Quick answer
A standard purchase of a freehold home under £2m, with one mortgage, costs £1,010 – £1,910 + VAT in our fees. A standard sale of a freehold home under £2m, with one registered mortgage to redeem, costs £660 – £1,060 + VAT.
Disbursements, Stamp Duty Land Tax and the HM Land Registry fee are separate. Your quote gives the exact figure for your matter.
On this page
Conveyancing
These are our fees for a standard transaction: a freehold home under £2m. If your matter needs more work, we price that work and agree it with you before it starts.
Buying a home
Buying a residential property: Standard purchase of a freehold home under £2m, with one mortgage
| Our fees |
£1,010 – £1,910 + VAT
£1,212 – £2,292 including VAT at 20%
Covers our legal fee and these fees:
|
|---|---|
| Paid to others on your behalf | £319 – £341 Searches, bankruptcy and identity checks, a Land Registry priority search, a source-of-funds check and portal charges. The figure covers one or two people and includes VAT where it applies. The local council sets the price of its search, so this is an estimate. |
Stamp Duty and the Land Registry fee are set by the government and are not part of our fee. Work out yours with the HMRC Stamp Duty calculator and HM Land Registry's fees.
What's included
- We take your instructions and give you initial advice
- We check the contract, the title and the standard searches
- We raise questions with the seller's solicitor
- We explain what the title, searches, contract and mortgage offer mean for you
- We exchange contracts and complete your purchase
- We deal with your Stamp Duty: the return, and paying the tax with money you send us
- We register you as the owner at HM Land Registry
Not included
- A survey, or any advice about the state of the property
- Tax planning or financial advice
- Extra work for a leasehold, new-build or shared-ownership home, which is quoted separately
- Extending a lease, which is a separate matter with its own fee
- Indemnity insurance premiums, and charges from the freeholder, managing agent or lender
How long it takes: typically 8 – 14 weeks
- Contract and searches
The seller's solicitor sends the contract pack and we order your searches.
- Questions and mortgage
We raise questions, check your mortgage offer and report to you.
- Exchange
You sign the contract. We exchange with the other side and the completion date is set.
- Completion
We send the money to the seller's solicitor and you get the keys.
- Afterwards
We send the Stamp Duty return and register your ownership at HM Land Registry.
How long it takes depends on the other people in your chain and your lender.
Selling a home
Selling a residential property: Standard sale of a freehold home under £2m, with one registered mortgage to redeem
| Our fees |
£660 – £1,060 + VAT
£792 – £1,272 including VAT at 20%
Covers our legal fee and these fees:
|
|---|---|
| Paid to others on your behalf | £46 – £78 Identity checks, official copies of your title and portal charges. The figure covers one or two people and includes VAT where it applies. |
What's included
- We take your instructions and give you initial advice
- We check who you are and that you own the home
- We prepare the contract and answer the buyer's questions
- We exchange contracts and complete the sale
- We pay off your mortgage and send you the money from the sale
Not included
- Work on a leasehold or managed-freehold home, unless your quote covers it
- Putting right a defective or unregistered title
- Extra deeds, declarations or indemnity policies
- Tax advice, or estate agent or surveyor fees
How long it takes: typically 8 – 12 weeks
- Contract pack
We send the contract and your title to the buyer's solicitor.
- Buyer's questions
We answer the buyer's solicitor's questions, with your help where needed.
- Exchange
You sign the contract. We exchange with the other side and the completion date is set.
- Completion
We pay off your mortgage and send the rest of the money to you.
How long it takes depends on the other people in your chain and your buyer's lender.
Remortgaging
Your remortgage fee is shown in your instant quote, based on your property and your loan. VAT and disbursements are extra and listed in your quote, and the HM Land Registry fee is separate.
Alongside our legal fee, the quote lists:
- Telegraphic Transfer Fee (Per Transfer)
- Redeeming your existing loan
- Lender Portal Management Fee
What can change the cost
Your fee for a sale or purchase may be higher if:
- the home is leasehold, new build, shared ownership or a listed building, or a management company is involved
- the title is defective or unregistered, is split across more than one title, or includes a flying freehold
- you are using bridging, private, buy-to-let or halal home finance, or more than one mortgage
- you are using a gifted deposit, a Lifetime ISA, Right to Buy or First Homes
- we need to deal with extra deeds, consents, restrictions, declarations, indemnity insurance or reports
- anyone involved is abroad, or more identity or source-of-funds checks are needed
- the work is urgent or unusually complicated, or the transaction falls through
- information or documents reach us late
Leasehold and new-build homes are priced on a higher fee scale. Other extra work is charged as a fixed fee per item, typically £50 – £750 + VAT, and we agree it with you in writing first.
Who does the work
Our conveyancing team is made up of partners, solicitors, consultants, conveyancing executives, trainees and paralegals. Shah Ali, Senior Partner, supervises the team. You can read about each person's qualifications and experience on our team page.
