How much are average conveyancing fees in 2024?
Buying a new house, selling your current house with plans to start a new life elsewhere, or remortgaging or transferring equity from your property to free up some funds can be an exciting proposition.
But amongst that excitement, the paperwork, processes and costs involved in a property transaction can make it stressful, and often quite daunting, too.
Thankfully, Homeward Legal's experts are on hand to guide you through all that you need to know, and handle your transaction's legal processes and paperwork.
Your conveyancing fees will be dependent on the value of your property, or the property you're looking to purchase, but to give you an idea of what to expect, we've put together this handy guide to conveyancing costs.
What are conveyancing fees?
Any property transaction, whether it's buying or selling, remortgaging or transferring equity, involves legal formalities and paperwork known as conveyancing.
The formalities and paperwork are carried out by a qualified conveyancer, also known as a property solicitor, on your behalf. The costs of your conveyancer's services are known as conveyancing fees.
What do typical conveyancing fees include?
What do typical conveyancing fees include?
As with any type of legal work, your requirements will likely vary depending on a number of factors. With conveyancing, these will include the type of property transaction and the property involved for example. Therefore, conveyancing fees vary too.
So, to give you an idea of the fees you may be expected to pay for your conveyancing, as well as other costs, be advised that the following may be included in your final bill:
- Solicitors' fees
- Surveyors' fees
- Lenders' fees
- Stamp Duty Land Tax (in England) or Land Transaction Tax (in Wales)
- Land Registry Fees
- Local Authority Searches
- Electronic bank transfer fee
- Management pack for leasehold properties
- Estate agent costs
- Removal costs
- VAT at 20%
Always be sure to read all the details of any conveyancing quotes you're given, to ensure you're prepared for any potential costs. And bear in mind that, if you choose Homeward Legal for your conveyancing, there are never any hidden costs.
How does stamp duty affect conveyancing costs?
How does stamp duty affect conveyancing costs?
As referenced above, stamp duty or land transaction tax is amongst a number of fees you may be required to pay for your property transaction, therefore affecting the overall cost of your conveyancing.
While we advise referring to the government website for full details of the latest Stamp Duty (SDLT) rates in England, here are the current 2024 rates for your information:
Property Value | Stamp Duty Rate for Single Property | Stamp Duty Rate for Additional Property |
Up to £250,000 | 0% | 3% |
The next £675,000 (the value portion between £250,001 - £925,000) | 5% | 8% |
The next £575,000 (the value portion between £925,001 - £1.5 million) | 10% | 13% |
The remaining amount (the value portion above £1.5 million) | 12% | 15% |
In line with current Stamp Duty thresholds, first-time buyers in England will - due to the first-time buyer stamp duty relief - pay no SDLT when purchasing a residential property valued up to £425,000. If they buy a property valued up to £625,000, they will pay 5% SDLT on the value portion between £425,001 and £625,000. The relief cannot be claimed on properties over £625,000.
Again, for the Land Transaction Tax (LTT) rates in Wales, we advise you take a look at the Welsh Government website. For your reference however, here are the current 2024 rates:
Single Property LTT Rate
Price Threshold | LTT Rate for Single Property |
The portion up to and including £225,000 | 0% |
The portion over £225,000 up to and including £400,000 | 6% |
The portion over £400,000 up to and including £750,000 | 7.5% |
The portion over £750,000 up to and including £1,500,000 | 10% |
The portion over £1,500,000 | 12% |
Additional Property LTT Rate
Price Threshold | LTT Rate for Additional Property |
The portion up to and including £180,000 | 4% |
The portion over £180,000 up to and including £250,000 | 7.5% |
The portion over £250,000 up to and including £400,000 | 9% |
The portion over £400,000 up to and including £750,000 | 11.5% |
The portion over £750,000 up to and including £1,500,000 | 14% |
The portion over £1,500,500 | 16% |
Who pays conveyancing costs?
Who pays conveyancing costs?
Due to the various factors that are involved in each individual property transaction, it is difficult to advise of an exact fee that you should expect to pay for your conveyancing, without your solicitor looking into your circumstances first.
