Short answer
Every Waterstone Legal quote shows the Land Registry Fee on its own line, apart from our fee, because it is a government fee. HM Land Registry charges a fee to register a new owner or a new mortgage in England and Wales. The fee depends on what is being registered, the price or value, and whether the application goes online or by post.
On this page
- Land Registry fee calculator at a glance
- Government fees
- Which Land Registry fee scale applies to me?
- Why does an online application cost less than a paper one?
- Why does a new build or a new lease pay the higher fee?
- Do I pay a separate fee to register my mortgage?
- How is the fee worked out when an owner is added or removed?
- What does it cost to register a home for the first time?
- Is the fee different when a court order transfers the home?
- Is the Land Registry fee the same in Wales?
- Are Land Registry fees about to change?
- Our fees
- What happens next
Land Registry fee calculator at a glance
| Set by | The Land Registration Fee Order 2024, in force since 9 December 2024 |
|---|---|
| Scale 1 | Money paid: purchases, new leases, first registrations |
| Scale 2 | No money paid, and mortgages on their own |
| Mortgage with a purchase | No extra fee when sent with the transfer |
| VAT | None on HM Land Registry fees |
| Pence | Rounded down to the pound before the band is found |
Government fees: HM Land Registry
Registering the new owner costs an HM Land Registry fee, set by law and paid to HM Land Registry, not to us. It depends on the price. These are the fees for an online application to register a transfer of a whole title:
| Price £80,000 | £20 |
|---|---|
| Price £250,000 | £150 |
| Price £575,000 | £295 |
| Price £1,200,000 | £500 |
Examples only; the fee is worked out on the price including any VAT. The property tax is separate again: Stamp Duty Land Tax in England (our stamp duty calculator) or Land Transaction Tax in Wales (our Land Transaction Tax calculator). Source: HM Land Registry, Registration services fees, checked 29 October 2026.
Which Land Registry fee scale applies to me?
There are two scales. Scale 1 is used when money is paid for the property: a purchase, a new lease, or buying a share for money. It is worked out on the price, including any VAT on it. It is also used for first registration of a home that has never been on the register.
Scale 2 is used when no money changes hands, and for mortgages. That covers a gift of a home, adding a partner to the deeds without payment, a transfer of a registered home after a death, a court-ordered transfer between spouses or civil partners, and a remortgage. It is worked out on the value of what is transferred, or on the amount of the mortgage.
A deal paid for only by taking over the mortgage, or for a nominal sum, counts as “no money” for these fees, so Scale 2 applies.
Scale 1
| Price or value | Online, transfer of whole | By post, part, new lease or compulsory first registration | Voluntary first registration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to £80,000 | £20 | £45 | £30 |
| £80,001 to £100,000 | £40 | £95 | £70 |
| £100,001 to £200,000 | £100 | £230 | £170 |
| £200,001 to £500,000 | £150 | £330 | £250 |
| £500,001 to £1,000,000 | £295 | £655 | £495 |
| Over £1,000,000 | £500 | £1,105 | £830 |
Scale 2
| Value or amount of the mortgage | Online, of whole | By post, or of part |
|---|---|---|
| Up to £100,000 | £20 | £45 |
| £100,001 to £200,000 | £30 | £70 |
| £200,001 to £500,000 | £45 | £100 |
| £500,001 to £1,000,000 | £65 | £145 |
| Over £1,000,000 | £140 | £305 |
Source: HM Land Registry, registration services fees (GOV.UK), and the Land Registration Fee Order 2024, Schedules 1 and 2.
Stamp Duty Land Tax on a purchase is separate again: see the stamp duty calculator, or the first-time buyer stamp duty calculator if you have never owned a home.
Why does an online application cost less than a paper one?
A transfer of a whole registered title sent online pays a lower fee than the same application sent by post. For a resale at £250,000, the online fee is £150 and the postal fee is £330. Mortgages work the same way: £30 online against £70 by post on a £200,000 mortgage.
Conveyancers usually apply online through the HM Land Registry portal.
| Example | Online | By post |
|---|---|---|
| Resale at £250,000 | £150 | £330 |
| Mortgage of £200,000 | £30 | £70 |
| Share worth £100,000, no money paid | £20 | £45 |
Why does a new build or a new lease pay the higher fee?
The lower online fee is only for transfers that cover the whole of a registered title. A new-build house is usually a plot carved out of the developer’s larger title, so it is a transfer of part. A new-build flat is usually the grant of a new lease. Both pay the full Scale 1 fee, even when sent online. For a new lease, the fee is worked out on the premium plus the highest yearly rent in the first five years. A ground rent of a peppercorn counts as nothing.
About 15% of buying quote requests on our website were for new builds (website quote requests, 2 Sep–29 Oct 2026; 126 of 811 buying and buying-and-selling requests). More on new build conveyancing.
Do I pay a separate fee to register my mortgage?
