Prices – Purchase (Leasehold)

ABOUT ALFRED JAMES & CO

Our team has over 54 years of combined experience in delivering high quality work in all matters relating to residential conveyancing.

We have four members of the team who may work on your matter. Regardless of who works on your matter, they will be supervised by our Senior Partner.

Please take a look at Our Staff page to see further details about our Conveyancing Team.

WHY CHOOSE US?

The buying and selling of your home is probably the largest transaction that most people undertake in their lives.

We are accredited by the Law Society’s CQS Conveyancing Quality Scheme as we have the necessary skills and expertise to provide residential conveyancing advice. We will provide all the information you need to understand the process, options, costs and timescales from the outset.

We are also proud to have achieved the Specialist Quality Mark (SQM) accreditation for demonstrating that we are well managed, provide excellent levels of client care and have systems in place to ensure delivery of good quality advice.

AJS Fees
Our fee for dealing with the transaction:

Option 1                       £60K-£120K                                           £1,200.00 + VAT
Plus Acting for Lender fee of £100 plus vat

Option 2                       £121K-£250                                            £1,500 + VAT
Plus acting for lender fee of £200 plus vat

Option 3                       £250K – £350                                       £1,700 + VAT
Plus Acting for Lender fee of £150 plus vat

Option 4                       £ 350K- £500K                                     £1,800 + VAT
Plus acting for lender fee of £200 plus vat

Option 5                       £500K-£650K                                       £2,000 + VAT
Plus acting for lender fee of £250 plus vat

Option 6                      £650K – £800K                                     £2,750 + VAT
Plus acting for lender fee of £300 plus vat

Option 7                       £800K – £1 MIL                                    £5,500 + VAT
Plus acting for lender 350 plus vat

Option 8                       £1MIL +
To be discussed with the firm due to the high values of the transaction

Additional Costs:

Any unforeseen disbursements will be discussed with client

Other Additional Fees (If applicable to your transaction and chargeable at our discretion exclusive of vat):

• Leasehold: £100 – £300
• Help To Buy: £100 – £500
• Help To Buy ISA: £50
• Telegraphic Transfer admin costs: £35
• SDLT Admin: £50 – £125
• Acting For Lender: £100 – £500
• Islamic Mortgage: £195- £350
• Administering Gifted Deposit – from a third party: £100 – £380
• Administration for Applying Unilateral Notice – with the Land Registry: £50
• Update to External Portals: £30
• Limited Company Purchase: £350
• DocuSign fee (if applicable): £50

Referral fee (if any)

Amount of average referral fee paid £150 to £500.
This fee will vary depending on the source of the instruction.

Disbursements (third party costs)

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as Land Registry fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

• Search Pack: £549 (excluding VAT, Varies)
• Bankruptcy Search: £6 per person
• ID/AML Checks: £6 – £16.20 per person
• Land Registry Search: £6
• Land Registry Fee: £40 – £910

Please note the fee range will vary depending on the work required. Factors which may increase the fees charged include:

• If the property is leasehold;
• If a lease extension of deed of variation is required;
• If there is Help to Buy involvement;
• If you wish for us to expedite your transaction;
• If we also need to act for your lender;
• If there is a referral fee;
• If the purchase is off-plan;
• If we cannot meet you in person and will need to complete an electronic ID check;
• If a unilateral notice is required to be registered with the Land Registry;
• If you are a non-UK resident.

Stamp Duty /Land Tax (SDLT)

This depends on the purchase price of your property. You can calculate the amount you will need to pay by using HMRC’s website or if the property is located in Wales by using the Welsh Revenue Authority’s website.

How long will my house purchase take?

How long it will take from your offer being accepted until you can move in to your house will depend on a number of factors. The average process takes between 8-12 weeks.

It can be quicker or slower, depending on the parties in the chain and the timeliness of each party’s responses and returning documents. For example, if you are a first-time buyer, purchasing a new build property with a mortgage in principle, it could take 8 weeks. However, if you are buying a leasehold property that requires an extension of the lease, this can take significantly longer, between 12 to 18 weeks. In such a situation additional charges would apply.

Stages of the process

The precise stages involved in the purchase of a residential property vary according to the circumstances; however below we have outlined the traditional stages we carry out on a standard purchase.

• Take your instructions and give you initial advice;
• Check finances are in place to fund purchase and contact lender’s solicitors if needed;
• 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 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 lender and you
• Complete purchase;
• Deal with payment of Stamp Duty/Land Tax;
• Deal with application for registration at Land Registry.

*Our fee assumes that:

1. this is a standard transaction and that no unforeseen matters arise including for example (but not limited to) a defect in title which requires remedying prior to completion or the preparation of additional documents ancillary to the main transaction;
2. this is the assignment of an existing lease and is not the grant of a new lease;
3. the transaction is concluded in a timely manner and no unforeseen complication arise;
4. all parties to the transaction are co-operative and there is no unreasonable delay from third parties providing documentation;
5. no indemnity policies are required. Additional disbursements may apply if indemnity policies are required;
6. you are referring to us directly and not through a panel or agent where referral fees may apply, these will be disclosed to you in our client care letter.