Immigration: visas, settlement and citizenship
These are our fees for the legal work. Home Office and tribunal fees, the health surcharge, biometrics, and any interpreter, translator, expert or barrister costs are extra.
Whether VAT applies depends on where you live and your immigration status. We confirm it in your quote.
Immigration applications
Your fee within the range depends on how complex your case is, the evidence it needs, any earlier refusals and how urgent it is.
| Service | Typical fee (excl. VAT) |
|---|---|
| Further Leave to Remain — partner or parent route | £1,500 – £2,500 |
| Entry-clearance application | £1,500 – £2,500 |
| Skilled Worker application | £1,500 – £2,500 |
| Indefinite Leave to Remain | £1,500 – £2,200 |
| Naturalisation as a British citizen | £1,500 – £1,800 |
| Sponsor licence application | £1,500 – £3,000 |
| EU Settlement Scheme application | £750 – £1,200 |
| MN1 child citizenship registration | £700 – £950 |
| Certificate of Sponsorship support | £600 – £900 |
| Visit visa application | £750 – £950 |
| Fee-waiver application — per applicant | £500 – £750 |
What's included
- A first meeting, where we confirm the route that fits and give you a document checklist
- A check of every document and piece of evidence against the rules
- The application, with a covering letter setting out how you meet each requirement
- Submitting the application once you have checked it
- Going through the decision with you, and the next step
Not included
- Home Office fees and the Immigration Health Surcharge
- Charges for biometric appointments or a faster (priority) decision
- Translator, interpreter, expert or barrister fees
- Extra work if information is missing, the Home Office asks for more evidence, or you are interviewed
- Appeals, reviews or new applications, unless your quote includes them
How long it takes: typically 2 – 6 weeks to prepare, once we have your documents
- Your route
You tell us your situation. We confirm the route that fits and send you a written quote.
- Your documents
You get a checklist, and we review every document against the rules.
- Your application
We prepare the application and submit it once you have checked it.
- The decision
We go through the Home Office's decision with you and the next step.
After you apply, the Home Office decides, and its timings vary by route and service. See current UK visa processing times.
Appeals and other services
| Preparing & submitting an appeal only | £300 – £500 The tribunal's own fee is extra and depends on whether you ask for a hearing. See the tribunal fees. |
|---|---|
| Appeal case preparation | £1,800 – £2,500 Costs for a barrister, expert, interpreter or translator are extra and listed in your quote. The hearing date is set by the tribunal. |
| Other services | Typical fee (excl. VAT) |
|---|---|
| Asylum application | £1,500 – £2,000 |
| Fresh claim | £1,500 – £2,000 |
| National Referral Mechanism matter | £1,500 – £2,000 |
| Revocation or deprivation matter | £1,500 – £2,000 |
| Judicial review | £2,000 – £3,500 |
| Responding to deportation | £2,000 – £3,500 |
| Immigration bail application only * | £1,500 – £2,500 |
| Pre-action protocol letter | £300 – £500 |
| Subject access request | £200 – £350 |
* Immigration bail application only: the barrister's fee for the hearing is extra.
Home Office and tribunal fees
Home Office fees change and depend on your route. We tell you every outside cost and get your OK before paying it. The current figures:
- Home Office fee tables: visa and nationality fees
- Visa fee checker: the fee for your route
- Immigration Health Surcharge
Who does the work
Our immigration team is made up of solicitors, legal advisors and paralegals. Oliverta Mediu, Partner, supervises the team. You can read about each person's qualifications and experience on our team page.
What you pay for
What you pay is made up of up to four parts.
| Our fee | Our charge for the legal work. Your quote gives the exact figure. |
|---|---|
| VAT | 20%, added to our fee where VAT applies. |
| Paid to others on your behalf | Costs we pay for you, such as searches, HM Land Registry, translators or experts. |
| Government charges | Stamp Duty, Home Office fees and similar charges. We always show them separately from our fee. |
Hourly rates
If a fixed fee does not fit your matter, we charge by the hour. The rate depends on who does the work, and we agree it with you in writing first.
| Person carrying out the work | Excl. VAT | Incl. VAT (20%) |
|---|---|---|
| Partner or solicitor with 8+ years' experience | £230 – £270 | £276 – £324 |
| Solicitor or legal executive | £165 – £230 | £198 – £276 |
| Trainee, conveyancing executive or paralegal | £100 – £165 | £120 – £198 |
Regulation and complaints
Waterstone Chambers LLP, trading as Waterstone Legal, is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA number 605949).
If you are unhappy with our service, our Complaints Procedure explains how to tell us, and when you can take it to the Legal Ombudsman or report it to the SRA.
We publish this page under the SRA Transparency Rules. Prices last updated on 8 October 2026.