costs that are not conveyancing at all

Your survey, mortgage arrangement fees, estate agent's fees and removals are separate again. For the full list of what moving costs, see the hidden cost of buying a house in the UK.

What can change a fixed fee

A fixed fee is fixed for the work the quote describes. If the transaction turns out to need more, the price can change. Solicitors must tell you about likely costs when you instruct them and keep you updated as the matter goes on, so any change should be raised with you before the work is done, not on the final bill.

These are the things that most often add work:

• Leasehold. The lease has to be checked, and information has to come from the landlord or managing agent.
• New build. Developers often set a deadline to exchange, and the contract can carry extra charges and a date the home must be finished by.
• Help to Buy equity loan. Selling or paying off the loan means dealing with Homes England. Your conveyancer must handle the repayment, which is based on the market value or the sale price, whichever is higher.
• Unregistered land. If the property has never been registered at HM Land Registry, a sale triggers first registration, which takes more work than an ordinary transfer.
• Gifted deposit. Your solicitor must check where the gift came from, which means paperwork from the person giving it.

None of these means a quote is unreliable. It means the quote should name them. If you mention them when you ask for a quote, they can be priced from the start.

How to get an accurate quote

The more the solicitor knows at the start, the less likely the price is to move. Have these ready:

• the price and the address
• whether it is freehold or leasehold
• whether you are buying with a mortgage
• any scheme you are using, such as Help to Buy, shared ownership or a Lifetime ISA
• whether any of the money is a gift
• whether you are also selling

Choosing a fixed-fee conveyancing solicitor

The government's guide to buying a home suggests getting several quotes and checking:

• the full price up front, and whether there are hidden extras
• whether the firm has paid a referral fee to get your business
• what you pay if the purchase falls through
• whether you will have a named contact, and how often they will update you
• whether the firm is on your mortgage lender's approved panel
• that the firm is regulated, by the SRA or another approved body

The cheapest quote is not always the cheapest move. A quote that leaves out leasehold work, or prices it as an extra later, can end up costing more than one that names it.

On our residential conveyancing files, you get a written fixed quote before work starts, and a named solicitor from start to finish.

Questions people ask

What is a conveyancing quote?

A conveyancing quote is the price a solicitor or licensed conveyancer gives for the legal work on your purchase, sale or remortgage, before you agree to go ahead. It should show the legal fee, the disbursements paid to others such as search providers and HM Land Registry, and VAT, so you can compare like with like.

How do fixed-fee conveyancing quotes work, and what's not included?

The solicitor fixes their charge for the legal work in advance. Paid on top are disbursements and taxes: searches, the Land Registry fee, stamp duty, ID check fees and any leasehold charges set by the landlord or managing agent. Extra work such as a gifted deposit or unregistered land can also add cost, so ask how each is priced.

Is fixed price conveyancing the same as fixed fee?

Yes. Fixed fee, fixed price and fixed cost conveyancing all describe the same thing: a solicitor's charge for the legal work agreed in advance, rather than an hourly bill. In each case, disbursements such as searches and the Land Registry fee, and taxes such as stamp duty, are usually paid on top.

Can a fixed conveyancing fee go up?

It can, if the work turns out to be more than the quote described, for example an unregistered title, a lease problem or a gifted deposit that was not mentioned. Solicitors must keep you informed about cost as the matter progresses, so ask them to confirm any increase in writing before they do the extra work.

Are searches included in a conveyancing quote?

They are usually listed in the quote, but as a disbursement rather than part of the fixed legal fee. Your solicitor orders the local authority, water and drainage, and environmental searches, and passes the providers' charges on to you. If you are buying with a mortgage, your lender will expect them.

Is stamp duty included in conveyancing fees?

No. Stamp duty is a tax paid to HMRC, not a fee. Your solicitor normally works out the amount, collects it from you before completion, and files the return and pays it within the 14-day deadline. First-time buyers in England pay nothing on purchases up to £300,000, if the price is £500,000 or less.

Do I have to accept a conveyancing quote?

No. A quote commits you to nothing. You are only bound once you agree to instruct the firm, when it should send you a letter of engagement setting out the work, the fee and the terms. Read it before you sign, and check it matches the quote you were given.

Can I use the same conveyancer to buy and sell?

Yes. Using one firm for both your sale and your purchase is common, and it can make it easier to line up exchange and completion on the same day. Ask for a combined quote that shows the legal fee and the disbursements for each side separately, so you can see what you are paying for.

Sources

What you pay for when buying, choosing a conveyancer, letter of engagement: gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-buy-a-home/how-to-buy

Leasehold information charges when selling: gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-sell-a-home/how-to-sell-a-home

Solicitors' price information rules: sra.org.uk/solicitors/standards-regulations/transparency-rules/

Cost information as a matter progresses: sra.org.uk/solicitors/standards-regulations/code-conduct-solicitors/ (para 8.7)

Land Registry fees: gov.uk/guidance/hm-land-registry-registration-services-fees

Stamp duty rates and deadline: gov.uk/stamp-duty-land-tax/residential-property-rates and gov.uk/guidance/stamp-duty-land-tax-online-and-paper-returns

ID and source-of-funds checks: legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2017/692/regulation/28

Help to Buy repayment on sale: gov.uk/guidance/how-to-repay-your-equity-loan-when-you-sell-your-home

First registration of unregistered land: legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2002/9/section/4

VAT rate: gov.uk/vat-rates

This is general information about conveyancing in England and Wales, not advice on your transaction. Your own costs depend on facts we would need to see.