When you contact Homeward Legal, you'll be asked to provide some details of your plans, whether you're looking to buy, sell, remortgage or transfer equity, as well as information about the property.
They will then be able to explain in detail the external charges (disbursements), fees and duties that your conveyancing solicitor MUST pay on your behalf to complete your property transaction. It's important to know up front that your solicitor has no control over these external costs, and they will be included in your final bill.
Always transparent on conveyancing fees
Trusted law firms, which are regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA), are obliged to publish information on the fees they charge for conveyancing and other legal services.
So when you choose Homeward Legal for your conveyancing services, you can be assured that we'll be transparent with the expected conveyancing solicitor fees for buying a house, selling a house, or any other transaction.
We only work with SRA and CLC-regulated law firms, and we guarantee we'll always be open with fees and charges involved in conveyancing.
Are conveyancing fees fixed?
Are conveyancing fees fixed?
As already referenced, the fees of conveyancing are not standardised, so there's no such thing as an average conveyancing bill.
The final bill you pay for your conveyancing costs will vary because of factors such as the value of the property you are buying or selling or whether you're buying with a mortgage, or if the property is leasehold or freehold.
Remember, at Homeward Legal we'll always be transparent with your expected fees. So if you choose one of our property conveyancing solicitors, we'll help you understand potential costs by quoting a fixed legal fee** with no hidden costs.
Conveyancing fees that can't be avoided
When you get a no-obligation quote for conveyancing fees from Homeward Legal, your advisor will explain everything clearly and in plain English.
This will include detail on external charges, fees and duties that a conveyancing solicitor MUST pay on your behalf to complete a sale or purchase transaction.
These fees are set by 3rd parties, such as the HMRC and the Land Registry, and are included in your final bill, so it's important to know this information before making any commitment to instruct a solicitor.
Are disbursements and VAT included in conveyancing fees?
Are disbursements and VAT included in conveyancing fees?
When you compare solicitors' quotes for buying a house, you will almost certainly find very cheap quotes for conveyancing online. But, as is often the case, cheap is not always best.
Bear in the mind that most online quotes will not include essential disbursements that must be paid. An SRA review in 2019 stated over a 3rd (34%) of quotes given online do not include all the fees that form an essential part of any conveyancing service.
A no-obligation conveyancing quote from Homeward Legal will include disbursements* based on the information you've provided, and they will be charged with no additional fees or surcharges.
Occasionally additional disbursements are required to progress a transaction, and these will only be charged following a discussion with your conveyancer.
Any final bill from your solicitor must also include 20% VAT, so don't forget to add that on, too. For clarity, Homeward Legal includes this in your quote.
How much are the conveyancing solicitors' fees for buying a house?
How much are the conveyancing solicitors' fees for buying a house?
As we've already mentioned, conveyancing costs can vary widely depending on the value of the property. But to give you some idea of how much you may be required to pay, we've provided the average costs for buying a freehold or leasehold property below.
When using Homeward Legal for conveyancing on a freehold property, assuming a buyer is having a mortgage on the property, the average cost is:
Legal fees: £790
Disbursements: £550
Total conveyancing fees: £1340 (including VAT)
When using Homeward Legal for conveyancing on a leasehold property, assuming a buyer is having a mortgage on the property, the average cost is:
Legal fees: £1000
Disbursements: £550
Total conveyancing fees: £1550 (including VAT)
The legal fees for buying a leasehold property include a leasehold supplement fee, which is why the total cost works out a little higher than for a freehold property.
At Homeward Legal, our instant quote service allows you to view conveyancing fees in less than a couple of minutes.
How much are the conveyancing solicitors' fees for selling a house?
How much are the conveyancing solicitors' fees for selling a house?
As with buying a property, conveyancing solicitors' fees for selling a house can vary depending on the property's value. So again, we've provided the average costs for selling a freehold or leasehold property below, to help you get an idea of what to expect.