Not on a normal purchase. When the mortgage is sent with the transfer, or before HM Land Registry finishes registering the transfer, there is no extra fee for the mortgage. You pay the Scale 1 fee on the price only. If the mortgage arrives after the purchase has been registered, it becomes a new application and pays its own Scale 2 fee.
On a remortgage, there is a Scale 2 fee on the amount of the new mortgage, not the value of the home. Removing the old mortgage from the register is free.
About 80% of buying quote requests on our website were for buyers with a mortgage (website quote requests, 2 Sep–29 Oct 2026; 629 of 811). Our fees for remortgage conveyancing are in the box below; third-party costs and the HM Land Registry fee are separate.
How is the fee worked out when an owner is added or removed?
If nobody pays money for the share, Scale 2 applies. The fee is worked out on the value of the share that changes hands, after taking off any mortgage that stays on the home and any new mortgage registered at the same time.
Example, from HM Land Registry’s own guidance: a home is worth £300,000. One owner transfers a half share to the other, who takes a new mortgage of £170,000. A second mortgage of £40,000 stays on. The fee is assessed on half of what is left: £45,000, so £20 online. The new mortgage registered with the transfer pays no extra fee.
If someone does pay money for the share, Scale 1 applies to the amount paid. If they pay money and also take on part of the mortgage, ask us: the fee depends on the details.
This page covers the Land Registry fee only. Stamp Duty on a transfer of equity, and our fee, are separate (we give you a written, itemised quote before you instruct us). See transfer of equity solicitors and the transfer of equity calculator.
What does it cost to register a home for the first time?
A home that has never been on the register must be registered when it is sold, given away, inherited by assent, or mortgaged for the first time. This is compulsory first registration, and it pays the full Scale 1 fee whether sent online or by post. It is worked out on the price if the home was sold on the open market within the last year, and on the current market value in other cases, such as a gift, an assent after a death, a first mortgage, or a transfer of a share.
If you register your home when nothing has triggered it, that is voluntary first registration, and the fee is at least 25% lower (Scale 1, reduced column). A mortgage sent with a voluntary application pays no extra fee; one sent separately before registration finishes does.
HM Land Registry may also charge £40 if it needs to inspect the land, refunded if the visit does not happen.
Is the fee different when a court order transfers the home?
Yes. A transfer ordered by the court under the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 or the Civil Partnership Act 2004 pays a Scale 2 fee, even if the order says one person must pay the other. The fee is on the value of the share transferred, less the mortgage, and the money paid is ignored. A transfer agreed between unmarried partners, or one not made under such an order, follows the normal rules above.
Example (HM Land Registry): home worth £250,000, mortgage £100,000, court orders the transfer to one spouse, who pays the other £50,000. Fee assessed on £75,000: £20 online.
Is the Land Registry fee the same in Wales?
Yes. HM Land Registry registers land in both England and Wales, and the same fee scales apply. You can apply and write to HM Land Registry in Welsh. What differs in Wales is the tax: you pay Land Transaction Tax to the Welsh Revenue Authority, not Stamp Duty Land Tax (Land Transaction Tax calculator). Homes in Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own registries and fees, and this calculator does not cover them.
About 5% of buying quote requests on our website were for homes in Wales (website quote requests, 2 Sep–29 Oct 2026; 55 of 811).
Are Land Registry fees about to change?
HM Land Registry opened a consultation on 27 October 2026, closing on 22 December 2026. It proposes replacing the value-based Scale 2 fees with two fixed fees: one for changes of owner with no money paid, and one for a mortgage not sent with a transfer or a lease. No amounts are set yet. Its examples suggest a transfer of equity could cost more than now, and a stand-alone mortgage could cost a little more or less than now. Scale 1 is not changing at this stage, though HM Land Registry is asking for views on simpler Scale 1 fees later. Until any new fee order comes in, the current fees apply. We will update this calculator when the fees change. Read the consultation.
Our fees
| Buying a residential propertyStandard purchase of a freehold home under £2m, with one mortgage | £1,010 – £1,910 + VAT (£1,212 – £2,292 including VAT) |
|---|---|
| RemortgagingFreehold home, borrowing under £1m | £610 – £910 + VAT (£732 – £1,092 including VAT) |
Typical ranges for a standard transaction, excluding VAT at 20% and disbursements. Every client receives a written, itemised quotation with an exact figure before instructing us. See all our fees and what they cover.
What happens next
Legally reviewed by Shah Ali, Senior Partner, on 29 October 2026.
Firm facts checked by Rishabh Goria on 29 October 2026.
Last updated 29 October 2026.
Sources
- Land Registration Fee Order 2024 (SI 2024/931), checked 29 October 2026
- HM Land Registry, Registration services fees, checked 29 October 2026
- HM Land Registry, Welsh language scheme, checked 29 October 2026
- HM Land Registry, Consultation on restructuring HM Land Registry fees, checked 29 October 2026
- Welsh Revenue Authority, Land Transaction Tax guide, checked 29 October 2026
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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