At Margetts & Ritchie we offer a specialist and personalised service from highly experienced Solicitors. Your work will be carried out by either Graham Ritchie or Jonathan Ritchie, who have over 70 years experience of residential conveyancing between them. We do not delegate work to junior members of staff.
We are transparent with our costs. In most cases we will work on a fixed fee basis so that you know what the fees will be from the outset of the transaction.
Every transaction is different and we would recommend that you contact us to discuss your matter in detail. We will then be able to provide you with an accurate estimate for your property transaction. We do not pay referral fees to estate agents our sole concern is your best interests.
We are pleased to see our clients personally at our offices.
Our Fees
The fees are likely to be in the range of £750 to £2,000 plus VAT and genuine disbursements.
Please note that if the property you are purchasing is Leasehold there will be an additional fee payable.
If something occurs during the transaction which will involve additional work we will discuss any change in fees with you and agree a way forward.
Factors that may lead to a change in our fees include:
- If a legal title is defective
- If all or part of the property is unregistered
- If the searches reveal adverse entries which require investigation
We do not charge any fee for completing SDLT returns for applying to HM Land Registry to expedite applications and for preparing Notices of Assignment and mortgage.
Disbursements
These are third party costs which are applicable to your transaction.
The standard disbursements which apply to most purchases include:
Stamp Duty Land Tax
This has become more complex following the introduction of higher rates for second homeowners and landlords buying properties to let. There are also various reliefs that can be applied in some circumstances. We may recommend that you seek specialist advice.
We recommend that you look at the links below to find out more information:
Properties in England
https://www.gov.uk/stamp-duty-land-tax
Properties in Wales
https://gov.wales/land-transaction-tax-guide
Search Fees
In most cases we apply for the following standard searches:
- Official Local Authority and Land Charges Register Searches
- Water Authority Search
- Environmental Search
- Coal Mining Search
- Mundic search
These typically cost around £250 to £300 plus VAT. Depending on the property and the location, other searches may be required (such as flood, chancel repair or energy and infrastructure). We will let you know if we consider any of these are necessary. There may also be additional searches that you request are undertaken such as those relating to planning applications in the area.
Land Registry Fee
This is a fee which is payable to HM Land Registry following completion when we apply to register the property in your name. The fee payable depends on the purchase price – the current scale is set out below.
| Value of Property Sold | Fee – Electronic | Fee – Postal |
| 0 – £80,000 | £20 | £45 |
| £80,001 – £100,000 | £40 | £95 |
| £100,001 – £200,000 | £100 | £230 |
| £200,001 – £500,000 | £150 | £330 |
| £500,001 – 1,000,000 | £295 | £655 |
| £1,000,00 and over | £1,105 | £1,105 |
In most cases, we submit applications electronically and charge the lower rate. The higher postal fee is likely to apply if the property you are purchasing is a new build, being registered for the first time or being transferred out of a larger title.
Land Registry Final Search Fee £3 per title
What is not included
Some of the most common additional fees are:
| Additional Fees | Amount plus VAT |
| Bank Transfer Administration Fee | £15 |
| Shared Ownership | £200 |
| Gifted Deposit | £75 |
How long will the purchase take?
At the start of a transaction we will not be able to confirm dates for exchange of contracts or completion of your purchase. The circumstances of each case are different. The time it will take from your offer being accepted until you can move into your house will depend on a number of factors, most of which will be outside our control. The average transaction takes between 8 and 12 weeks.
Factors which can influence the speed of a transaction include:
- How quickly you provide us with any information we have requested from you
- The speed of the responses we receive from other parties involved in the transaction and the conveyancing chain
- The need to obtain satisfactory replies to enquiries raised
- Any unforeseen circumstances
Generally, our advice is not to discuss or try to agree completion dates until all parties are in a position to proceed to exchange of contracts. Completion dates are only confirmed once contracts are exchanged. Contracts will only be exchanged when all parties are in receipt of search results, satisfactory replies to all enquiries, raised survey reports, deposit funds and signed documentation.
The Key Stages of a Purchase
The work we do consists of the following:
- Undertake Identification and Money Laundering checks
- Keep you updated at all stages of the transaction
- Receive contract documentation and report on all relevant aspects
- Raise enquiries on the title to the property with the seller’s solicitors/licensed conveyancers
- Carry out all relevant searches against the property and report to you on the results of these
- Obtain your signature to the contract and exchange contracts with the seller’s solicitors
- Prepare the Transfer Deed and obtain your signature to it
- Carry out final Land Charges and Land Registry searches
- Prepare a financial statement showing monies required from you
- Undertake completion arrangements including transfer of funds
- Pay any Stamp Duty Land Tax together and prepare the HMRC Return
- Register your title at HM Land Registry and send you copy documentation
Please note that we do not provide taxation advice. You will need to seek specialist advice regarding any tax implications of a transaction.