When using Homeward Legal for conveyancing when selling a freehold property, the average cost is:
Legal fees: £790
Disbursements: £14
Total conveyancing fees: £804 (including VAT)
When using Homeward Legal for conveyancing when selling a leasehold property, the average cost is:
Legal fees: £950
Disbursements: £20
Total conveyancing fees: £970 (including VAT)
Remember, with us, it takes a matter of seconds to get a quote for conveyancing costs with Homeward Legal, or you can always give us a call on .
Are conveyancers cheaper than solicitors?
Are conveyancers cheaper than solicitors?
Usually, due to the difference in their knowledge and expertise, and the type of work they carry out, conveyancers are cheaper than solicitors.
Solicitors are likely to have a greater knowledge of property law, whereas a conveyancer will specialise in the paperwork, contracts and finances when you're buying or selling your home.
When do I pay conveyancing fees?
When do I pay conveyancing fees?
In most property transactions, any conveyancing fees you owe won't need to be paid until the end of your transaction, after any deposits have been transferred and you've completed.
In some cases however, some of these disbursements require payment up front, and your solicitor will request payment from you before going ahead.
What happens if the house sale falls through?
What happens if the house sale falls through?
If something unexpected happens and, for whatever reason, your property transaction falls through, we know this is likely to cause you a fair amount of stress and worry.
With this in mind, Homeward Legal offers you the protection of No Completion No Fee conveyancing. This means that, if your property purchase or sale falls through at any point, you will not lose any money or the conveyancing fees you may have already paid.
Why you can trust Homeward Legal when it comes to conveyancing costs
Why you can trust Homeward Legal when it comes to conveyancing costs
Buying or selling a property can often throw up unexpected problems and complications. It's better to have an expert legal professional on your side to negotiate these hurdles.
Homeward Legal's nationwide panel includes top property law firms across England and Wales who have the knowledge and experience to deal with any problems. What's more, we're open seven days a week and until 8pm on most weekdays for your convenience.
At Homeward Legal, you will always have an expert legal professional on your side to negotiate any hurdles.
All of our conveyancing professionals are fully regulated under the Solicitors Regulation Authority or the Council for Licensed Conveyors, so you can rest assured you're in safe, reliable hands.
Our hundreds of positive reviews onTrustpilot show just how highly our customers value us.
Get a fixed legal quote** for your conveyancing fees with Homeward Legal
Get a fixed legal quote** for your conveyancing fees with Homeward Legal
Want a clear, concise explanation of conveyancing solicitors' fees, how much they will be and what they will cover? Look no further than Homeward Legal.
There's no such thing as an average conveyancing bill. The final bill you pay will vary because of factors such as the value of the property you are buying or selling or whether you're buying with a mortgage or the property is leasehold or freehold.
By choosing Homeward Legal when you're looking for a property solicitor, the legal fee we quote you will be exactly what you pay, with no hidden costs*.
You can get an instant, no-obligation conveyancing quote today by entering just a few details. You can also talk to our friendly team on or complete a quick quote to find out what your conveyancing fees will cost.
Your Fixed Legal Fee** quote from Homeward Legal ensures that you pay no more than we have quoted you for and is based on the information you’ve provided to us being true and accurate.
There are specific circumstances on a minority of transactions that may require additional charges that could not be foreseen at the outset.
A list of those charges and explanations can be found here with details of the potential cost. These will only be charged following discussion with your conveyancer with a clear explanation of what they are for.
No Completion No Fee† is our promise that in the unfortunate event that your property transaction falls-through you will not be liable for any of the conveyancer’s fixed legal fees for the work completed.
To secure this benefit a fee, already included in your quote, is taken upon on deciding to go ahead with your transaction.
Should your transaction fall through, for whatever reason, we can hold this amount on account for your next transaction or provide a refund.
Disbursements* are costs or expenses that may be incurred as part of your conveyancing transaction which are paid to a third party by your conveyancer, on your behalf.
They will vary depending on your requirements and can include Land Registry fees and banking charges. We've quoted for Disbursements based on the information you've provided, and they will be charged with no additional fees or surcharges.
Occasionally additional disbursements are required to progress a transaction and will only be charged following a discussion with your conveyancer.
Updated 16.08.23